My Comment: An interesting observation from someone who has spent many years in leadership roles in our society. By Lawrence Summers | Bloomberg | FT Throughout US history, division and slow change have been the norm rather than the exception With last week’s release of the president’s budget, Washington has once again descended into partisan …
Continue reading America’s Problem is Not Political Gridlock
My Comments: It seems the DOW hits a new record every week and everyone is wondering when the penny is going to drop and once again, we fall into the abyss. Most of us think it will happen, but not anytime soon. Here's another analysis worth reading. By Jeffrey Dow Jones This week (April 8) …
My Comments: First, I’ve been a supporter of Obamacare since day one. Not because its a panacea for what ails us, but because without it, none of the stakeholders individually have enough leverage to effect meaningful change. By that I mean, doctors, hospitals, insurance companies, Big Pharma, and of course, patients like you and me. …
Too much information can be as harmful to retirement plan decisions as too little. My Comments: Somewhere along the way during my last 40 years in the world of financial services, I read or was told that at some point you have to make a decision. You cannot simply attempt to absorb more and more …
Continue reading The Disclosure Paradox: How Much Information Is Too Much?
My Comments: This was written a couple of years ago, but the message will resonate today with many people. For those who have expectations of retiring at some point, there is an incentive to accumulate as much retirement money as possible. All the while being sensitive to how that money is put to work. The …
Continue reading Retirement Ratio: Portfolio Performance and Uncertainty Measurement
My Comments: Many of my clients are elderly clients. For many, their investment horizon going forward is not 20 years or more. They have little need to take what many of them think of as aggressive steps to grow their money. On the other hand, good advisors today are encouraging their clients to be more …
Continue reading Record U.S. Stocks at Lowest Valuation Since 1980
My Comments: It’s hard for me to understand why this should be a difficult calculation. Until I realize that there are lots of variables in how social security benefits are payable, and the best solution is often a function of how long you live, and whether you and your spouse, assuming you have one, stay …
Continue reading When to Begin Social Security? Even Advisors Aren’t Sure
My Comments: I spent time this morning with someone who is best described as a capitalist. He understands how money works, he understands the existing health care system, he understands the changes that are taking place, and he is actively looking for financial opportunities. He sees them everywhere. I’ve posted before about the need for …
Continue reading Why an MRI costs $1,080 in America and $280 in France
My Comments: I’ve been licensed to sell life and health insurance policies since 1975. Over these many years, I’ve been fortunate to have had many exceptional clients who have listened to what I had to say and made what we agreed were intelligent choices. In the days when interest rates were significantly higher than they …
Continue reading Buy Term and Invest the Difference — Not Anymore!
My Comments: Why, you ask, do I repost an article that on the face of it has nothing to do with investing money, or financial planning or making sure taxes are minimized. Well, because many of you are going to be investing money ten, twenty, and thirty years from now. Your lives will change from …
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