It’s the American Dream to own your own home. But, it’s not always the best financial choice. I’ve received several calls lately from the children of clients who were looking to buy a house. They wanted to talk about taking money out of an inheritance to pay for it, and were wondering if it was …
Why Aren't My Investments Doing What I Expected?
Have you ever opened up your investment account statement to find yourself disappointed in the numbers you’re seeing? Many investors are surprised, and often dismayed, by the performance of their investments. The problem might not be the investment, however. It might instead be that you didn’t have a realistic understanding of your investments from the …
Social Security Raise for 2018, Sort Of
One of the great things about the Social Security retirement benefit is that is pays you each month for as long as you live and it has a Cost of Living Adjustment each year to keep pace with living expenses. Recently announced changes to Social Security could mean an increase in retirement benefits for many …
Hack-Proof Your Life Now
You’ve probably seen the headlines about 143 million credit records being leaked at Equifax, a consumer credit reporting agency. Before that, more than a billion accounts were exposed at Yahoo, and 110 million records compromised at Target. Wondering how to keep your information safe? As a fee-only fiduciary financial planner, I’m dedicated to my client’s …
Should I own stock in retirement?
Some investors are concerned about the volatility of the stock market, yet all retired investors do better with investments that grow faster than the rate of inflation. Stocks have historically been the best asset class to keep ahead of inflation. What is a retired couple to do? What percentage of your portfolio should be in …
Thinking about retiring? Do some planning.
You don’t get a haircut just once. Things change and evolve, adjustments need to be made on a regular basis. It’s the same way with your financial game plan. Financial planning is a process, not an event. Let me tell you about Larry and Jane. Larry and Jane wanted to retire and move to Florida, …