My Comments: FULL DISCLOSURE… There’s a fifth way to use your home equity not described here, but you have to be age 62 or above. Why do I know this? I recently passed a national exam and will soon be gainfully employed by a company called Top Flite Financial as a mortgage broker, specializing in …
Category: Retirement Planning
Ideas to help preserve and grow your money
A Unique Alternative to the 4% Rule
My Comments: Here’s the scenario: you’ve worked a long time, set aside money for retirement, and it’s now time to pull the plug and RETIRE. You realize you need income from the various pots of money you’ve grown over the years, so you start withdrawing what seems like the right amount every month. A rule …
6 Essential Estate Planning Documents Every Adult Needs
My Comments: As someone who will reach age 80 this month with 40 plus years in the bank as a financial advisor, I’m very well aware that “estate planning” has many meanings, depending on how old you are and/or how much money you don’t have. That being said, in my years as a financial planner, …
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15 Best Vanguard Mutual Funds for Investors of All Stripes
My Comments: At some point in your life, when it comes to savings and investments, you much choose to either find someone you trust to help you or agree that you can do it more or less alone. Put your money to work and then, depending on your degree of paranoia, leave it alone. If …
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The Best Way to Resolve the Social Security Crisis Is Plain as Day
My Comments: In the last few days, the Social Security Administration said that due to Covid, the time when benefits will have to be cut from current levels shrunk by about a year, to maybe the mid 2030’s. I don’t know about you, but with any luck, my wife and I will still be alive …
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History Suggests a Stock Market Crash Is Likely
My Comments: Here we are again with another flip-flop. By now you know I have absolutely no clue WHEN a crash will happen, just that it will. If you think what the writer below is saying is nonsense, that’s OK. It may be. On the other hand, I made a living for decades trying to …
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The Long-Term Care Conundrum
My Comments: It’s a fact of life that as you age, your abilities decline. You can’t run or walk as fast, or as far. For some, they can’t even get out of bed by themselves. Which raises the question for all of us: At what point is it necessary to get outside help to get …
The Problem of Too Many Investment Choices
My Comments: I’ve been a financial professional for over 4 decades. And yet, here I am, with virtually all my money at Vanguard, in either mutual funds or ETFs. I look at it all about once a week, and rarely make any changes. It’s a big relief to not have to worry too much about …
Biden could still be proved right in Afghanistan
My Comments: I’m profoundly saddened by our experience in Afghanistan. Too many of us were either grievously wounded or died over there, too much of our money was spent, and some 20+ years later, there’s not much to show for the agony and despair and treasure spent on what was always a questionable outcome. Personally, …
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How to Invest Without a Crystal Ball
My Comments: Personally, I’m expecting a market correction in the near term. We’re long overdue and many market signals are saying it’s about time for one. Meanwhile, someone whose judgement I respect posted early Saturday morning that share his thought about HOW to invest. In my judgement, apart from the general validity of what he …
