What are the Odds?
How many times in your life has something unusual happened where you stopped and asked yourself, “What are the odds of that happening?” Maybe this summer you heard about a Canadian man named Pete McCathie. Pete has experienced three very rare occurrences in his lifetime: being struck by lightning, his
Social Security COLA Increase Unlikely for 2016
On August 14, 1935 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the 37 page Social Security Act into law, ushering in a new concept of retirement for millions of Americans. But even as the Social Security program celebrates its 80th birthday, retirees will likely be receiving a nasty surprise this year. The
How Does the Crisis in Greece Affect My Financial Plan?
The turmoil in Greece has been dominating the news for much of the past two weeks, and we are aware that some clients are concerned about the impact of that situation on their investment portfolios. So we want to explain the situation in Greece and alleviate some fear and concern
Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early?
It seems like every year I end up having three or four discussions with various people about the merits of paying off your mortgage early. It can be a relative, a client or even a casual acquaintance who will ask my opinion during the course of the conversation on their
New Financial Planning Opportunities for Same-Sex Couples
On Friday June 26, 2015 the Supreme Court delivered a historic decision that extends the right to marry for same-sex couples in all 50 states. Prior to the ruling, there were 14 states that prohibited same-sex marriage. The new ruling offers some significant financial planning opportunities to same sex couples
Top Ten Financial Planning Tips for a Comfortable Retirement
On May 20th, David Letterman ended his legendary run as a late night talk show host logging 6,028 episodes of Late Night with David Letterman and the Late Show with David Letterman in his thirty-three year career. With an interviewing style described by some critics as “acerbic” and “hard-nosed” and
Plan for What You Can Control in Retirement
The Employee Benefit Research Institute, a nonprofit research organization, recently released details from its 25th annual Retirement Confidence Survey. The survey was conducted in January and February of 2015 and includes both workers and retirees, ages 25 and up. As is usually the case with each annual survey, the results
Americans Aren’t Saving Enough for Retirement
We have just surpassed the six year mark for our current bull market and while many retirement nest eggs look a lot healthier than they did in 2009, the question that remains largely unanswered is whether they are healthy enough for most Americans to comfortably retire when and how they
How the Fiduciary Standard Protects You
In late February, President Obama gave a 17-minute speech at AARP’s headquarters about an issue that affects the retirement prospects of millions of Americans. In his speech he highlighted the lack of uniform standards and rules of conduct that require financial advisors to act in the best interests of their
Lessons to Learn from RadioShack’s Bankruptcy
Most of us over the age of 40 can probably remember a time where RadioShack played a significant role in bringing the latest in electronic goods to consumers. Emerging from humble beginnings as a specialty retailer for radio enthusiasts and hobbyists, RadioShack grew into the leading merchant of electronics in
Calculated Risk Beats Inflation’s Wealth Erosion
by Michael Gordon, The Suit Magazine If there is one trend that has remained constant since the nation’s emergence from the Great Recession’s market corrections of 2007 to 2009, it is that today’s investors do not merely desire transparent transactions from their financial advisers – they expect such. “People have
Using a Roth IRA to Fund Educational Expenses
I believe being a Financial Planner is the greatest occupation in the world (at least for me), and there are numerous reasons why I think that. One of the reasons near the top of the list is the opportunity to develop creative solutions that truly improve our clients’ lives. One