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401(K) KORNER
The 1% solution… Instead of worrying about what the market is going to do or not do, give what follows some thought instead.
Read MoreSome Observations on 2018 (before leaving it behind for good….)
While this will focus primarily on reviewing 2018, I do believe it’s worth reviewing my overall philosophy as it relates to investment advice. Hopefully this isn’t going to be “news” to many of you, especially if you’ve known me for...
Read MoreA true story…. (about long term care)
Sometime in 2004 at a family gathering and in the middle of normal conversation, a relative, John, asked me a “business” question. This was unusual because we’d never really talked business before, but sure enough he asked me “what I’d...
Read MoreThe Not-So-Negative Market Effect of Brexit
In the market decline that occurred over the two days after the British vote favoring an exit from the European Union, it was claimed by various sources that 401(k) participants had lost over $100 Billion dollars. Quite a claim and a...
Read MoreWhat's Next For the Markets...?
When we’ve had the sort of markets we’ve had of late…the sort that seems to go up effortlessly without resistance and feels like it will never stop going up much less go down… it can be very difficult to come to terms with the reality...
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10 Reasons to Roll Over From Your Former 401(k)
In working with individual clients, I am always a little puzzled by how often I’ll find out they have one or more account balances with a former employer’s 401(k) or other retirement plan. I am also puzzled (though not so amazed...
Read More6 Steps to Maximize Your 401(k) Strategy: Retirement Plan Series
The last time I felt compelled to put down some words 3 or 4 weeks ago, the market was experiencing extreme volatility with huge swings from up to down and vice versa, sending even those with the strongest of stomachs to the antacid...
Read MoreAccept These Three Truths About Retirement
1. “There are only two possible outcomes”...Money that outlives the people, or people that outlive the money. It doesn’t matter if you get better returns, or pay lower fees, or use the latest and greatest “here’s how to beat the market...
Read MoreThe Best Investment Decision Ever
As I write today (June 6, 2013) we’ve seen the Dow Jones Industrial Average close just below 15,000 for the first time since early May when it had closed above 15,000 for the first time ever. The S & P 500 Index, a broader measure of...
Read MoreControl What You Can... What's Your Plan?
December 31st, 2012.. New Years Eve...11.15 AM... I have procrastinated for several weeks now (not a good start for that resolution) on getting this latest edition posted and I am determined to get it done before 2013. With all this...
Read MoreDo You Really Have a Plan for Retirement?
Retirement. One little word that conjures up complex emotions. Ten letters, three syllables, one simple word that can generate the conflicting feelings of fear and excitement, happiness and sadness, uncertainty and clarity - all at the...
Read MoreFaith and Long-Term Investment Strategies
We have a lot to be concerned about these days—the economy, unemployment, the deficit, the ineffectiveness of government, terrorism—the list goes on. We can work ourselves into quite a state of panic speculating on what the ultimate...
Read MoreFour Exercises in Sanity (In a Wild and Crazy Market)
“If you can keep your wits about you while all others are losing theirs, and blaming you, the world will be yours and everything in it, what's more, you'll be a man my son.. Rudyard Kipling.” The Market Has Its Own Ideas...
Read MoreI’m a Small Business… I Don’t Need a Retirement Plan….
According to the Government Accountability Office, half of employees in the private sector are not saving anything for retirement and most because they don’t have access to a plan through their employer. As a business owner, why should...
Read MoreNo Easy Answers as Fiscal Cliff Looms
Tax increases and automatic spending cuts that take effect in 2013 will increase government revenue and significantly cut the budget deficit. However, that comes at the cost of economic conditions "that will probably be considered a...
Read MorePortfolio Overlap: Too Much Of A Good Thing
As a general rule, investing your money in different types of assets is a good way to reduce the risk of loss in your portfolio. Yet, while this is an important aspect of sound investing, it doesn’t guarantee a diversified portfolio....
Read MoreRecent Market Volatility-- What Does It All Mean?
On Thursday, June 20, the stock market suffered a dramatic drop—its largest since last year’s election—following a significant decline the previous day. While this may leave you feeling unsettled, it’s important to look a little deeper...
Read MoreRedefining “Wealth”
wealth, noun, [welth] “A great quantity or store of money, valuable possessions, property, other riches.” Dictionary.com
Read MoreStep One and Step Two...To retire on your terms
One of the unfortunate side effects of spending a little too much time watching some great college basketball recently has been the overexposure to the accompanying commercials that I suppose are required to finance this annual spectacle...
Read MoreTwo Reasons to Stay Invested...(And One Reason You Should Be – If You’re Not...)
Anyone who knows me or works with me knows that I do not believe it is possible to time the market – that is to decide the right time to get in or get out of the market with any degree of success. We have access to a great deal of...
Read MoreWe've Been Here Before
Would you believe it? The stock market is very volatile…again. All sorts of metaphors are being thrown about…”yoyo, whipsaw, rollercoaster etc.” … we’ve heard them all before, and of course, we’ve been here before. I think it’s...
Read MoreWhat Can I Say? (That I have not said already...)
What can I say that I have said not said before? Today, February 12, 2016, as I write the market as represented by the S & P 500 currently sits around 1859, about 7 points below the previous recent correction low from August 25th…
Read MoreWhat’s Your Vision of Financial Independence?
I recently read an article in an industry magazine that suggested the primary goal of retirement for most people is to have more time to do the things not possible during their child rearing and working years. I thought about this...
Read MoreWhen Investing Is Not Investing
“It won’t be the economy that will do in investors; it will be investors themselves.” Warren Buffet
Read MoreWhy We Diversify
It is generally accepted that when it comes to investing – diversification works. The real question is “will you like it?”
Read MoreYour Most Valuable Asset...
What is your most valuable asset? Whenever I ask someone that question I'll get a variety of answers, but typically people will tell me their home or their 401(k) are their most valuable assets or someone might say its their coin...
Read MoreGood news for Plan Participants! (Are you ready for fee disclosure?)
Good news for Plan Participants! (Are you ready for fee disclosure?) DOL Announces New Rules on Retirement Plan Fee Disclosure
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