About 25 years ago, federal government policies were implemented to encourage students to get a higher education—including borrowing the funds for that education if necessary. It was assumed that college graduates could afford the debt because they would be earning more from better paying jobs. However, the law of unintended consequences reared its ugly head. […]

There is an old curse: “May you live in interesting times.” The stock market has definitely had those “interesting times” in the last few months. Triple digit moves in the index (both positive and negative) have had investors hanging onto their hats for a wild ride. Pundits on the financial news channels have mentioned that […]

I read a great article recently about the St. Louis Rams football team. Before they allow any of their new draft picks to sign contracts (many containing huge signing bonuses) they have to attend a mandatory “Financial Planning 101” class.  If the story is true, one of the coaches walked into the room with a […]

The first thing every investor should know and accept is that there is no such thing as a sure thing when it comes to investments.  Risk is a part of the investing process; we need some risk in order to generate profits.  There is always the possibility that your investment won’t be profitable.  Or worse, […]

School Yourself Before You InvestMay 29th is National College Savings Plan Awareness Day. This annual day celebrates the importance of preparing for future college expenses and the advantages of 529 College Savings Plans. Did you know that an alarming 70% of studentswho graduated from college in 2013 left college with an average of $28,400 in […]

An annuity is a stream of income paid to the client over a specified time period.  Generally, annuities can be either: Fixed or variable-where the amount paid is based on the nature of the underlying investments, Single premium or flexible premium-how the annuity fee is paid, Immediate payout or deferred payout- which determines when the […]

Beta, in the investing universe, is a measure of risk relative to a chosen benchmark. For example, if a stock has a beta of 1 vs. the S&P 500, it should move just as far up (or down) as the index itself does. The definition and calculation of investment indices have numerous components (see our […]

Retirement is a popular topic of discussion and, in some cases, an item of concern. There have been television commercials of “What is your number?” and “Do you have enough money for retirement?” This Quarter’s newsletter discusses some of the factors that lead to a successful (financial) retirement. These factors can be complex and our […]

Have You Taken Your Required Minimum Distribution Yet?  The April 1st deadline is almost here! Unfortunately, you cannot keep funds inside a Traditional IRA forever; eventually the IRS will require you to take taxable distributions. What is an RMD? During the calendar year you turn age 70 ½ is when the IRS mandates that you […]

Happy New Year; 2014 is a year of memories and 2015 is a year of promises. Some of those promises might not be pleasant for individuals transferring an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) unless they follow very specific rules. The Transfer IRAs can be transferred to a new advisor or trustee in one of two ways: […]