What’s Happening?

My comments: For many of my clients, the recent quarterly statements from their custodian was disturbing. The numbers suggested and does suggest that their investments are at risk and some are asking whether we’re looking at another major financial crisis. None of this is new to me; I've been down this road several times before …

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10 Reasons to Avoid Retirement

My Comments: I’ve discovered that when I don’t have a full schedule ahead of me when I wake up, I tend to have negative thoughts about growing old. Since I can’t change the growing old part, my goal now is to do whatever it takes to keep as busy as possible. I like what I …

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J.P. Morgan Weekly Market Recap – July 31, 2013

Volatility in virtually all markets have meant clients are upset and uncertain. Here is a take away from this weeks J.P.Morgan report that I think is important: "...expect growth to accelerate into the second half of the year, a realistic expectation given the easing of fiscal drag, the continued rebound in household wealth and the …

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5 Reasons Americans Have the Economic Blahs

TK: “My sentiments, exactly!” By Drew DeSilver | July 25, 2013 Four years into the current recovery, the views of most Americans about the economy can be summed up as “meh.” According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted last week, 45% of Americans rate the national economy as “only fair,” and 37% call its …

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Hope for Demoralized Would-be Retirees?

My Comments: It’s sort of like watching grass grow, or perhaps watching an old car turn to rust. You know it’s happening but you can’t just stand there and expect to see a difference from one moment to the next. The authors of the study referenced in this article talk about Dimensional Fund Advisors or …

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Estate Planning is Dead — Long Live Retirement Planning!

My Comments: While these comments were directed toward advisors like me, they are representative of something that happens to many of us over time. What we are trained to do, and from which we earn a living, changes and we become irrelevant. An example happened in Detroit, once the heart of American car manufacturing. And …

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Working Women Relieve Pressure on Social Security

My Comments: My son recently suggested that he had doubts about there being any money left in the social security system for when he reaches retirement age. I simply shook my head. Years ago, Congress was looking at something similar and made some changes. None of us as employees or employers were dramatically effected by …

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Am I Guilty? (And if I am, What Happens Next?)

My Comments: I’m interested in the debate about privacy, how it’s defined these days (or NOT), and as a society immersed in digital communication, how the boundaries of “acceptable” behavior are ultimately established to the benefit of ALL of us. By definition in the US Code, this blog post could be defined as “giving comfort …

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Bag-Lady Specter Haunts Even Savvy Women’s Retirement

My Comments: It's a fact of life that most of us men are going to pass away before the significant women in our lives. So we attempt to keep our financial lives in order and provide the necessary resources so that those left behind can continue to live in grace and dignity. As a financial …

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Bernanke Signals Flexibility on Tapering

My Comments: A few weeks ago, the Federal Reserve Board met and then Ben Bernanke made some comments to the effect that what is knows as Quantitative Easing, or QE, was about to end. The markets went nuts, the day to day volatility in the markets was off the charts, and investors were not happy …

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