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3 Investing Resolutions for 2013 (and How to Make Them Stick)
Tweet Share on Facebook December 31, 2012 CommentJanuary is generally seen as a time of renewal, recommitment and change. We enter the new year with the best of intentions, and sometimes even act on them for a little while. The gym is packed, nobody will touch dessert, and we vow that this is finally going to be the year that we get our financial house in order.
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Three Pitfalls for Retirees Investing Solely for Income
Tweet Share on Facebook December 28, 2012 CommentWhen my grandfather passed away, my grandmother was managing their remaining money and ensuring it would provide enough income to last her lifetime. She would call up all of the local banks and haggle over CD rates. If one offered a hundredth of a percentage point higher in rate, she’d use it to beat up all of the others until one of them upped the ante. She’d have been a master in a Turkish bazaar! Due to her diligence, she was successful, and hasn't yet run out of money more than 20 years later.
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5 Ways to Mess Up Your Investment Portfolio
Tweet Share on Facebook December 27, 2012 CommentWe all want to do the right things with our investments. And, while it’s possible to create a successful investment strategy by yourself, the flip side is that you can really mess things up by ignoring your investing plan.
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How to Narrow Your 401(k) Choices
Tweet Share on Facebook December 26, 2012 CommentThis year I did almost all of my holiday shopping online. From the comfort of my couch, with football on in the background, I bought presents for my friends and family. I got to skip the stores and the crowds, not to mention the uncertainty of we don’t have that item at this location, but I see one at a location 45 miles from here if you’d like to have them save it. Plus, I was able to conduct extensive background checks on all my gifts.
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Don't Trade the Fiscal Cliff Headlines
Tweet Share on Facebook December 24, 2012 CommentRecently the Financial Times printed in different sections on the same day two headlines concerning the impending U.S. fiscal cliff. One reported rising hopes for a successful conclusion to the budget negotiations and described a resulting market rally. The other, a few pages earlier, told us that negotiations risked failure, with troubling implications for financial markets. And the news is supposed to guide our investing?
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The Middle Class Retirement Delusion By the Numbers
Tweet Share on Facebook December 21, 2012 CommentThe need to save for retirement is accompanied by plenty of hints. Ads like ING’s from a few years ago have neighbors toting around large orange numbers, or simply the word “gazillion” to demonstrate what they thought that their retirement numbers needed to be. Popular authors and academics like Lee Eisenberg, author of The Number, discussed what you’d need in retirement, while in-depth research from William Bengen came out with the 4 percent drawdown as well as, more recently, Wade Pfau’s research arguing that even a 4 percent withdrawal rate in retirement might be too risky. There’s no shortage of good information.
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5 Year-End 401(k) To-Dos
Tweet Share on Facebook December 20, 2012 CommentMuch has been written about the retirement savings crisis in the United States, and the shortcomings of 401(k) plans. Nonetheless, they are the main retirement savings vehicles for many. Assuming that we all wake up on Saturday and the world has not ended, here are some moves to consider now and for the future top make sure that you are getting the most from your plan.
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Some Zen Investing Advice
Tweet Share on Facebook December 19, 2012 CommentGenerally, we all want to find peace and happiness in life. In other words we deeply desire to find some Zen. Understand that people find Zen in different ways. Maybe they find Zen when they can retire comfortably or are debt-free. Maybe it’s doing yoga, living a more minimalist life, exploring the world, or donating time to charity. Whatever Zen looks like to you, I want to offer up some wisdom in finding Zen with your (sometimes stressful) investing or trading strategy.
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How to Think About Investment Risk
Tweet Share on Facebook December 18, 2012 CommentAfter the volatility we’ve seen from the market during the past five to six years, there are some gun-shy investors out there. Does the possibility of some risk make you want to run for the hills?
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How to Get Tax Gains from Investing Losses
Tweet Share on Facebook December 14, 2012 CommentAs the year draws to a close, many investors are looking for ways to reduce their tax liability. One way you can reduce your taxable income is to sell losing investments and use the losses to offset some of your other investment gains, or other types of income.
