Earlier in the summer we wrote about the troubling increase in student loan debt.  As mentioned HERE, since 1999 and adjusted for inflation, tuition has increased more than 50%. As costs continue to rise, if sources of college funds fall short of what is needed, student loans are taking up more of the slack.  According […]

As more baby boomers near retirement the topic of Social Security planning is becoming more prevalent in financial publications like the Wall Street Journal and magazines.  Simply put, Social Security planning is evaluating your specific situation to determine the best course of action to take with benefits to meet your goals during retirement.  If your […]

In this quarter’s newsletter I will be discussing Estate Planning, Exchange Traded Funds (EFTs), and Retirement.  Although each of the following articles cover a different topic, they are all components of the financial planning process.   Although estate planning is a subject that some people would prefer not to discuss, it is a vital part of […]

A recent TV commercial featured ads asking individuals the question above. The number referred to the amount of money the individual would need to fund their retirement. While that number was hypothetical, numbers can have significance. Witness the “talking heads” on the financial news channels as they await and report the periodic economic data news […]

Americans have invested approximately $661 billion in an estimated 6 million variable annuity contracts with benefit guarantees (according to insurance industry researcher Limra in the April 20-21, 2013 Weekend Investor section of the Wall Street Journal). Such products were sold with the promise of a guaranteed retirement benefit that could be “reset” higher if the […]

Yes, we know it’s only August; however, now is a good time to review your 2013 tax status and (if necessary) do some preliminary planning. As you know, we at Paragon Financial Advisors do not prepare taxes and we advise you to consult your tax professional to ensure any suggestions made here are applicable to […]

Those of you with whom we have discussed variable annuities know that we at Paragon Financial Advisors are not fans of variable annuities. Our basic reasoning has been that variable annuities usually have high fees (for the insurance costs in addition to fund management expenses), required holding periods to avoid significant redemption penalties, and thus […]

We at Paragon Financial Advisors are not accountants and urge you to verify any items we discuss with your tax professional to determine its implications in your particular situation. We also do not believe you should “let the tax tail wag the investment dog.” That is, your investing should not be dependent solely on tax […]

Retirees from large companies who have been drawing retirement checks may face a new option. Their former employer may offer to swap them a lump sum payment now in exchange for all future retirement checks. An interesting offer but one that requires very close scrutiny. First of all—why is the past employer making such and […]

The stock market is bumping up against all-time highs. The question is why. Are these legitimate levels based on fundamentals or is the excessive liquidity being pumped into the money supply simply going into stock because it’s the better (?) place now. David A. Rosenberg (Chief Economist & Strategist) at research@gluskinsheff.com had some interesting comments […]