As we all know, the origin of the current financial crisis was the subprime mortgage meltdown in the United States. To be more precise, it originated in a financial system generating paper assets whose value depended on the price of housing. It assumed that the price of homes would always rise and, at the very …
Tag: retire
Crisis? What Crisis? – Part II
Last Wednesday saw the market drop 512 points. Yesterday, Monday, saw the market drop 634 points. The blogoshere and the internet in general, talk radio and TV is awash with pundits waving their arms and running off at the mouth. Is it a financial crisis, a political crisis, both, how long will it last, what …
Today’s Observation… (Tuesday 9AUG11)
Is the sky falling? Again? Not necessarily. Are we in a mess? Yes. Did we get here over the weekend? No. Is it going to be a long road hard road to fiscal responsibility? Absolutely. But don't head for the highest bridge just yet! Here's some of the reasons why. Facts we knew: Debt Ceiling …
Back In The Saddle…
It’s Monday and I’ve been gone for about a week. I avoided TV, newspapers and email as much as possible. It helped that we were in the mountains and AT&T did not have a much of a signal up there. If you tried to reach me and I was silent, that’s why. The demographic profile …
Alternative Investments – Part X(b)
Last week I posted a definitive summary of my argument in favor of including alternative investments in your investment portfolio. If you did not see it, I encourage you to click on the Alternative Investment category to the right and read Part X. However, the chart I included with that posting was hard to understand. …
The Case for Alternative Investments – Part IX
You are perhaps glad I’m now close to the end of this conversation about Alternative Investments. I know I am. This one is intended as a summary, based on a recent letter to my clients. It’s a little long but I encourage you to get to the end. Most of us have been struggling with …
Continue reading The Case for Alternative Investments – Part IX
Reducing Retirement Planning Stress
I want you to think about how age can change your pre-conceived notions about retirement. The focus of this post is suggest a couple of ways to minimize the stress associated with money and retirement. Some of you have heard me talk many times about the three stages of life. The first is when we …
The Case for Alternative Investments – Part VIII
Over these past few weeks, I’ve been slowly making my case for you to invest some of your money in alternative investments. You’ve had to read and read and read and maybe you’re on track to better understand my thinking. Here is a visual presentation I found recently that re-inforces what I’ve been saying. It …
Continue reading The Case for Alternative Investments – Part VIII
The Case for Alternative Investments – Part VII
In the first six parts of this series, I’ve given you some simple definitions that apply when the conversation turns to “alternative investments”. I’ve also given you some examples that you might employ as you become more comfortable with this approach. I’m now going to summarize my position. Basically, the market downturn on 2008 scared …
Continue reading The Case for Alternative Investments – Part VII
AARP Social Security Benefits Calculator
This calculator can help estimate your Social Security benefits and show you when is the best time to claim Social Security. CLICK HERE...
Helping Define Your Financial Future 