It’s Wednesday morning and both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 hit new highs yesterday. As of now (11:52 a.m. in the east) both indexes are up again. When discussing the markets, which I end up doing many times each day, I keep getting the same questions and comments: Why does the market keep going up while the…
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When I talk to my clients, one of the things I hear most often is “We’ve never lived through anything like this before.” And that’s very true. 2020 has been an adventure to say the least. But I take that time to remind them that the world may be changing, but their retirement needs aren’t.…
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A few weeks ago I penned an article titled “The Markets Don’t Care Who Wins”. I discussed the correlation, or lack thereof, between presidents and stock market returns. As the election draws closer these discussions invariably pick up momentum, and so do the news articles. Last week I came across an article titled “Presidents don’t…
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Earlier this week, I spoke with a friend of mine who is an advisor in the Midwest. He told me that since the pandemic hit, he’s lost quite a number of clients while many others went to cash. At Franklin Retirement, we had about 7% of our clients go to cash for a short period.…
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I know it hasn’t been fun and I know most of us have had our share of roller coaster rides over the years, but it feels like we’re on a ride again. The first quarter of 2018 saw a return to what we can consider “normal” levels of volatility, after a period of historic low…
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You may have seen a column by Jane Bryant Quinn in this month’s AARP Bulletin about Fixed Indexed Annuities (FIAs). Fixed indexed annuity sales totaled more than $60 billion in 2016 and continue to grow as an asset class for retirees and pre-retirees. Ms. Quinn’s concerns are somewhat valid, but not wholly accurate. To wit: “Salespeople might…
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This Sunday on the radio show, I spend some time reviewing common 401(k) mistakes being made by folks still in the workforce. I thought I’d lay them out here as well. And while this discussion is written around 401(k)s, don’t think you’re immune because you have a 403(b). You can make the same mistakes with…
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As you get closer to your retirement, you start to think practically about the steps of your retirement transition. A to-do list emerges of tasks to try and accomplish, as well as things to consider. If haven’t retired but are getting ready to, here’s three things you should think about. Mind Your Money Now…
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The prospect of retirement always sounds good—walking out of the office for the last time, Johnny Paycheck blaring from the car speakers as you drive home and sleeping late whenever you want. But too often, common retirement decisions end up being mistakes. To that end, Kiplinger put together a list of 10 financial decisions retirement…
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Again the markets have been on a roller-coaster ride over the past 10 days. A few market analysts say the market is tracking the polls. For whatever reason, Wall Street seems to feel Hillary is a safer bet so when the polls started closing and Trump was edging past her, the market went down. After…
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