4 Lessons For Us From a Century Ago

My Comments: As a nation we are on the horns of a dilemma regarding our role as the sole surviving superpower from the last century. I embraced Obama’s assertion that our national focus should revert to what is in our best interest domestically. At the time we were embroiled in Iraq and other places and …

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Stop Tinkering With Your Retirement Portfolio

My Comments: I can’t tell you how many times over the past 40 years that a client has talked with me suggesting something is wrong with his investments. It usually comes after a long run up in the markets and he or she thinks his portfolio is lagging. And almost every time we’ve made a …

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The 4 Drivers Of Stock Market Prices

My Comments: In recent posts I’ve suggested there is a looming crash in the markets that will negatively impact all of us, except perhaps those of us with the ability to go to cash and go short when the crash happens. To hedge my comments, I’ve said “sometime in the next 3 years.” Here is …

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6 Strategies to Reduce Your Need for Money When You Retire

My Comments: These might seem like a no brainer. The financial media is awash with articles talking about how Americans simply don’t have enough money to retire. In the larger perspective, this, if true, is going to put enormous pressure on the government to subsidize the living cost of those who run out of money. …

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Buckle Up! The New Bear Market Has Begun!

My Comments: The writer has a powerful message to send. He was right about this back in 2008 but that doesn't mean he's right this time. I have clients and prospective clients asking when the next downturn is going to begin. And yet there are many articles that suggest it’s still a long way off. …

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3 Retirement Planning Essentials to Understand

My Comments: I’ve now reduced retirement years to three types of years. They are “go-go”, “slow-go” and “no-go”. Planning for them before you reach retirement is a matter of attempting to get as many $ in the pot as possbile. After that, it’s a timing issue that is driven by health, the expected life style, …

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The Return of the Inflation Chupacabra

My Comments: A few weeks ago I wasted several hours exchanging replies with someone who asked “who is responsible for inflation?” My initial response was to the effect it is a “what” question and not a “who” question. But that soon devolved into discussion about irrelevant issues that I decided meant the writer had never …

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How Will The Federal Reserve Raise Interest Rates?

My Comments: There is little argument that sooner or later the Fed will start to push interest rates up. And when they do, there is going to be confusion about how fast and how far they push. This in turn will cause some volatility and timing issues on Wall Street. But all this is part …

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Be Flexible On 4% Rule

My Comments: Increasingly, I find myself working with older clients. After all, I’m an older advisor. From time to time there is a question of how fast you should decumulate your nest egg(s). (I’m not sure if “decumulate” is an approved word, but the intent is to convey the opposite of accumulate.) The rule of …

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7 Retirement Planning Risks You May Not Have Considered

My Comments: We wonder sometimes why the media is so consumed with bad news; it’s hard to find items that make you feel good. Unfortunately, I herewith add another element of negativity to the days actvity. On the other hand, knowing about these seven may help you avoid them which is a good thing. Does …

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