Clients frequently ask about “non-traditional” investments in their IRA-especially in this investment climate.  Let me quickly say that some of these investments are possible; however do not make any investments without consulting your tax advisors.  Improper investments can result in disqualifying your IRA and subjecting yourself to IRS penalties and interest.  Here we are briefly […]

The word “bubble” is surfacing around the stock market as it marches to all time highs.  But is there rationale for that movement-or is quantitative easing (QEI, QE2, Operation Twist, QE Infinity) and a zero interest rate policy (ZIRP) drawing investors to riskier assets (stocks) since bond yields are so low?  The Federal Reserve personnel […]

It’s Friday November 8, 2013 as I write this and the stock market is basking in all-time highs-which were driven by based on an employment report of 204,000 jobs added vs. the 120,000 median forecast of 91 economists surveyed by Bloomberg.  In addition, the third quarter gross domestic product (GDP) grew at an annualized rate […]

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 […]