My Comments: Reader of this blog know that I try to include meaningful comments about investments and investment outcomes. Over the years, I’ve done well for some clients and done poorly for others. And while the past is history, there are always lessons to be learned. I have a personal mandate to try and do …
Continue reading Investors’ Next Disappointment Will Come From Risk Mismanagement
My Comments: I offer great thanks to the author of the following article, Michael Kitces. You’ll find his credits at the end of this post. This will take a little time to read and understand. But if you are getting ready to file for Social Security benefits, or are just now starting to think about …
Continue reading Social Security Tips: How to Use File & Suspend
My Comments: China is today the 2nd largest and arguably the 2nd strongest economy in the world. It differs from us in a material way in that it has few of the myriad infrastructure elements of our economy, which have evolved over the past 235 years. In China, it’s very much a work in progress. …
My Comments: There are just as many ways to lose money with bonds as there are with stocks. The risk is different; what happens to interest rates in the future vs corporate earnings and their relative size. That’s an oversimplification but you get the idea. The chart above shows interest rates from 1790 – 2012. …
My Comments: Followers of this blog may remember my frequent mention of Thomas P.M. Barnett, a prolific writer and thought leader on global economics and political forces. Years ago he said that within a couple of decades, the US would become a net exporter of energy. He asserted this transformation would re-write a lot of …
Continue reading Energy Price Spread: Natural Gas Vs. Crude Oil In The U.S.
My Comments: Yes, the title above is a little odd, but the word "optimism" caused me to stop and read. By every contemporary, standard definition, I am a “financial advisor”. That term is restricted, or should be, to those of us providing financial advice to clients that conforms to a fiduciary standard. Simply put, we …
Continue reading It Is Informed Optimism To Wait For The Rain
My Comments: I’ve never been much of a gold bug. I recognize it’s value as a trading opportunity and the need for a large portfolio to include what are thought of as non-traditional investments. But since it tends to increase in value during times of high inflation and general woe and gloom, and being a …
My Comments: Recently, two clients have asked me about asset protection and whether they should start thinking about a trust. The answer is maybe. First, I have to remind everyone that I am not an attorney, and cannot advise people on legal matters. However, I can share basic knowledge that I’ve picked up over the …
My Comments: I first became licensed to sell life insurance in 1976. Over the years, I’ve sold many policies, of all kinds, to all manner of people. Some of those clients have since died, though most have not. The skills and ability to help identify a problem and find a solution for that potential problem …
Continue reading 3 Ill-Advised Reasons Not to Buy Life Insurance
My Comments: From time to time I’ve posted a article from an associate of mine in Southern California whose life for the past 40 years has involved life and health insurance, not unlike mine. He sends me his weekly newsletter from which this comes. By Gene Pasutla, Westland Financial Services, Inc. For the past week …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 