A Great Year for Investing ALL investment classes did well in 2017. Yes, some did better than others, but it is rare to find a category that did not have a positive return last year. Lets take a look at some of the more common indices that we use to measure investment performance. Dow Jones …
At the end of the last blog I said I would write about a key change in the financial services world which boils down to is your sales person required to offer you the best product for you–acting as your fiduciary– or simply one that is “suitable”. A subtle difference that at this point may …
Start With the Key Financial Areas There are six key areas to examine when building your financial life by design. I’m going to explain why they all matter and then explore each one in more detail in subsequent writing. By the way, in completing the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®) designation an advisor will be tested …
Are you the Hammer? I read a lot, mostly financial and self help topics. While doing that I pick up phrases, snippets of wisdom, and pearls of advice that resonate with me. Some of my earlier blogs have been built around song lyrics that I feel encouraged to share. Simon and Garfunkel sang in El …
It’s the end of a year and start of another. Naturally many of us are thinking about making changes in our lifestyle that will create a better “us.” I encourage people to reflect on their life and make changes when they feel it is warranted. Change does not always mean progress, but progress rarely comes …
LIFE IS A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT Thus, winning in 2016 or any given year is the equivalent of running a mile at a pace you want. A great way to start looking at 2016 and setting your pace is to finish evaluating 2015. Was 2015 a good year for you and how optimistic are you …
In April 2014 I wrote an update to my clients describing how well the stock market had done in 2013. Generally speaking markets were up 20-30% last year. My overriding message was enjoy the gains of the last few years and don’t expect much in 2014. An increase between 5-10% for the year would be …
Yes that’s right – it’s all about time in the market, not timing the market. Retirement Savings Example A simple example will make the point.: At age 25 begin investing $5,000 per year for just TEN (10) YEARS. If you earn 8% per year, after 10 years you will have $78,227. Now stop adding to …
Fear of Investing Fear of investing in the stock market deprives many from ever having the wealth they could safely accumulate during their lifetime. Investing in the stock market, let’s use the S&P 500 index as our example, can be a positive if you do the following: Allow time to work for you—only invest money …
The Market Can Be Your Friend if You Allow It to Be Read More »
Take Retirement Seriously Retirement strategies are a favorite topic of mine. Often I’ll get an idea from other articles that I’ve read that will prompt me to write a blog. One recent article had a 401K retirement account advising it’s owner on retirement strategies. Its first piece of advice – take retirement seriously. In my …