Last Minute Financial Planning for 2013
Christmas is just around the corner, and the end of the year is not far behind. It seems like time is at a premium this time of the year with last minute shopping and preparations for holiday celebrations. But spending a few minutes making sure your financial affairs are in
President’s 2014 Budget Proposal Contains 4 Big Changes for Your Retirement
While much of the nation’s attention has been focused on the federal government shutdown that was avoided earlier this month and the mistake-plagued rollout of Obamacare, another proposal coming out of Washington D.C. has avoided much of the media and public’s attention. President Obama’s 2014 budget blueprint for 2014 includes
Pioneer of Passive Investing, Eugene Fama Wins Nobel Prize
Clients of Bollin Wealth Management LLC who follow Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) mutual funds in the news may have recently seen some exciting news about a familiar face. Professor Eugene Fama, a finance professor at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and Dimensional Fund Advisors board member, was
Government Shutdown Provides More Treats than Tricks
It had all the makings of a great investment horror story, especially since it was occurring in the month of October. The showdown between Democrats and Republicans wrangling over the government shutdown and debt ceiling had many in the media and on Wall Street predicting financial Armageddon. “If the U.S.
401(k) Plan Bans Participants for Frequent Trading Violations
T. Rowe Price recently barred 1,300 American Airline employees from trading in their 401(k) plans in an effort to discourage mass trading. The company acted after providing several warnings to the barred employees. According to company spokesman Edward Giltenan T. Rowe Price “took this step to protect all fund shareholders
Investors Move to Sidelines Ahead of Fall Uncertainty
Anticipating market volatility ahead of a potential Federal Government shutdown over the debt ceiling debate and an expected announcement that the Federal Reserve will begin to slow down its quantitative easing program, investors headed to the sidelines in droves in August. Investors sold more than $30 billion of bonds and
Is A Deferred-Income Annuity Right For You?
Recently we have had a few inquiries from prospective clients about a relatively new annuity product called a deferred-income annuity. Insurance companies are touting the new product as a way to build your own future retirement pension. So consumers, especially baby boomers, are naturally interested. In fact, sales of deferred-income
How Detroit’s Bankruptcy Threatens Municipal Bond Markets
Although it probably didn’t come as much of a surprise for many observers, earlier this month the city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy protection making it the largest city to ever do so. Detroit was once the fourth largest city in the United States, with a population of just under
You Have to Be in Gold, by Weston Wellington, Vice President Dimensional Fund Advisors
Each January, a group of prominent investment professionals gather in New York as members of the Barron’s Roundtable to trade quips, stock ideas, and the outlook for markets and economic trends worldwide. Barron’s-a weekly financial newspaper with a small but devoted following of professional and do-it-yourself investors-publishes a transcript of
Safe Bond Strategies for Today’s Market
While bonds, whether they are corporate bonds, municipal bonds, treasury bonds, or even high-yield bond, are generally considered by most investors to be “safe” investments, they still have elements of risk exposure that investors need to be aware of. It is still somewhat surprising that some people mistakenly believe they
President Obama’s Retirement Plan Proposal
President Obama recently released his budget plans for the 2014 fiscal year, and one of the proposals contained in the budget is gathering a lot attention. The budget contains a proposal to cap the amount of money one could accumulate in tax-advantaged retirement plans and/or pensions, including 401(k) plans and
Americans are Not Saving Enough for Retirement
A new report paints a bleak picture for the future retirement prospects of many Americans. New data released by the Employee Benefit Research Institute in their 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey indicates that fifty-seven percent of workers have saved less than $25,000 for retirement, not including the value of their home