On December 10, 2008, investors froze in their tracks as they wondered whether they were victims of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. Dentists, doctors, hairdressers and housewives were all equally victimized by this supposedly well-respected, highly intelligent investment adviser. It’s likely that you know someone who was affected by the illegal investment activity of Bernie [...]
Archive for November, 2009
How to Avoid a “Madoff”
Posted in Charitable & Planned Giving, Insurance, Investments, Savings, tagged custodian, FINRA, investment advisor, investment insurance, Madoff, NASDAQ, Ponzi scheme, SEC, securities on November 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
‘Tis the Season…Plan Now for Merry and Bright Holidays
Posted in Banking, Charitable & Planned Giving, Credit/Debt, tagged budget, budgeting, financial plan, financial planner, gift, give, holiday season, holiday spending, holidays on November 12, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Before any creatures were stirring, I dashed out of my house at about 7 a.m. last Saturday to Target to stock up on home essentials. I pranced into the cheerful store, took the reigns on a red cart and began to fly around the neatly arranged aisles with my list — which I had checked [...]
The War May Be Ending, but Your Financial Battle Rages On
Posted in Credit/Debt, Education, Home Ownership, Investments, Retirement, Savings, tagged Ben Bernanke, cash reserves, diversification, economy, financial crisis, Great Depression, investment portfolio, portfolio on November 9, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Don’t allow short-term emotions to sidetrack what you learned from the panic of 2008. Over the last several months, we’ve gone from the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, to a tentative declaration by pundits, including Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, that the recession is likely behind us. You fought your personal financial battles [...]
Tax Tips for This & Next Year
Posted in Employment, Estate Planning, Home Ownership, Insurance, Investments, Medical & Health Issues, Retirement, Savings, Taxes on November 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
As we head into the fourth quarter of the year, now is a good time to consider year-end tax planning for 2009 and look ahead to what’s new for 2010. First let’s consider what you might do between now and year-end to manage your 2009 income tax liability. We recommend you work with your CPA [...]
Did Diversification Fail?
Posted in Investments, Retirement, tagged diversification, financial adviser, financial plan, financial planner, investing, portfolio, Retirement, risks, stock market, stocks on November 5, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
From its peak in October 2007 to its most recent bottom in March 2009, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell from over 14,000 to about 6,550, more than 50 percent. Most other US stock indices fell right along with it, as did European stocks, Asian stocks, emerging market stocks, and on and on. Everything seemed [...]
The Mighty Roth — Which IRA Should You Be Contributing To?
Posted in Investments, Retirement, Savings, Taxes, tagged adjusted gross income, filing status, Individual Retirement Account, Roth, Roth IRA, traditional IRA on November 4, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
In the next few months, that steady buzz you hear is not a random cicada invasion — it is the steady drumbeat in the form of a question. If you have a traditional IRA (Individual Retirement Account), should you convert it to a Roth IRA? Before we go there, let’s review a couple of basics around IRAs [...]
Things to Consider Before Loaning Money to Family Members or Friends
Posted in Charitable & Planned Giving, tagged family, family loans, financial advisor, financial future, financial planner, gift, loan on November 3, 2009 | 1 Comment »
With banks and credit card companies tightening their lending practices, some would-be borrowers are looking for loans from another source — that long-established institution, the First Financial Family Bank. Loaning money to friends or family members has so many pitfalls that it’s not even possible to list them all in one column. A financial adviser [...]
I Never Knew Her
Posted in Insurance, Medical & Health Issues, tagged Breast Cancer Awareness Month, guardian, healthcare directives, life insurance, living will, medical bills, medical expenses on November 2, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I went to Kroger for a weekly trip to the grocery store. Batteries, spaghetti and other items were adorned in pink. I watched baseball games and saw pink bats and gloves. Even as I sat and watched my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers there it was again. Big rough and tumble football players wearing pink cleats, wristbands, [...]
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Bloggers
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Lee Baker, CFP®
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Rick Kahler, CFP®, MS
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Bonnie Hughes, CFP®
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Rick Miller, CFP®
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Tara Scottino, CFP®
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Robert Schmansky, CFP®
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Francis St. Onge, CFP®
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Karin Maloney Stifler, CFP®, AIF®
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Somnath Basu
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Jude Boudreaux, CFP®
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FPA Guest Blogger
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Sam Hull, CFP®, ACC
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Dave Caruso, CFP®
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John Comer, CFP®
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David Bergmann, CFP®
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Joe Pitzl, CFP®
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Chip Workman, CFP®
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Saundra Davis
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Gelasia Steed, CFP®
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Aaron Coates, CFP® CIMA
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Michael Snowdon, CFP®
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Pamela Sandy, CFP®
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Mike Branham, CFP®
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Edward W. Gjertsen II, CFP®
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Constance Stone, CFP®
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Andrew B. Chou, CFP®
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Mary Beth Storjohann, CFP®, CDFA
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Ara Oghoorian, CFA, CFP®
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