For many readers, the term "Long-Term Care" belongs in a foreign dictionary. Its an obscure concept that has very little relevance to them. At least until one of their parents faces the prospect of assisted living or perhaps something more serious. Or something unexpected and bad happens to you. In the traditional sense, you can …
Tag: retirement plans
The Divided States of Europe
Critical explanation from Stratfor about Europe. Like it or not, these events will greatly influence how your investments perform over the next several months. Here is a key paragraph: "That is because the real crisis is the more fundamental question of how the European continent is to be ruled in the 21st century. Europe has …
The Truth About the Economy…
Robert Reich is Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton. He has written thirteen books, including The Work of Nations, Locked in the Cabinet, Supercapitalism, and his most recent book, Aftershock. One can …
The Case for Alternative Investments – Part V
In my last post on this subject, I referenced a small selection of investments that employ "alternative investments" in their portfolio mix. Today, I'm going to describe a stand alone option. Technically, its a hedge fund, and as such, you are required to meet a personal financial threshold before you can buy into it. But …
Continue reading The Case for Alternative Investments – Part V
Top 10 Worst Tax States for Retirees
Some states offer attractive tax benefits for retirees, others don’t. Kiplinger runs through the worst (or "tax hells," as the magazine bluntly states). Many, surprisingly, are in the Northeast United States. If you are looking for an inexpensive place to settle down following a life long career, you'll do well to avoid the following states. …
Investment Markets Today
If you are committed to making your own investment decisions, based on your personal observations about the markets, here is what one of our third party investment managers is telling us today: "As we enter a new trading window, we are coming off a volatile period within the market. After trading down to nearly 1265 …
Commonsense Ways To Fix Social Security
As someone who has willingly accepted Social Security payments monthly for about four years, I have no strong motivation to upset the status quo. However, and this is a big however, I understand that the current path is not sustainable. When it began in the 30's, there were less than 3 people getting benefits for …
The Case for Alternative Investments – Part IV
Are you more than a little worried about where the markets are heading? If you are, and you don’t have millions on the line (that’s most of us) then I’m going to jump ahead and tell you now about three investment options from Purcell Advisory Services, out in Tacoma, Washington. I’m actively putting clients into …
Continue reading The Case for Alternative Investments – Part IV
Maybe You Should Choose Door #3
Door #1 is to retire as soon as you can and hope for the best. Door #2 is to keep working as long as you can and hope your health holds so you can enjoy retirement. There may be a third alternative that you can choose which we’re calling Door #3. It may give you …
Find Free Money to Pay for College – Ch. 1
College planning and retirement planning go hand in hand. As someone who has helped clients with their retirement plans for over 30 years, I like to think I know what I’m doing. A subset of retirement planning is college planning or college funding. I’ve discovered that you can’t offer one without impacting the other. Typically …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 