My Comments: Some of you reading this have money in 401(k)s and 403(b)s and cannot simply remove it and place it somewhere safer. Which means you’re completely exposed to the vagaries of the markets and you can only hope for the best. I learned long ago that HOPE is not an effective investment strategy. So …
Continue reading How your 401(k) can survive and thrive in the next bear market
My Comments: If you’ve read my blog posts these past few months and years, you know that I have no idea what is coming next. What I do know, however, is that anyone who says “it’s different this time" is full of s**t. It’s the nature of the beast for there to be corrections, and …
My Comments: After 40 plus years as a financial/retirement planner, I’ve lost count of the number of people who, as they approach retirement, ask whether they’ll have enough money. Or the corollary, when will they run out? If you expect to have a successful retirement, ie one where you run out of life before you …
Continue reading Guess How Many Seniors Say Life Is Worse in Retirement
My Comments: Most of the recent talk about the Constitution comes in the wake of the tragedy in Parkland, Florida, for obvious reasons. The attention is well deserved but I'd have you think about more than just the 2nd Amendment. At the national level, if not across the globe, society is re-evaluating itself. Are the values …
Continue reading Can the Country Survive Without a Strong Middle Class?
My Comments: Somewhere in the news cycle there is always a story about what's happening in the stock and bond market and whether or not there's a reason to get freaked out. Media companies these days are overwhelmed with crisis after crisis and spending much time on this issue is a waste of energy and …
My Comments: Now that I’m in my mid 70’s, I’m far more worried about the ups and downs of the markets than I was 15-20 years ago. My ability to pay my monthly bills shrinks exponentially when the market crashes and my retirement money is exposed to that risk. Ergo, I either do not have …
My Comments: I have a client, age 58 and single. I'm unsure just how much money she has set aside for her future. I have every reason to think she’s healthy and given statistical probabilities, will live another 30 years or more. She lives a very busy professional life and finds it hard to focus …
Continue reading The Retirement Savings Mistake That 68% of Baby Boomers Regret
My Comments: Paranoia is an elusive thing. Just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean there’s no one out there intent on putting you down. It’s much the same with the stock market. Just because we’ve not had a market correction now for almost nine years, it doesn’t mean there is one just around the corner. …
My Comments: Having more money to spend in retirement requires a delicate balance between living cautiously and making sure your funds are growing properly. If you stay alive, the money to pay your bills has to come from somewhere. All that is to say that global economics is going to play a role in your …
Continue reading Trump’s Looming Bust-up with China is Bad News for 2018
My Comments: As you’ve heard me say many times, Social Security benefits have become an absolutely critical piece of the retirement income puzzle for most of us. If it’s not there to pay critical monthly bills, it’s there to allow us freedom of movement as we transition from the retirement go-go years to the slow-go …
Continue reading Finding the Best Social Security Claiming Strategy – 3 Questions
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