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Updating Your Retirement Savings Calculations
Tweet Share on Facebook July 31, 2012 CommentCreating an appropriate asset class allocation will help move you toward your retirement goals. Choosing the right funds to fit within your investing strategy will streamline your journey. But, without the right saving strategy, all the fund picking in the world won’t get you to the goalpost.
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In a Volatile Market, What Investment Strategy is Best for You?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 27, 2012 CommentA volatile market may be just what the doctor ordered—at least for those investors who feel holding an investment for 30 days is as likely as holding an investment for eternity. Although most of the day trading operations that popped up in cities and towns across the country in the 90s no longer exist, I can assure you that the idea of trading for a quick profit exists now more than ever. The amateurs that frequented such places placed usually their trades using an excessive amount of margin, and had success riding an incredible bull market. Those investors are now likely extinct. What remains is a the more sophisticated investor sitting at home with access to more research than ever, trading on his laptop or now even his smart phone, still looking to make a quick profit.
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Obama or Romney: Who’s Better For Your Portfolio?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 26, 2012 CommentYou can the cut the tension that’s building around the upcoming presidential election with a knife, and it’s only going to get worse as the parade for power reaches critical mass in the fall.
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Make Elder Care Part of Your Financial Plan
Tweet Share on Facebook July 23, 2012 CommentWhen you create a financial plan, there are several categories to cover: retirement planning, estate planning, debt reduction and budgeting. And, a less popular category called elder care planning.
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Want to Start Investing? Here’s How to Find the Money
Tweet Share on Facebook July 20, 2012 CommentEven after the financial crash of 2008, there is still a great deal of interest in investing. After all, it’s one of the most effective ways to build wealth over time. However, many would-be investors claim that they don’t have enough disposable income to invest.
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Zuckerberg's Smart 1 Percent Move
Tweet Share on Facebook July 20, 2012 CommentMark Zuckerberg has a net worth of around $15.7 billion, even after the post-IPO drop in the share price of Facebook. Yet with all his wealth and purchasing power, he recently refinanced a $5.9 million mortgage on his Palo Alto, Calif. home with a 30-year adjustable rate loan at 1.05 percent. When I learned of the refinancing of his home and the low interest rate he received, I immediately thought to myself, “Smart move,” and it’s not because he’s one of the world’s richest people. Although he doesn’t need to hold a mortgage, he chose to have one because it made great financial sense for him. The carrying costs for his mortgage are close to 1 percent and he knows he can invest those funds elsewhere for a better return. The probability of anyone accumulating wealth like Mr. Zuckerberg’s is slim at best, but we should all be thinking of making “smart moves” with our investments and how we manage our survival and lifestyle expenses.
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The Big Retirement Lie
Tweet Share on Facebook July 19, 2012 CommentWhat if everything you were told about saving in your company retirement plan was bogus? What if the benefit of tax-deferred growth in your mutual fund based retirement plan was really a well-funded Wall Street marketing gimmick?
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How Not to Pick a Mutual Fund
Tweet Share on Facebook July 18, 2012 CommentI recently attended the Morningstar Investment Conference here in Chicago. As usual Morningstar did a great job hosting and staging this large conference.
During one of the breaks I was walking through the exhibit hall with another financial adviser, and I remarked to him that I was amazed at the sheer number of mutual fund providers with booths and the fact that I had never heard of many of these companies.
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New Job? New Finances
Tweet Share on Facebook July 16, 2012 CommentMoving to a new employer offers a fresh start to your professional life. You also have a great opportunity to update your financial planning strategy.
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5 Investing Themes To Focus On
Tweet Share on Facebook July 13, 2012 CommentSo, Philly doesn't quite have it all, but it does have some pretty cool things, for sure. In addition to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, you can get your hands on a pretty awesome cheesesteak sandwich. Oh, and of course it has the Wharton School, arguably the best business school in the world, and often cited as the best for finance. I was fortunate enough to attend a conference at Wharton a week or so ago and to spend a couple of days hearing from some of the brightest minds in the academic side of the world of finance.
