The Myths of Buying Term and Investing the Difference

My Comments: Life insurance is a financial tool used to solve certain financial problems and offset the risk presented when someone dies and economic pain is the result. That’s a cold way to talk about the death of a loved one, but from an objective point of view, that’s how it must be seen. Because …

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The Euro Is In Greater Peril Today Than At The Height Of The Crisis

My Comments: Here in the US we tend to think of Europe as a mis-directed older sibling, someone who can’t quite make it, by our standards. We forget that most of our laws and even the language we speak came from Europe. And those foundations were forged in a melting pot as violent and as …

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Economic Collapse Scenario

My Comments: I know, I know, I sound like a broken record. Last Friday I spoke to a gathering of about 100 retired people. And fear of the markets was shared by almost all. For many, uncertainty itself causes fear, but when added to the doubts about how to avoid the inevitable, it becomes palpable. …

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5 Answers Every Investor Needs to Know About Annuities

My Comments: Giving answers implies there are questions that need answers. And anyone asking about personal money these days needs to know more about annuities. Not because you should necessarily put money into them, but because they are uniquely qualified to provide solutions that can can be found no where else. It turns on whether …

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Guess Who’s Back? The Middle Class

My Comments: There is lots of handwringing about last Tuesdays election results. And lots of people looking for someone to blame if it didn’t meet hopes and expectations. One of my long time concerns has been the growing inbalance between the haves and the have-nots. Statistically it’s very real with the middle class that evolved …

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5 Reasons Why You Should Be Afraid Of A Bear Market

My Comments: Until I found this, I had never heard of hedgewise.com. I make absolutely no assertion that they know what they are talking about. My personal solution for you is quite different from what you read below, but this part of life is almost always a guessing game. Oct. 30, 2014 http://www.hedgewise.com/ Summary • …

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The Fiendish Bond Market Needs a Radical Rethink

My Comments: In keeping with my recent posts that suggest a strong market correction is coming soon, some readers have suggested the solution is to shift away from stocks into more bonds. I remind them that interest rates have been declining since 1981 and they too will reverse course at some point. When they do, …

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Banquo’s Grain and U.S. Interest Rates

My Comments: I had no idea what or who is/was Banquo. Nor why ‘grain’ has any relevance. But I like to share the thoughts of this writer from time to time as his insights are often right on the mark. Remember what I said last week about the possibility of rising interest rates in the …

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Markets Up or Down Next Five Years?

My Comments: Here’s another cautionary tale to put somewhere in a mental box to look at when you start thinking again about your financial reserves. That another crash will happen is almost certain. What is not certain is when it will happen, so all you can do is decide whether you want help to figure …

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The 3 Stages of Retirement

My Comments: I recently wrote about where we are now in the overall market cycle and the likely chance of a major disruption that will effect your financial future. My post was titled “Are We There Yet?” Most of us have visions of a successful retirement. Of course, “success” is dependent on your life today, …

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