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Archive for June, 2010

When an ETF is Not a Monetary Investment and Other Random Thoughts

Posted in Education, Investments, Retirement, Savings, tagged , , , on June 17, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Due to increasing time demands, this is my final contribution to our blog here – and I’d like to summarize some points I’ve tried to make in this space before. ETF in this case, refers to Eat That Frog!, a wonderful little book with a big idea by Brian Tracy. The big idea is a [...]

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This is Your Brain in a Stock Market Crash

Posted in Investments, Retirement, tagged , , , , , , on June 15, 2010 | 5 Comments »

Bryan flipped on MSNBC to catch the stock market’s closing numbers. It was March 9, 2009. A visibly shaken reporter was telling viewers the Dow Jones had fallen to 6547, its lowest closing in over 13 years. Retirement accounts had lost trillions of dollars, and many experts expected the market to continue to fall.  Bryan’s [...]

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Investment Moves for a Volatile Market

Posted in Disaster Planning, Investments, Retirement, Savings, tagged , , , , , , , , , on June 14, 2010 | 2 Comments »

With the recent volatility in the markets, everyday investors I meet with are demonstrating polar-opposite positions. On the one hand, many investors’ first instinct is to flee equities and flock to cash, fearing economic concerns will be reflected in the markets. And on the flip-side, others are seeking income alternatives to all-time low interest rates. [...]

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The Inflation Threat is Real!

Posted in Credit/Debt, Education, tagged , , , , , on June 11, 2010 | 5 Comments »

Every day I pick up a newspaper, magazine, or turn on the news and a headline similar to this one flashes before me. Often it relates to the stock market, economic indicators or some other future event that no one can possibly predict with any degree of certainty. While the subject matter varies, the storyline [...]

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Talkin’ Cash with your Teen

Posted in Education, tagged , , , , on June 11, 2010 | 3 Comments »

June is filled with excitement and anticipation as high school seniors celebrate graduation and prepare for college in the fall. I was recently invited to a Bay area high school to talk about money with graduating seniors and their parents. The parents wanted to know how to prepare for the costs and the students wanted [...]

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Does Your Checkbook Reflect What is Most Important to You?

Posted in Education, tagged , , , on June 10, 2010 | 3 Comments »

A few years ago some good friends came to visit and proudly told us about getting their 13 year old daughter into the state fair for the under 12 admission. I believe they were proud of the fact that they had saved a little money. I don’t think they were proud of the fact that [...]

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To Pay or Not to Pay

Posted in Home Ownership, tagged , , , on June 8, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

Recently Ted and Tina met with me to discuss their dilemma about continuing to paying their monthly mortgage. Like many others, their home value had decreased significantly over the past few years from the financial meltdown that has occurred, particularly in the housing market. Today, the value of their home is about $222,000 and the [...]

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Window Seat

Posted in Investments, Retirement, Savings, tagged , , , on June 7, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Flying. Who could imagine how things have changed in the 100 years or so since Orville and Wilbur Wright first took to the air in a powered aircraft in North Carolina? Those first “flights” lasted mere seconds and covered only a couple hundred feet. Something that was so unbelievable and amazing at the time is [...]

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Sixty-five is the New Fifty-Five

Posted in Medical & Health Issues, Retirement, tagged , , , , on June 4, 2010 | 1 Comment »

People are always telling me 40 is the new 30 and 50 is the new 40. Numbers do not lie, especially with age, but it is true that people are living longer and staying healthier later in life. For those of you approaching retirement, age 60 may very well feel like the new 50, and [...]

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A Flock of Black Swans

Posted in Disaster Planning, Education, Investments, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on June 3, 2010 | 3 Comments »

Early in 2009, I wrote an article about how financial planners (and people generally) need to incorporate the high likelihood of unlikely events into their worldview.1 The past few days have struck me by their confirmation that all our assumptions will be challenged, and we cannot afford to be complacent about living in a “normal” [...]

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