Taxing the future and tackling the federal debt
As you should be aware, our legislature is grappling with the Federal budget, Federal services, and its revenue. In other words, they are grappling with our future and potentially how we live. Many of...
View ArticleGetting back on financial track and the value of time
This conversation could focus on the fragile economic recovery of our economy or the personal recovery of individual budgets and debt. For those starting to benefit from this recovery or have received...
View ArticleIs your financial professional an advisor or a salesperson?
Financial professionals like any other profession are in the business to earn a living. It is unfortunate the compensation structure in this industry often leaves clients questioning the...
View ArticleWill your family recognize your treasure from your trash?
During our lifetimes, most of us tend to accumulate a great deal of “stuff.” Many times, this is a result of hobbies, such as collecting Hummels, coins, stamps, guns or any number of other items....
View ArticleMaintaining liquidity within investment portfolios
The phrase, “Cash is king” is often used regarding investments. Generally, this is used when the markets are volatile and thus the value held in cash is not falling like other segments of a portfolio....
View ArticleManaging the cost of healthcare
Of all the costs we incur in our lifetime, the cost of healthcare is one that is difficult to control. Often there is little time to shop for required healthcare. My wife recently needed to have her...
View ArticleMaking the correct decision based upon the numbers
Managing investments and making financial decisions is hard enough without someone intentionally trying to confuse the issues. Here is one decision that should be made. For those of you who have a home...
View ArticleInvesting and staying on course through the noise
Have you consider the impact of "headline risk?" Managing investments is not an easy task. Whether it is the professional or someone managing their own accounts, to do this job well requires patience,...
View ArticleComing down to a photo finish
If you are unfamiliar with the current tug-of-war going on in Congress, you must be “living under a rock” to borrow a line from the GEICO commercials. At the center of all the discussion is a very...
View ArticleThe benefit of insurance
The cost to own a home is not just the mortgage payment. And for the business person, there are more costs to running a business than just the cost of its inventory. When budgets are stained due to...
View ArticlePanic is not an investment strategy
At the time I am writing this article the market recently closed down 512.76 points, or 4.3 percent with the upcoming jobs report, being the next indicator of how the market may move. Clearly, the...
View ArticleThe roller coaster ride continues
I have always enjoyed roller coaster rides, but in part I think my enjoyment came from knowing when and where the ride will end. The past three weeks or so the financial markets have provided that same...
View ArticleReminder: There is risk in reacting to headlines
Knee-jerk reactions to troubling headlines may cause investors to fall into the common pit of selling low after buying high. Lately, we have had a multitude of these headlines from civil wars,...
View ArticleAvoiding running out of retirement income
With the investment markets behaving as they are, the likelihood of running out of retirement income may appear to be a real possibility. Throw in the murky future of the Social Security Administration...
View ArticleMaking final distributions easier to manage
For most of us our last act is one of generosity. We have gone through our life planning, saving, and consuming and in our final days, we make a gift to our loved ones. Through the use of a will or...
View ArticleReverse mortgage as a retirement income option
You cannot go a day without seeing Robert Wagner, Fred Thompson, or some other spokesperson giving their pitch on reverse mortgages. By the way this product is presented, homeowners could draw the...
View ArticleSidestepping estate planning mistakes
In previous articles I have touched on making estate distributions easy. However, easy does not always mean fair. In conversations with most of my clients, their intent is often to split their estate...
View ArticleManaging the amount of taxable income annually
Every year most of us have to file our annual tax return and pay unto Caesar what is Caesar’s as the saying goes. While we each look for every valid deduction to make sure the amount of the net taxable...
View ArticleFederal budget woes and their impact on investments
In the coming months as the “super committee” meets and works toward a recommendation, we may once again see increased volatility in the investment markets. It seems like this is the same song, only...
View ArticleTrading ranges and breakouts
The terms “trading range” and “breakout” are often used when referring to the investment markets. In fact, the major indexes are currently in a trading range. For the S&P 500, the range is...
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