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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Every week we get a number of email questions that we try to answer on the air (by the way, you can now hear us on WNTP 990AM on Saturdays at 8 a.m. along with our usual spot on Sundays at noon). Below are a few of the more interesting ones we’ve received lately. If…
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Since I’m the quarterback, I probably shouldn’t be talking about basketball, but here goes… March Madness is all about ‘Survive and Advance.’ In order to continue playing and prevent the season from being over, you have to win to move on to the next round. In today’s ever changing and volatile economic arena, your retirement…
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Since the beginning of the year, at least a dozen clients have asked me whether it’s the right time to buy gold or buy into the energy sector. Both are good questions. Let’s look at gold first. As I write this, gold is trading at $1,220 an ounce. In 2008 it was trading at $850…
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With the market gyrations over the past month, the big question is simply this: are we looking at the beginning of a bear market, or is this nothing more than a minor blip as markets continue their path up? While I’m optimistic that the market has another year or two to run, really…who knows? This…
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