7 Myths About Variable Annuities: Exposing Their Dark Side

My Comments: Anyone now retired or thinking about retirement spends time and energy coming to terms with how to manage their money. Increasingly, fees charged by advisors and/or their companies are perceived as a threat somewhere along the way. However, unless you have the skills to do it all yourself, you are necessarily going to …

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3 Myths About Your Social Security Filing Age

My Comments: Social Security benefit payments are critical for millions of Americans. When you apply and the amount of money you are entitled to is a decision fraught with uncertainty. Since none of know how our life is going to play out, all we can do is develop an understanding of our choices so that …

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Vanguard’s Chairman Sees Muted Decade for Stocks After Long Rally

My Comments: Little is said these days about those who are investing for the future and are still working vs those investing for the future who are no longer working. Think of it as being defined as the accumulation phase of your life vs the distribution phase of your life. Different rules apply. Vanguard Funds …

Continue reading Vanguard’s Chairman Sees Muted Decade for Stocks After Long Rally

The Bull Market Could Be Speeding Right Into a Brick Wall

My Comments: I’ll admit to having done poorly as an investment advisor these past few years. My history was and has been shaped by our collective experience following what became known as Black Monday on October 10, 1987. On that day, we were glued to the radio or TV as the DOW dropped over 22% …

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The market will crash this year — and there’s a good reason why

My Comments: Frankly, I have no idea if it will or not, but I tend to pay attention when people smarter than I start talking about stuff that is clearly an existential threat to my financial well being and that of my clients, family and friends. If the money you have saved is critical in …

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Guggenheim investment chief sees a recession and a 40% plunge in stocks ahead

My Comments: We can argue ‘till we’re blue in the face about when this is going to happen and none of us will be right. Just know it will happen. There’s a reference in Scott Minerd’s comments below about the Fed raising interest rates. Here is a chart I found some time ago that shows …

Continue reading Guggenheim investment chief sees a recession and a 40% plunge in stocks ahead

7 Social Security “did you know” moments to consider

My Comments: For millions of us, Social Security is a critical component and source of income as we attempt to flourish and enjoy our retirement. For those of you who decry the idea of ‘socialism’, I encourage you to attempt to finish your life without every cashing one of your monthly checks. Yes, you might …

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Filing for Social Security Benefits

My Comments: For millions of us, a predictable monthly income from Social Security has become critical for sustaining our standard of living. For many reasons, we should be increasingly worried about it. But that story is for another day. Right now, I’m sharing with you what I hope is a simple overview if you have …

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What’s Next For Investments???

My Comments: You have not heard much from me lately. That's because I've been spending hours and hours building an internet course on retirement planning. I'm not there yet but soon will be. Keep following this blog and you'll get an announcement when it's ready. In the meantime, we're at the end of Quarter 1 …

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Vanguard’s Chairman Sees Muted Decade for Stocks After Long Rally

My Comments: Little is said these days about those who are investing for the future and are still working vs those investing for the future who are no longer working. Think of it as being defined as the accumulation phase of your life vs the distribution phase of your life. Different rules apply. Vanguard Funds …

Continue reading Vanguard’s Chairman Sees Muted Decade for Stocks After Long Rally