Thought for the Week:

"Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen on the "gotta have it" scale." Zig Ziglar So I asked my clients, "which would you prefer; a plan that has a 70% chance of success or one that has a 90% chance of success?" We had been discussing how to …

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How Will the Presidential Election Impact the S&P500?

My Comments: Oceans of ink will be used in the next several weeks as pundits from across the spectrum weigh in on the likelihood of their favorite candidate winnning the White House. My sense of the issue when it comes to investments is that there are forces way beyond the influence, much less control, of …

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Mister Dow 5,000 Strikes Again!

My Comments: My habit is to post a blog every Monday about investments and retirement planning. My intent is to help educate you about the forces out there that will influence how your money will grow in the years to come. Among the writers I’ve come to revere over the years has been Nick Murray. …

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The US Economy May Surprise Us All

My Comments: Yes, the last few years have been very frustrating for those of us concerned about jobs, earning a living, having confidence that life will return to normal. The stock market has done OK, but you don't have to listen to politicians to notice all the empty buildings around town. To those who will …

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Romney’s Dodd-Frank Kill Pledge Collides With Wall Street Agenda

My Comments: For the past 3 and 1/2 years, I've been listening to negatives from the right. Some of them have been justified. But many of them simply appeal to the inability of voters to understand the most basic facts of life. For example, after about 40 years as a financial advisor and insurance agent, …

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Another Overview of Trusts, Part 2

Trusts, Pt. 2: When should they be used? My Comments: This comes from Hale Stewart, an attorney in Houston, Texas. He and I have spoken as a result of his interest in captive insurance companies and asset protection. He is the author of the book U.S. Captive Insurance Law and is currently working on his …

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Top 10 Dangers of Alternative Investments

My Comments: I think we can agree that one objective when designing an investment portfolio is to have diversity. For those of you who remember a company and a scandal called Enron, apart from the fact that Enron fell off the face of the earth, the retirement plan investments for most of their employees was …

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Hong Kong is Bringing Democracy to China

My Comments: The proper mangement of clients money is something I take very seriously. Not only because I’ve been entrusted with a critical component of someone’s financial future, but also because my livelihood is at stake as well. If I screw up your trust in me, my ability to buy groceries and gas for my …

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The Big Retirement Lie

My Comments: The ideas behind this article have filtered through my mind for decades. Everyone and their brother talks about the value of socking away money in an IRA or other tax advantaged retirement plan. And there is an advantage to this, only it has nothing to do with taxes. The advantage is the perceived …

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2 in 3 Women Are Uncomfortable With Their Financial Situation

My Comments: I saw this headline on an email from a source that see people like me as their target audience. It's from a company that creats insurance products such as life insurance and annuities for prospective clients. None of this is bad; I rely on such sources to keep me aware of changes going …

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