Making Investment Decisions May 20, 2019 Are your choices based on evidence or emotion? Information vs. instinct. When it comes to investing, many people believe they have a “knack” for choosing good investments. But what exactly is that “knack” based on? The fact is, the choices we make with our assets can be strongly influenced by factors, many of them emotional, [...]
The Cost of Procrastination May 13, 2019 Don’t let procrastination keep you from pursuing your financial goals. Some of us share a common experience. You’re driving along when a police cruiser pulls up behind you with its lights flashing. You pull over, the officer gets out, and your heart drops. “Are you aware the registration on your car has expired?” You’d been [...]
Pension Plans & De-risking May 6, 2019 Corporations are transferring pension liabilities to third parties. Where does this leave retirees? A new term has made its way into today’s financial jargon: de-risking. Anyone with assets in an old-school pension plan should know what it signifies. De-risking is when a large employer hands over its established pension liabilities to a third party (typically, [...]
Taking Charge of Your Financial Life April 29, 2019 Delegating responsibilities to others may lead to problems down the road. When you are putting together a household, it isn’t unusual to delegate responsibilities. One spouse or partner may take on the laundry, while another takes on the shopping. You might also decide which one of you vacuums and which one of you dusts. This [...]
The A, B, C, & D of Medicare April 8, 2019 Breaking down the basics & what each part covers. Whether your 65th birthday is on the horizon or decades away, you should understand the parts of Medicare – what they cover and where they come from. Parts A & B: Original Medicare. There are two components. Part A is hospital insurance. It provides coverage for [...]
Certain Uncertainties in Retirement April 8, 2019 Two financial unknowns may erode our degree of confidence. The financial uncertainties we face in retirement may risk reducing our sense of confidence, potentially undermining our outlook during those years. Indeed, according to the 2018 Retirement Confidence Survey by the Employee Benefits Research Institute, only 17% of pre-retirees said they are “very confident” about having [...]
Strategic vs. Tactical Investing March 18, 2019 How do these investment approaches differ? Ever heard the term “strategic investing”? How about “tactical investing”? At a glance, you might assume that both these phrases describe the same investment approach. While both approaches involve the periodic adjustment of a portfolio and holding portfolio assets in varied investment classes, they differ in one key respect. [...]
Is America Prepared to Retire? March 8, 2019 A look at some ways to get ready. Are Americans saving enough? Only 19% of U.S. adults describe themselves as “very confident” when asked about their savings. Worry spots include retiring without enough money saved (16%) and anxiety about having a “rainy day” emergency fund (14%). These findings come from the 2018 Consumer Financial Literacy [...]
Bad Money Habits to Break March 8, 2019 Behaviors worth changing. 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, now is as good a time as any to alter your behavior. #1: Lending money to family & friends. You may know someone who [...]
Social Security by the Numbers March 7, 2019 Facts about the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program. Social Security has been a pillar of retirement life for several decades, but how much do you really know about it? Here are some facts that might surprise you: The Social Security trust fund exceeds the gross domestic product of every major economy in [...]