Question: I want to start investing but I don’t know how to take the first step? Believe it or not the first step to investing is not finding an investment itself but the path to the investment. What type of investment account should you open? Let’s walk through the different investment accounts available and their […]
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When I begin working with a new client, I get asked many common questions by the client. What’s my investment style? How do I decide an investment is a worthwhile investment? And what should they expect from my firm? I could spend an inodorimate amount of time answering each one of these questions, but I […]
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When assessing investment portfolios, we often discuss the economy and its impact on your investments. Questions typically arise about the stages or phases of the economy and how to assess where the economy is sitting. The stock market has been on a record run since the great recession of 2008 with the S&P 500 […]
Read MoreAs a financial advisor I thought I would share with you my personal favorite 8 tips I believe all individuals, couples or families should be practicing. There are no get rich quick schemes. Embrace this mindset. Once you realize the path to prosperity is through a slow methodical plan of attack the better off […]
Read MoreBelow is my analysis of how the Trump Administration’s tax proposal may impact American families. I have outlined the dollar amounts the Trump plan may save families in each of the four specified income categories below. Keep in mind that the Trump tax proposal is just that – a proposal, and not law. Furthermore, […]
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Life insurance: this is a topic I avoided for most of my professional career. I always liked to view myself as an “investment” guy. I would rather focus on equity, fixed income, asset allocation, macroeconomics, and how the world around us can affect your investments. However, when I became a father almost a year and […]
Read MoreToday is a big day, my first blog post for Lighthouse Capital, LLC (I think the lawyers make us include the LLC). When the Managing Director of Lighthouse, Brian Foley, approached me regarding blog posts I thought to myself, “but I’m a financial advisor, not a writer?” Well, I have never turned down a chance […]
Read MoreThis week Amazon took over as owner of Whole Foods, which is arguably the most noteworthy merger of the summer. It was an intriguing move by Amazon, and one which may prove to be very savvy. Or it could be a bust and set them back many years in their quest to take over Wal-Mart […]
Read MoreOrganize a budget. Determine how much your family can contribute monthly to college savings. And make it a priority. As you line-item your monthly budget you will likely find expenses which you could eliminate or reduce, which are additional dollars that you can direct towards your college savings. Open a 529 college savings account. Saving […]
Read MoreThis month, the authors of our Monthly Newsletter shed additional light on the gender pay gap issue and the impact it has on women saving for retirement. Citing statistics from the US Department of Labor, women are more likely to work part-time jobs than men, and part-time jobs are far less likely to offer a […]
Read MoreOver the past several years there has been an on-going debate over whether investors benefit more from using index mutual funds or actively managed mutual funds. Most of the published news on this subject has supported the case for index funds. Heck, even Warren Buffet is on record supporting index funds, even though he uses an active […]
Read MoreCreate a Budget. Being organized and sticking to a monthly budget is essential to maximizing your retirement savings. As you line-item your monthly budget you will likely find expenses which you could eliminate or reduce, which are additional dollars that you can direct towards your retirement plan. Maximize Your Employer Match. If your company provides […]
Read MoreAccording to a report, Fidelity, the largest 401k provider in the country, will now act as a plan level investment fiduciary to certain 401k plans. However, many advisors feel as though Fidelity has an inherent conflict of interest in acting in this capacity which may expose plan sponsors to a violation of the new DOL […]
Read More(Source) – It’s a seller’s market in much of the country. Real estate is a hot commodity, with properties in some areas being snatched up virtually as soon as they are listed. That’s good news for sellers who can command a higher price for their homes. At closing, they may find themselves with extra money in […]
Read More(Source) – A federal judge has for the second time dismissed a lawsuit seeking class action status alleging that Chevron’s retirement plan overpaid Vanguard in recordkeeping fees. The claim, brought last year by Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, asserted that the $19 billion plan violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act in part by paying Vanguard […]
Read More(Source) – While many Americans know if they’re putting money aside for retirement, few can tell with confidence how much money they should accumulate to maintain their lifestyle after they stop working. Over 80% of Americans say they don’t know how much money they’ll need for retirement, according to the final report from a four-year-long study of […]
Read More(Source) – Research by David Blanchett and Paul Kaplan of Morningstar, Alpha, Beta, and Now . . . Gamma, has attempted to quantify into real numbers the value that financial planners can provide. Their research shows that financial planners help individuals generate roughly 1.82% excess return each year, creating roughly 29% higher retirement income wealth. This […]
Read More(Source) – The Secretary of Labor reaffirmed that the fiduciary rule will begin to phase in on June 9. The new definitions of who is a fiduciary will go into effect along with the impartial conduct standards on June 9–60 days later than originally planned….This means that on June 9, IRA advisors and others will […]
Read MoreSummary: Last Thursday, a federal district court judge in Minnesota dismissed a class-action lawsuit brought forth by participants in the Wells Fargo 401k plan. The suit alleged that Wells Fargo breached their fiduciary duty by including their own Wells Fargo target date funds in the plan. Central to the plaintiff’s argument was that Fidelity and Vanguard offered […]
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