Retirement Solutions, Simple and Reliable
Regardless of how the markets may perform, consider making the following part of your investment philosophy: Diversification. The saying “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” has real value when it comes to investing. In a bear or bull market, certain asset classes may perform better than others. If your assets are mostly held […]
If you ever have the inkling to manage your investments on your own, that inkling is worth reconsidering. Do-it-yourself investment management is generally a bad idea for the retail investor for myriad reasons. Getting caught up in the moment. When you are watching your investments day to day, you can lose a sense of historical […]
Recent headlines have added volatility to the markets. There will always be new headlines, and any of them could mean turbulence for Wall Street. As an investor and retirement saver, how much will this turmoil matter to you in the long run? Not as much as you may expect. There are many good reasons […]
A new term has made its way into today’s financial jargon: de-risking. Anyone with assets in an old-school pension plan should know what it signifies. De-risking is when a large employer hands over its established pension liabilities to a third party (typically, a major insurer). By doing this, the employer takes a sizable financial […]
Ever heard the term “strategic investing”? How about “tactical investing”? At a glance, you might assume that both these phrases describe the same investment approach. While both approaches involve the periodic adjustment of a portfolio and holding portfolio assets in varied investment classes, they differ in one key respect. Strategic investing is fundamentally passive; […]
When stocks soar, fixed-income investments have comparatively little allure. Investors hungry for double-digit returns may regard them as bland, vanilla securities saddled with an opportunity cost, geared to risk-averse retirees who are “playing not to lose.” An investment earning a consistent rate of return on a fixed schedule is not a negative. Fixed-income investments […]
It may not be good to have all your eggs in an annuity basket. Or even a majority of your eggs, financially speaking. Fundamentally, an annuity contract means handing over your money to an insurer. In turn, the insurer pays out an income stream to you from that lump sum (or from the […]
Have you routinely itemized your federal tax deductions? In 2018, you may decide to take the standard deduction instead. One possible reason: the new limit on state and local tax deductions set by the federal government. The SALT deduction is now capped at $10,000. The standard deduction is now $12,000 ($24,000 for a married […]
Are you upset by what is happening on Wall Street? It may help to see this pullback within a big-picture context. Corrections have become so rare as of late that when one occurs, emotion threatens to influence investment decisions. So far, February has been a rough month for equities. At the close on February […]