My Comments: Yesterday, the focus of my comments was that if you want to go it alone, that's OK. Here, however, are some reasons for not attempting to go it alone and be solely responsible for your decisions. I can confirm, after 38 years in this business, that emotions play a huge role in whether …
Continue reading Even Skilled Investors Can Use a Financial Advisor
My Comments: From the beginning, I've told prospective clients and clients alike that it's OK to go it alone. But if you decide you want help, my hand is in the air as someone who does this for a living and I'm ready to help you. If you are trying to decide, here are some …
Continue reading Tired of Financial Advisor Fees? Try Going It Alone
My Comments: I have no idea what I’m having for supper tonight, much less how the markets are going to perform over the next several months and years. However, assuming I haven’t left the building, I expect to eat something, and in like manner, I expect the markets to move up and down with a …
There appears to be a significant disconnect between those of us who have advocated a tactical approach to investing money for years from those who learned their trade during the 18 years that ran from 1982 thru 2000. The study referenced below in the article, as it appeared in the print edition, headlined “45% of …
Continue reading Tactical Strategies Gain, as Buy and Hold Fades
My Comments: There are successful investors, and there are unsuccessful investors. Some of them are the same people. I ran across this list and realized there are nuggets here that my clients and prospective clients might find helpful. We live in an increasingly complex world so finding short, sweet comments from time to time that …
My Comments: As a financial planner and investment advisor for the past 38 years, I recognize that we, that's me and you, are moving into uncharted waters. While the future is always an unknown, what we are dealing with now is how whether many of us are going to have enough money to live with …
Too much information can be as harmful to retirement plan decisions as too little. My Comments: Somewhere along the way during my last 40 years in the world of financial services, I read or was told that at some point you have to make a decision. You cannot simply attempt to absorb more and more …
Continue reading The Disclosure Paradox: How Much Information Is Too Much?
My Comments: This was written a couple of years ago, but the message will resonate today with many people. For those who have expectations of retiring at some point, there is an incentive to accumulate as much retirement money as possible. All the while being sensitive to how that money is put to work. The …
Continue reading Retirement Ratio: Portfolio Performance and Uncertainty Measurement
My Comments: Many of my clients are elderly clients. For many, their investment horizon going forward is not 20 years or more. They have little need to take what many of them think of as aggressive steps to grow their money. On the other hand, good advisors today are encouraging their clients to be more …
Continue reading Record U.S. Stocks at Lowest Valuation Since 1980
My Comments: It’s hard for me to understand why this should be a difficult calculation. Until I realize that there are lots of variables in how social security benefits are payable, and the best solution is often a function of how long you live, and whether you and your spouse, assuming you have one, stay …
Continue reading When to Begin Social Security? Even Advisors Aren’t Sure
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