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Keep an Eye on Free Cash Flow in 2013
Tweet Share on Facebook May 17, 2013 CommentI love this time of year. Here in Washington, D.C., everything starts to look a little greener; we get to experience the blooming of the cherry blossoms and tulips. But for stock pickers (and workers expecting pensions down the road), new government rules for retirement contributions this year could signal another bloom worth watching this spring: Higher corporate cash flows.
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Where Should You Keep Your Investment Assets?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 16, 2013 CommentOne of the things to keep in mind as you plan your investment strategy is where you want to keep your assets. Since the income from different assets is taxed differently, where you keep your money makes a difference in the long run. As you plan your investment strategy, don’t forget about tax planning.
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How to Handle Another New Market High
Tweet Share on Facebook May 15, 2013 CommentThe stock market rally continues and is now more than four years old. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index reached its low point at 677 on March 9, 2009. The index has risen some 144 percent off of its lows and continues to set records along with the Dow Jones industrial average.
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Don't Let a Bull Market Sway Your Investing Goals
Tweet Share on Facebook May 14, 2013 CommentThe market’s been a real bull lately. The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 index each reached new highs recently, and the Nasdaq Composite Index found its highest level in years.
When stocks are on a roll, it’s easy to lose track of the long term. That’s why you should have a financial plan that includes a retirement strategy — so you don’t have work too hard during the running of the bulls.
Here are five things you can do during an upturn to maintain an appropriate investment lineup:
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4 Tax Traps in 2013
Tweet Share on Facebook May 13, 2013 CommentNow that the 2012 tax season is thankfully behind us, it's time to look towards 2013 and prepare for some of the tax land mines that Congress and the Internal Revenue Service have carefully placed before us. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2013, in typical Congressional fashion, fails to live up to its namesake because it provides no real relief to taxpayers due to the numerous "gotchas" buried into the code. There are several traps set for hard-working Americans and businesses; here are the top four to be aware of in 2013:
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Low Rates Will Limit Investors' Options
Tweet Share on Facebook May 10, 2013 CommentLet me paint a picture of our current economic situation. Interest rates are at historic lows and will likely be there for a while. The Federal Reserve has indicated the rates are likely to stay low through 2015 or longer. The 10-year treasury is yielding around 1.75 percent. Banks are paying 0.2 percent to 1 percent on savings deposits and charging us fees for anything we do. Bank CDs are not paying much more than that. Social Security benefits are not rising and will need to be lower in the future or the current system will fail. Pensions from companies, municipalities and the federal government have been reduced or eliminated. How does one plan for income in this environment?
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Not All Index Funds are Created Equal
Tweet Share on Facebook May 8, 2013 CommentWhen I first became a financial adviser, choosing an index mutual fund was easy simply because there were so few of them. While many exchanged-traded funds are relatively new, some, like the the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, recently turned 20. For most of the early wave of ETFs, the funds were index products that tracked pretty standard domestic and international equity and fixed income benchmarks.
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7 Must-Do's When You Open a 401(k)
Tweet Share on Facebook May 7, 2013 CommentCongratulations to anyone who’s decided to enroll in a 401(k) plan! Putting money into your 401(k) at work is still the easiest — and many experts argue the best — way to save for retirement. But it takes some thought and action on your part in order to truly maximize the benefit.
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Could You Be Investing Naked?
Tweet Share on Facebook May 6, 2013 CommentThe old Warren Buffett quote goes, "[Y]ou only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.” What few realize is that Buffett may be talking about you. That’s because in the stock market world many amateur investors and even professional traders don't realize that they are completely exposed when the market turns against them and the tide eventually goes out.
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Watch Out for the Overly Confident CEO
Tweet Share on Facebook May 3, 2013 CommentWhen I was an officer in the Army, one of the tenets of leadership that I strove to emulate was to publicly give credit to my soldiers when something good happened and accept blame when something bad happened. It was a pretty simple approach to take. I did have great soldiers, so all I usually had to do was get out of the way, and magic happened. However, if I gave unclear orders or conflicting information, things were bound to get screwed up. Good: them. Bad: me.
