Retirement planning is an essential part of personal finance, and one of the most vital components of this process involves contributing to a 401k account. If you have a 401k, it is imperative that you understand the benefits, risks, and overall strategy behind your investment. A 401k is a tax-advantaged retirement savings account that is provided by an employer. This account allows the employee t...
Let me start by saying that I’m not a prognosticator of what will happen in the stock market at any given time. Before the Trump election, I was certain that we’d have a major correction. I was wrong. After the Trump election, I really wasn’t sure, but it seemed logical that we’d have a period of growth (which we have). Now? Who knows? Some experts think the market will con...
Protect IRA Assets from Your Children’s Poor Decisions More and more wealth over the coming years will transfer between generations as our population ages. Investment News stated recently that there will be more wealth transferred from one generation to the next over the next 20 years than in any time in our country’s history. Much of the assets transferred will be IRA money. Many readers of this ...
I’m a big fan of using calculators to help clients determine the “real-world” math supporting the use of various wealth-building tools. One of my favorite software tools is the OnPointe Investment Risk Analyzer program. The software helps consumers determine their own individual investment risk tolerance and then can be used to score investments. OnPointe can also be used to put together the right...
To download a six-page summary explaining risk capacity, click on the following link: Risk Capacity Link Have you ever heard the term “Risk Capacity”? Chances are very high that you have not. Why is that? Most financial professionals focus on the more commonly known term of “Risk Tolerance.” Risk Tolerance is someone’s personal attitude about investment risk, e.g., how comfortable someone is with ...
The conventional wisdom in the financial services industry for the last several decades is that a prudent way to invest money (one that will provide sufficient yields and hedge downside risk) is to use a mix of 60% stocks/mutual funds and 40% bonds. Why a 60/40 mix? The equity part of the portfolio is supposed to drive higher returns but with more risk, and the bond part of the portfolio is suppos...
Should We Hate Ken Fisher? While my most popular article of all time is: Is Dave Ramsey an Idiot?, I think this article has potential to become my most popular ever. To read a 17 page white paper on what’s wrong with Dave Ramsey, click on the following link: http://www.uploadedimages.net/content/PDFs/Dave.ramsey.white.paper.pdf I was motivated to write this article after I sat down and read ...
Divorce Planning Using Annuities with Guaranteed Income Riders I was talking to someone the other day about their impending divorce, and it dawned on me that there is a terrific and simple use of annuities with Guaranteed Income Benefit (GIB) riders in divorce planning. Stereotypical Divorce Fact Pattern-I don’t mean to be sexist, but the typical divorce is st...
As you may know, the average person has not saved very much for retirement. For this newsletter however, I’m going to assume that those who read it have diligently saved and will have $500,000 in savings by the time they retire. This newsletter is meant to get readers to think about how long a saved up retirement nest egg will last. Here’s a hint: not as long as you think. If you are 65-years old ...
As a general statement, most of the general public who earn a good living and/or have amassed wealth do not have the proper estate plan or asset protection plan. The following are statistics about the more affluent general public* when looking at a group of ten. – 1-2 will NOT have a simple will – 6-7 will NOT have Durable Powers of Attorney – ...
