My Comments: QLAC? What the heck is a QLAC? By Jeffrey Levine / July 18, 2014 On July 1, 2014 the Treasury Department released the long-awaited final regulations for Qualifying Longevity Annuity Contracts (QLACs). These new annuities will offer advisors a unique tool to help clients avoid outliving their money. The QLAC rules, however, are …
Category: Financial Advice
Stocks Will Rise And The 3 Trades You Can’t Make
My Comments: Once again, the question of a market crash raises its ugly head. And once again, no one has a clue when it will happen. And once again, as I tell my clients and prospective clients, it really doesn’t matter if you have your money where it can grow regardless of when and how …
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‘Trust me, I am a financial adviser’ is Not Good Enough
My Comments: There are those in the financial services industry that do not have to be accountable for what they say and do with respect to clients and their best interest. They claim to, but if push comes to shove, it’s buyer beware. Of course, with today’s instant media, if you are on the wrong …
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Short Selling Drops to Lowest Level Since Lehman
My Comments: Last Tuesday, I referenced an article with a compelling reason to think the current stock market move upward would soon go the other way. The author asserted the collapse was already under way. Here is an equally compelling article that suggests it’s not going to collapse, instead is going to continue going up. …
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3 Retirement Planning Essentials to Understand
My Comments: I’ve now reduced retirement years to three types of years. They are “go-go”, “slow-go” and “no-go”. Planning for them before you reach retirement is a matter of attempting to get as many $ in the pot as possbile. After that, it’s a timing issue that is driven by health, the expected life style, …
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The Paradox of Investment Risk
My Comments: First, let’s both understand we are talking about financial risk. Second, financial risk for me is likely to be defined differently from how you define it. Third, there is always an element of uncertainty about any future outcome, whether it's getting married, having children, accepting a new job, etc. Uncertainty implies a potentially …
There Isn’t Going To Be A Crash Anytime Soon
My Comments: Last week I posted an article that suggested you be very cautious with your investments going forward. This article says “never mind”, all is well, keep going. Unfortunately, from my perspective, both are completely rational, plausible, and probably accurate. Which means that I have no earthly idea how this is going to play …
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Guide to Tracking Down Old 401k Accounts
My Comments: From time to time someone will ask me about an old account they had when they worked somewhere else. They have no paperwork they can find and no memory of whether they transferred the money, how much it was, etc. This guide came from a source I use from tme to time where …
Spring Check-Up: 5 Investment Ideas For Your Portfolio
My Comments: OK, we’re a long way into Spring, but the dramatic push to finish taxes by April 15th is behind us. Time now to review and reflect before the heat of summer is here. These five ideas make sense to me. And yes, the approach I take with clients is a little different, ( …
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Fiduciaries: Steer Clear of T. Rowe, Fidelity and Vanguard TDFs
My Comments: This article was meant for me as a financial professional with fiduciary responsibilities. However, I think it’s important information for everyone. TDF stands for Target Date Funds. This is a Wall Street invention that attempts to create a special, presumably safe investment portfolio for you, Mr. and Mrs. American Investor. The investment allocation …
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Helping Define Your Financial Future 