Questioning traditional assumptions about retirement planning can be illuminating. Some retirement planners and economists argue that they need to be reexamined. Does most retirement planning focus on the future at the expense of the present? One noted economist makes that case. Laurence Kotlikoff, the former White...
A lack of vision is often the answer to that question. Many are the stories of family wealth lost. In the late 19th century, industrial tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt amassed the equivalent of $100 billion in today’s dollars – but when 120 of his descendants met at...
Crucial questions & essential documents. The financial planning process is not merely a matter of numbers. When you meet with a financial advisor to map out a strategy for wealth accumulation or wealth preservation, you may find yourself intellectually and emotionally engaged on a level you...
A more positive view of the economy equals a big negative for Wall Street. The end is in sight for QE3. On June 19, the Federal Reserve let investors know that “easing without end” will eventually end, perhaps as early as mid-2014. Wall Street had anticipated...
Many myths surround these popular estate planning tools. Living trusts are created with a clearly defined objective: to avoid probate. Misconceptions about living trusts have spread to the point where people think they can accomplish much more than they really do. Here is a realistic assessment...
WEEKLY QUOTE“Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by change. - Jim Rohn WEEKLY TIP New parents should check to see if they qualify for child tax credits and other family tax benefits for tax years 2012 and 2013. WEEKLY RIDDLE Two men played five games...
Behaviors worth changing for the New Year. Do bad money habits constrain your financial progress? Many people fall into the same financial behavior patterns year after year. If you sometimes succumb to these financial tendencies, the New Year is as good an occasion as any to...
Another downturn? Or something much less severe? If Greece leaves the eurozone in the coming months, what kind of financial ripples could reach America? Nobody can predict the endgame yet; Greece may even stay in the euro, although that is looking less and less likely. The big...
Two-thirds of us have no financial plan. 64% of Americans have no financial strategy at all. That’s right – no plan whatsoever to build wealth or keep it. That finding comes from the 2009 National Consumer Survey on Personal Finance conducted by the Certified Financial Planner...
While the idea of retirement has changed, certain financial assumptions haven’t. We’ve all heard about the “new retirement”, the mix of work and play that many of us assume we will have in our lives one day. We do not expect “retirement” to be all leisure....