On Saturday morning, I turned on the news as my coffee brewed. After the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, nuclear radiation escaped from a blast at the Fukushima reactor. Surely, hundreds of thousands of homeless Japanese must have felt the world was ending. In many ways for them, it was. In the wake of deaths, [...]
Archive for March, 2011
Let’s Think “We” Not “Me”
Posted in Disaster Planning, tagged benefits, chaos, debt, Japan, Office of Management and Budget, peace, Retirement, standard of living, underemployment, unemployment, wage increases on March 31, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
How to Plan for Big Expenses
Posted in Budgeting, Savings, tagged budget, savings account, wedding planning on March 30, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Just engaged? It’s so exciting. That dream wedding is becoming a reality. Let the planning begin! And unfortunately, let the expenses start piling up. Especially in this economy, prioritizing without feeling like you’re sacrificing can be tough. While not terribly romantic, having a frank conversation with your partner about your priorities and expectations is the [...]
All-or-Nothing is Never the Right Move
Posted in Investments, tagged asset allocation, commodity prices, diversification, diversified portfolio, financial system, inflation, market volatility, resiliency on March 29, 2011 | 2 Comments »
I have a difficult time forecasting my preference for meals. At times (many times), it’s pizza; other times, it’s something a little healthier. This indecision about what I’ll want tomorrow causes me to not stock up on much, and I rarely shop too far out. Just as what you may want for dinner today may [...]
Trying to Make Sense of the Long-term Care Insurance Market
Posted in Insurance, tagged financial planning, financial services, Insurance, insurance business, insurance carrier, insurance companies, insurance market, long-term care, long-term care insurance, long-term care risks, LTC, LTC insurance, retirement savings on March 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
What’s happening in the long-term care (LTC) insurance market? Another carrier, Berkshire, a Guardian Life subsidiary, has decided to stop selling LTC insurance. While Berkshire is a small player in the market, MetLife and Allianz also stopped new sales in the past year and both of these carriers had sizable market share in the LTC [...]
Magic Potions, Elixirs, Tonics and Silver Bullets
Posted in Investments, tagged achievving financial goals, active portfolio management, actively managed funds, annuity investing, capital asset investing, CDSC, contingent deferred sales charge, death benefit, EIA, equity index, equity indexed annuities, financial circumstances, financial goals, fixed annuity, guaranteed returns, income riders, investing, investment, investment performance, investment products, investment return, investors, loss of principal, maintaining a desired lifestyle, mutual funds, portfolio, premature death, principal riders, risk tolerance, securities, stocks, target date funds, Treasury Note, variable annuities on March 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
For as long as man has been walking upright, he has dreamed of and sought out magic potions or cure-alls for what has ‘ailed’ him. Ponce de Leon sought out the fountain of youth, Eastern cultures tout the benefits of rhinoceros horn powder and many of us might love to find that ‘instant buffed body’ [...]
What are YOU Willing to do for Financial Freedom?
Posted in Retirement, tagged financial freedom, Retirement on March 24, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Once upon a time, retirement was one of the most celebrated life passages. What a gift to finally have freedom to choose how to spend our talents, time and treasures, after years of obligations to employers, children and others. With each new day in retirement, we could choose to putt or to putter, travel, learn, [...]
With Stocks Rising, Do You Hold Them or Fold Them?
Posted in Investments, tagged advance and protect strategy, fundamental growth investor, fundamental value investor, investment philosophy, moving average, QE2, quantitative easing, risk tolerance, technical investor on March 23, 2011 | 1 Comment »
I’ve been waiting a long time to be able to write this blog as we have finally started to see thawing on the deep freeze of buying stocks. Investors appear to have a little confidence as we’ve had a big move up in the last few months. It all started when the Federal Reserve made [...]
I Have a Few Years of Tax Returns to File
Posted in Education, Taxes, tagged debt, expenses, income, Installment Agreement Request, IRS, Power of Attorney on March 22, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Part 2 of 3 In my previous blog, I introduced you to Willie who came to me with his box of tax information for many years asking me to assist him in getting the returns prepared and to figure out a game plan for his dilemma of not having filed tax returns for many years. [...]
I Was Robbed!!!!!
Posted in Disaster Planning, tagged appraisals, data storage, emergency contact, insurance claim, reserves, video inventory on March 21, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Really, I was. I’m not talking about a sharply hit ball to the gap that somehow got tracked down. I’m not talking about ordering at the drive thru only to discover when you get home that your order is totally messed up. I’m talking a thief (or thieves) under the cover of darkness breaking into [...]
It’s Time for Spring Cleaning!
Posted in Financial Planning, tagged 2010 tax return, 2011 withholdings, Estate Planning, expenses, financial life, income, Insurance, Investments, Taxes on March 18, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
It’s that time of year in the Great White North. The days are getting longer, the sun stronger, and temperatures are slowly starting to climb above those found in your home freezer. As the spring thaw begins, those of us who choose to subject ourselves to winter every year feel that “itch”. The itch to [...]
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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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