Social Security: Boost Benefits for Both Spouses

My Comments: Helping potential clients with an analysis of coming Social Security benefits is big business across the country these days. And I’m doing my share of it. Thank you very much. But in spite of my being closely aligned with this process for the past 15 months, I’m still confused by the myriad of …

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Is It Too Late To Get Back In?

My Comments: This is a writer I’ve learned to enjoy over the past several months. I’ve used his articles before and I do so here again. He makes such good sense. posted by Jeffrey Dow Jones July 17,2014 in Cognitive Concord I get all sorts of questions from all sorts of different investors. As strange …

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Gauging The Stock Market With The Tocalino Index

My Comments: Football season is about to start, Ukraine is still bothered by the Russians, and Ferguson, Missouri is still a mess. So here I am talking about the stock market and an index I have never heard of before. I suspect you haven’t either. But there is reference here to the Misery Index, which …

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9 Reasons Consumers Need Advisors More Than Ever

My Comments: This is a self-serving blog post. While I should apologize for this, there are millions of Americans who will find themselves looking for financial freedom in the years to come and unless they have developed the necessary skill sets, they will find themselves behind the curve in a big way. Somebody has to …

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How to Protect Inherited IRAs After the Clark v. Rameker Decision

My Comments: If you have an IRA today, there is a chance there will still be money in it when the inevitable happens and you permanently leave the building. What then with this money? If you have a spouse, and they are the named beneficiary, that money now belongs to them and it becomes their …

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Vocational Training Is No Substitute For High School

My Comments: Some of you are aware of my continued interest in the welfare of the magnet programs across Alachua County. I’ve been a member of the advisory board to the two programs at Buchholz High School since the mid 90’s. They are, respectively, the Academy of Finance and the Academy of Entrepreneurship. The original …

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3 Essentials Missing From Many Retirement Plans

My Comments: One thing I’ve learned over the years is that people in my profession have a profound bias when it comes to trying to explain the dynamics of money. We include a lot of self promotion. I’ve also learned that I’m not immune to this bias. Some of this is justified since probably 95% …

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30 Common Obstacles to Estate Planning

• It’s too expensive • My attorney takes care of that • Planners just want to sell me something • Too complicated • It may jeopardize my own financial security • My children want me to spend it all • Leaving too much to my children can make them unmotivated • My children are financially …

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Essential Legal and Financial Documents to Have

My Comments: This article appeared as An emergency checklist for advisors and clients: essential legal and financial documents. It caught my eye since lists are always useful when it comes to writing a blog post that someone might read. After all, I read this one. More than that, however, is the fact that getting older …

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Obamacare Helps Add Life to Medicare as Shortfall Delayed

My Comments: I’ve argued vigorously over these past few years in favor of the PPACA, what all of us know as ObamaCare. Without it we would be at the mercy of the drug industry, hospitals and the insurance industry. Of the five primary stakeholders in the health care debate, any two of those three could …

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