My Comments: Unless you have been to the Cayman Islands, or happen to make far more money than you actually need to live your life, the idea of an offshore tax haven is pretty remote. You’ve heard about them, but since they are so far removed from your reality, they seem to stay under the …
Continue reading Austerity Exposes the Global Threat from Tax Havens
My Comments: I have no idea what I’m having for supper tonight, much less how the markets are going to perform over the next several months and years. However, assuming I haven’t left the building, I expect to eat something, and in like manner, I expect the markets to move up and down with a …
There appears to be a significant disconnect between those of us who have advocated a tactical approach to investing money for years from those who learned their trade during the 18 years that ran from 1982 thru 2000. The study referenced below in the article, as it appeared in the print edition, headlined “45% of …
Continue reading Tactical Strategies Gain, as Buy and Hold Fades
‘Is the stock market a bubble ready to burst? No,’ say BlackRock’s investment strategists in a spring update My Comments: All of us are looking for an edge, an insight, a clue to help us make what we hope are smart decisions about our money. These comments from someone clearly ahead of the curve that …
My Comments: There are successful investors, and there are unsuccessful investors. Some of them are the same people. I ran across this list and realized there are nuggets here that my clients and prospective clients might find helpful. We live in an increasingly complex world so finding short, sweet comments from time to time that …
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: In the early 90’s, I opened a branch here in Gainesville for a company called International Assets Advisor Corporation. This company, headquartered in Winter Park, FL was a leading proponent of having clients invested in markets beyond the US. It was a rather revolutionary idea at the time. The lead broker on the …
Continue reading Why Emerging Markets? Growth, Demographics and Yield
My Comments: Amid the budget crisis that seems to consume Washington and the national press are issues about social security that never seem to go away. This is spite of the fact that we are among the wealthiest nations on the planet and that it was deemed some 80 years ago that we could afford …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 