Rick Newman, On Friday August 26, 2011, 3:28 pm EDT There's one big group of Americans who still haven't received much of a bailout from Washington--homeowners. Now, there's a growing chance the Obama administration may finally do something to help the little guy directly. Up till now, bailout theory has hinged on helping banks, corporations, …
Category: Investment Planning
Capital Market Insights – August 29, 2011
Here is your Weekly Insights update from Curian’s Asset Management Group. This informative capital market update is designed to help you stay informed about important developments in economics, the markets, and … CONTINUE
Fiduciary Standards for Financial Advisors
I’m going to weigh in on a topic that annoys the crap out of me. It involves the frantic efforts of the brokerage industry to avoid being held accountable to the same standards that I am held to when I offer financial advice. From the earliest days of the 20th century, the brokerage industry generated …
Investors and Risk
This is from a recent article in the Financial Times. It describes something that happened in the UK but is see the same problem here in the US. I deal weekly with smart people who have virtually no financial sophistication and who find themselves in a box from which they cannot escape. Unfortunately, they are …
The Case for Alternative Investments – Part XI
This is a continuation of my recent argument in favor of a different approach to how you, as a consumer of financial advice, and we, as advisors, need to manage your retirement money. Or any money you have for that matter. In 2008, U.S. equities were gutted. 99.8% of all U.S. equity mutual funds had …
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Who Rules America?
My son sent me this article, written by an investment manager who asked for anonymity. It appears on a web site of a professor in the California University system who is the author of a book called Who Rules America? It’s a natural follow up to my recent post about a Vexing Question. You may …
Capital Market Insights – August 22, 2011
Here is your Weekly Insights update from Curian’s Asset Management Group. This informative capital market update is designed to help you stay informed about important developments in economics, the markets, and … CONTINUE...
The Cost of Long Term Care Insurance Goes UP
MetLife, which has been selling long-term care insurance for 25 years, recently announced that it would no longer sell LTC policies. The decision, apparently, does not affect current policyholders. Meanwhile, John Hancock, another major player in this game, has announced price increases of 40% for many of its existing LTC policies. (Affected policyholders will be …
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The Coming Retirement Wave
Are Americans financially prepared for life after work? By Jeff Schlegel. Timely article that appeared on the Financial Advisor website August 17, 2011. It helps contrast what I am doing for my clients today with what the industry as a whole is focused on (or not focused on, if that makes sense). A recent Google …
A No-Tax Stand, Based on No Facts
From Bloomberg Businessweek, August 15, 2011 You would think that abysmal growth and jobs data, the first ever downgrade of U.S. debt, and heart-stopping gyrations in the financial markets would impel political leaders to at least take a look at some of their assumptions about restoring confidence in the U.S. economy. Sadly, you would be …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 