As I analyze the many blogs and articles that stream across my inbox talking about the current financial issues, one clear takeaway is that there are political crises and there are financial crises. Yes, there is overlap and in the short term great uncertainty as they both operate in tandem. But increasingly, I think what …
Tag: financial plan
Today’s Observation… (Tuesday 9AUG11)
Is the sky falling? Again? Not necessarily. Are we in a mess? Yes. Did we get here over the weekend? No. Is it going to be a long road hard road to fiscal responsibility? Absolutely. But don't head for the highest bridge just yet! Here's some of the reasons why. Facts we knew: Debt Ceiling …
Alternative Investments – Part X(b)
Last week I posted a definitive summary of my argument in favor of including alternative investments in your investment portfolio. If you did not see it, I encourage you to click on the Alternative Investment category to the right and read Part X. However, the chart I included with that posting was hard to understand. …
Who Pays No Income Tax? That’s The Wrong Question
This article comes from the Forbes magazine website and was posted by Howard Gleckman. I copy it in its entirety. Would you rather get a tax cut of $1,000 or $1.4 million? I thought so. Would you change your answer if taking the smaller tax cut allowed you to avoid paying income tax entirely? That …
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Balanced Budget Blues
I ran across an article while reading Time Magazine last evening. Thinking it would be something to share with you on this blog. There is lots of discussion about the government budget and how, just like our households, it needs to be balanced. The argument follows the premise that if in our private lives we …
The Case for Alternative Investments – Part IX
You are perhaps glad I’m now close to the end of this conversation about Alternative Investments. I know I am. This one is intended as a summary, based on a recent letter to my clients. It’s a little long but I encourage you to get to the end. Most of us have been struggling with …
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Reducing Retirement Planning Stress
I want you to think about how age can change your pre-conceived notions about retirement. The focus of this post is suggest a couple of ways to minimize the stress associated with money and retirement. Some of you have heard me talk many times about the three stages of life. The first is when we …
The Case for Alternative Investments – Part VIII
Over these past few weeks, I’ve been slowly making my case for you to invest some of your money in alternative investments. You’ve had to read and read and read and maybe you’re on track to better understand my thinking. Here is a visual presentation I found recently that re-inforces what I’ve been saying. It …
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The Case for Alternative Investments – Part VII
In the first six parts of this series, I’ve given you some simple definitions that apply when the conversation turns to “alternative investments”. I’ve also given you some examples that you might employ as you become more comfortable with this approach. I’m now going to summarize my position. Basically, the market downturn on 2008 scared …
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The Case for Alternative Investments – Part VI
When I started this series, I began with some definitions to help the reader understand some of the jargon inherent to the discussion. One word I forgot to define is “correlation”. In financial terms, it refers to the extent to which the value of different asset classes (bonds, stocks, gold, etc.) move in relation to …
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Helping Define Your Financial Future 