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Why the Wealthy Are Healthy
Tweet Share on Facebook May 15, 2012 CommentSeveral years ago Carnegie Mellon psychologist Sheldon Cohen performed an experiment to try to predict people's susceptibility to disease. First, he asked his subjects one question about their childhood. Then he squirted a cold virus into their noses and waited a few days to see who got sick, and who didn't.
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How to Retire in the French Countryside on a Budget
Tweet Share on Facebook May 15, 2012 CommentOne corner of France is so tucked away that even the French find it hard to place on a map. The Béarn region has a long and colorful history, from Roman times to the Renaissance to the days of Belle Époque and then Art Deco. This lovely region is often overlooked by foreigners, even though the locals are very welcoming of newcomers.
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6 Reasons to Make E-Books Part of Your Retirement
Tweet Share on Facebook May 11, 2012 Comment (2)As an avid reader, there is nothing I like more than the arrival of a new book. Whether it is the latest edition from a favorite author or an experiment with someone new, I can hardly wait to shuffle through the paper pages that contain guaranteed entertainment and breathe in that new-book smell I have come to know so well. The minute I open to chapter one I know a new adventure is about to begin.
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5 Recurring Expenses to Reduce in Retirement
Tweet Share on Facebook May 10, 2012 Comment (1)As you approach retirement, it is important to sit down and work out your retirement budget. Once you leave full-time employment, your income will inevitably go down. If you are not prepared, it can be a difficult transition. Many of us take recurring expenses for granted when we have a steady paycheck. But with more time than income, it is prudent to re-examine these monthly bills.
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Investor Confidence in UBS May be Misplaced
Tweet Share on Facebook May 10, 2012 CommentSwitzerland’s biggest bank, UBS AG, received some very good news last week. It attracted $12 billion in new assets from wealthy clients in the first quarter of 2012. This impressive influx of funds beat analysts’ estimates and sent the stock soaring. It was up 5.5 percent on May 2, 2012.
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How to Maximize the Benefits of Your 401(k)
Tweet Share on Facebook May 9, 2012 Comment (1)With pension plans falling out of favor in the corporate world, the burden to provide for a secure retirement is increasingly falling on our own shoulders. For Americans, this means trying to figure out a way to maximize the benefit of retirement accounts such as 401(k)s. Here are a few ways to take personal responsibility for funding your retirement years:
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Should Retirees Move Everything to Fixed-Income?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 8, 2012 Comment (2)Many people think that once they reach retirement, they are set. Retirement triggers the idea of switching everything to fixed-income investments. This is understandable because most retirees want the security that comes with fixed-income. Bonds and money market investments seem like the safest options when it comes to protecting a retirement account from market drops. These investments are considered “safer,” and less likely to result in capital losses.
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The Most Romantic Place to Retire in Mexico
Tweet Share on Facebook May 7, 2012 Comment (2)The silver mines in Mexico's central highlands provided the incredible wealth that propelled Spain to world prominence in the 16th century. It also created Guanajuato, the crown jewel of Mexico's colonial cities.
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5 Tips for Reflecting on Your Career
Tweet Share on Facebook May 4, 2012 CommentAs we enter the retirement years, we have the opportunity to look back on the life we have lived to this point. We are the sum total of those years lived and all that we have accomplished during that time. We cannot change the past any more than we can change the person who looks back at us in the mirror each morning. As we reflect on the last forty or fifty years, did we grow up to be the person we wanted to be?
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Lessons from Proprietary Mutual Fund Returns
Tweet Share on Facebook May 3, 2012 CommentI am fascinated by the success of the securities industry. They are able to convince you to part with your money by touting their expertise in managing it. They claim to have skills that don’t exist, like stock picking, fund manager selection, and market timing. No matter how often they are wrong, and no matter how much you lose by following their flawed advice, investors persist in the belief that someone has these skills. Investors go from one broker to the other, in search of an investment guru who can predict the unpredictable and add “alpha” (returns above a designated benchmark index) to your portfolio.
