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Archive for October, 2009

Homebuyer’s Tax Credit – Don’t Rush into a Decision This Important

Posted in Home Ownership, Taxes, tagged on October 30, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Every year I see stories at the end of the year touting the latest tax strategies that consumers should take advantage of before the end of the year.  Due to the volume and complexity of the tax code and the constant changes, it’s important to be aware of the new wrinkles.  I think it’s important [...]

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Finding Greatness from a Relationship with Your Financial Planner

Posted in Education, Investments, Retirement, Savings, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 29, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Maybe you’ve just hired a financial planner or you’re thinking about hiring one.  I bet you’re excited, scared, anxious, uncertain and hopeful.  You’re about to craft a plan for your future, but how can you be sure that you stay focused on your financial plan, and not be distracted by the noise of Wall Street, [...]

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Will the Gold Rush Continue, or will Fool’s Gold Rule?

Posted in Banking, Investments, Retirement, Savings, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 28, 2009 | 3 Comments »

Be Aware of the Risks When Considering Gold in Your Portfolio Have you heard this one lately? “Gold has returned more than 300 percent over the last decade. How is your IRA doing?” If you haven’t yet, you almost certainly will. Gold is at all time highs. Concerns about the dollar and the global “flat” [...]

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Why We Need to Deal with Debt

Posted in Credit/Debt, Home Ownership, Retirement, Savings, tagged , , on October 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

A serious retirement-planning crisis is looming in the U.S., with many Baby Boomers having already spent a portion of their nest egg and undermining any hope for a comfortable lifestyle unless they continue to work. Look no further than an annual “retirement confidence” survey conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Mathew Greenwald & [...]

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Know What You Are Paying For

Posted in Education, Investments, Retirement, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 22, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Not long ago I was meeting with a couple who were relatively new clients. We were going over data on a recent mutual fund investment, and I commented that I was surprised to see the fund offered a commission of 2.25 percent. As a fee-only financial planner, I rarely pay much attention to whether a fund pays [...]

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Your Financial House

Posted in Insurance, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

The most important structural aspect of any house is, of course, the foundation. Yet when it comes to people’s financial house the foundation is often overlooked. In this case, your foundation is risk management, or, as it’s commonly called, insurance coverage.  This coverage includes life, health, disability, long-term care, and personal liability, as well as [...]

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What’s New & True in Social Security?

Posted in Retirement, tagged , , , , , on October 20, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Since the automatic Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) went into effect in 1975, for the first time ever there will not be one in 2010 for more than 57 million Americans.  To put that in perspective, it’s helpful to remember that just the year before Social Security recipients enjoyed the highest COLA (5.8 percent) since [...]

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Retiring Through the Ages

Posted in Investments, Retirement, Savings on October 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Mention the word retirement, and for most people, an image immediately comes to mind. That image is usually different for many of us. For some it is sailing around the world, visiting grandchildren, playing golf or perhaps giving time to your favorite charity. As different as some of these images may be, there is one [...]

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Critical Interview Questions You Should Ask a Financial Planner

Posted in Education, Investments on October 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

If you ask 20 people to define the role of a financial planner, you’ll likely get 20 different answers.  Yikes!  So, how do you find a financial planner that fits YOUR unique situation?  Just because your friend, neighbor or relative works with someone they trust, it’s possible that their financial planner may not be the [...]

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How to Hire a Financial Planner

Posted in Credit/Debt, Education, Retirement, Savings on October 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »

Last week, I heard from a couple in their early 50s who are considering hiring a financial planner for the first time.  Until now, they had chosen to manage the family finances on their own, while raising five children and juggling two high powered careers. In an e-mail, the wife wrote:  “My husband would just [...]

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