America’s Global Election

My Comments: You can argue if you like that the writer, a Nobel laureate in economics, is simply a misguided Democrat. But as the US accepts the leadership role in the globalization process it began following WWII, it must recognize that for the sake of our grandchildren, there is more at stake than simply being …

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China and Its’ Political Future

My Comments: I like to think of myself as an economist, albeit an amateur. For the past 70 years, since the end of WWII, this country has been pushing economic development across the planet. Our efforts have resulted in incredible wealth in nations that can be called rising great powers. And there has been a …

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Health Costs to Double Under Romney Plan?

My Comments: When I first saw this headline, I said to myself this cannot be right. And then when I saw it came from an organization that supports health care reform, I thought there had to be some bias here. And there may be, but... As someone who cut their teeth in the insurance industry …

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Top 15 Best Paying College Degrees

NBER study looks at what college grads can expect to earn in their chosen fields My Comments: If you are a parent of a high school child, paying for the college education of your student has got to be discussed and resolved at home long before the decision is made about which school to attend. …

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SEC Offers Primer on Selecting a Financial Planner

My Comments: I describe myself as a financial planner and investment advisor. I use this blog to attempt to bring my ideas to the general public, some of whom will from time to time contact me for advice. (at least that’s the plan...) Meanwhile, members of the general public are faced with a choice of …

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Are Richer Clients Getting Outsized Benefits From Tax Deferral?

My Comments: As a financial planner for longer than I can remember, there has always been tension around the question of whether or not to have an individual retirement account, or IRA. The IRS makes the rules that allow someone to put earned income in a special account with tax advantages. You know what I …

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Exploring Mitt Romney’s Taxes and Tax Plan

My Comments: There’s really nothing I can add to this. Bruce Bartlett held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul. He is the author of “The Benefit and the Burden: Tax Reform – Why We Need It and What …

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Stimulate Your Customer’s Lizard Brain to Make a Sale

Or: Stimulate Your (fill in the blank) Lizard Brain to Make a (fill in another blank) Apart from the fact this is a fun photograph to look at, there's a message here that applies to me as a financial advisor looking for new clients, for a politician hoping to get people to vote for them, …

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Realistic Planning: There’s More to Life Than Retirement

By Bob Seawright (Bob Seawright is chief investment and information officer for Madison Avenue Securities in San Diego.) On the day I write this column, I made my last payment towards the education of my children. Had I paid via actual paper draft rather than electronic transfer, I would have waited to receive the cancelled …

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Richard Kendzior – 100 Years Ago Today!

In most of the civilized world, we celebrate the passage of time with birthdays, anniversaries, centennials, etc. I remember being very involved in our nations' bicentennial some 35 years ago. Today I honor my father, Richard Kendzior, on what would have been his 100th birthday. I discovered there is a story to tell and many …

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