My Comments: There’s a reason the term ‘mid-life crisis’ is in common use among everyday people. Many of us have had one. And then there is the ‘end-of-mid-life crisis’ that is yet to rear it’s ugly head. It happens when someone is about to retire and discover to their horror they are completely unprepared. For …
Continue reading Why This Popular Retirement Advice Actually Makes It Harder to Save
Just 10? Nah, there’s lots more but let's start with these. If you’ve been paying FICA taxes ( see #3 below ), and have done so for at least 40 quarters, then you can expect to qualify for retirement benefits at some point. None of these 10 tell you when to claim benefits, or what …
Continue reading Confused? 10 Social Security Terms You Need to Understand
My Comments: Chances are you’ve heard of ETFs (Exchange Traded Fund). They are not to be confused with EFTs (Electronic Fund Transfers). Though I suppose it’s possible to have both involved in a given transaction. Given that most of us now realize that fees imposed by Wall Street firms, and non-Wall Street Firms, can be, …
Continue reading What are ETFs? Are They Different Than Mutual Funds?
My Comments: Like so many financial products, annuities come in a variety of forms that have surfaced over the years in attempts to both solve peoples financial problems and to make money for the companies offering them. As you can imagine, the spectrum along which any one of them can be judged is wide, with …
Continue reading The Basic Types of Annuities and How They Work
My Comments: My entire professional focus these days is helping people retire. To that end I’ve created two online courses that I’m marketing nationally. This article from nextavenue.org points to one of the channels I’m trying to reach. At the local level, I’m prepared to hold workshops for any organization that sees this as an …
Continue reading Retirement: Most Employers Don’t Have a Clue
My Comments: This is a long and detailed story. But if you care about the national debate about health insurance and whether it’s in our best interest to push toward a system of universal health care, this is interesting. There are basically five stakeholders in the healthcare debate. They are (1) the consumer, (2) the …
Continue reading Why Your Health Insurer Doesn’t Care About Your Big Bills
My Comments: First my apologies for those of you who have little understanding of economics. You are clearly not alone as this article suggests. I’m reasonably well versed, having studied it since I was a college sophmore some 50 plus years ago. I consider Paul Krugman among the foremost authorities on global economics and his …
Continue reading Republicans Hate Deficits. Or at Least That’s What They Claim
My Comments: For the vast majority of us, mutual funds ( and sometimes ETFs) are the default financial tool when it comes to growing our money for the future. For about 100 years now, mutual funds have evolved and spread to become ubiquitous in the world of investing money. In my opinion, Vanguard, as a …
Continue reading How a 12-year Vanguard win streak makes it the ‘Amazon of wealth management’
HSAs can help cut your healthcare costs but there are hundreds of options. Here's how to find one that's best for you My Comments: This is the third of six blog posts about Health Savings Accounts and how for some people they can be used to help pay bills in retirement. And since retirement is …
In the wealth management fun house, how can average investors find somebody who will really work on their behalf? My Comments: My re-posting this article from Bob Veres reflects my cynical history with the investment advisory world that I’ve been a part of for over 30 years. It’s especially relevant in today’s world of financial …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 