My Comments: I bet you are saying this is just another weird observation from Tony. And you may be right. But mindful that many of you, and many of me, are thinking of ways to predict what the markets will do this year. So... A reasonable predictor of future market movements which translates to whether …
Continue reading What Accounts For The Decrease In The Labor Force Participation Rate?
My Comments: With 2013 now in the rear view mirror, the compelling question is what is likely to happen in 2014. Every projection, mine, yours, experts of every stripe, have only the past available to offer insights for predicting the future. Here is someone who has created tables based on five and ten year results …
Continue reading The 88-Year History Of U.S. Capital Markets From 1926-2013: What Happened When?
My Comments: Am not really sure what this means but anytime I see a positive outcome that may be the result of the PPACA, I pay attention. That’s because I want the PPACA to work, and work well. It’s past time to really identify its flaws and get people to fix them to the benefit …
My Comments: The roll out of the national web site to get people enrolled in a health insurance plan has been a enormous pain in the you know what, to put it mildly. Best as I can determine, the task was given to folks who fully understood the complexities of the PPACA but didn’t have …
My Comments: I often tell my clients that if I did have a crystal ball, we’d not be having this conversation as I would probably be vacationing in the south of France. Or somewhere warm. So going into 2014, there are lots of the usual questions including the memorable one in the media these days, …
Continue reading The Danger Overlooked By Most Long-Term Investors
My Comments: In an attempt to be positive on this wet and gloomy Tuesday, I will say with some certainty that the Social Security System will NEVER go bankrupt. It’s too easy to make the necessary changes to assure this will not happen. My children and grandchildren will receive a benefit based on their age …
Continue reading Push Is On To Increase Social Security Retirement Age
My Comments: The following is an arcane topic that will bore some of you and cause you to find something else to read. That’s OK. But for those of you interested in what might happen to your Social Security income, you might find it interesting. Economic fundamentals tells you that, over time, a balance has …
Continue reading Chained CPI Could Cut Social Security Benefits
January 3, 2014 • Robert Laura One of the many things I appreciate about this profession is the constant and ongoing challenge associated with traditional retirement planning statistics and percentages. Whether it’s the 4 percent rule being argued, new research on the pros and cons of active versus passive investing, or a new study on …
Continue reading These Retirement Stats Paint A Troubling Picture
My Comments: For many advisors, estate planning will take a back seat as the combined exemption (husband and wife) now exceeds $10.5M. That eliminates a lot of folks who nevertheless have substantial wealth. But there are still questions that should not be ignored. Here’s a quick summary that will put all this in perspective for …
Continue reading 10 Estate Planning Tax Facts You Need to Know
My Thoughts: If this were my original work, the ttle would more likely be “My Best Guess for the Markets in 2014.” The emphasis is on guess and it only exists because as a so called expert, I’m supposed to know. Only I don’t. I think I know what I’m having for supper tonight because …
Continue reading Forecasting the Year Ahead, and Preparing to Be Wrong
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