I came across a very compelling and thoughtful post from a thought leader in the insurance arena I respect. In a recent post, the author, Brantley Whitely, asks are 134 fees better than commissions? I think that the gist of his comment is that a 'fee is a fee is a fee' regardless of what it's called. And whether it's a commission or a fee, it's all paid by the client in the end (though the CFP ... Read More
annuity
Annuity Contract Ownership Landmine
During the run-up to the Republican Presidential Primary in Iowa last year, Mitt Romney famously said, "Corporations are people, my friend." Whether or not that was taken out of context, the truth is that the law treats natural persons and unnatural persons differently. And this is never more clear than in looking at how annuity contract ownership is treated by the US Treasury and the IRS. And ... Read More
Ask the Adviser: What’s a Market Linked CD and Are There Risks?
It's natural for investors who are still skittish after a decade-long roller coaster ride with the stock market and plummeting real estate values to be risk averse and seek out investment alternatives for protecting their nest eggs for retirement, college funding or simply their emergency cash. And where there is demand, there will be supply. So naturally, financial firms will design products ... Read More
Creating a Paycheck for Retirement – A Series
Whatever your retirement dreams, they can still be made a reality. It just depends on how you plan and manage your resources. On any journey it helps to have an idea where you’re going, how you plan to travel and what you want to do when you get there. If this sounds like a vacation, well, it should. Most people invest more time planning a vacation than something like retirement. And if you ... Read More
Money Rules to Live By – Everything Old Is New Again
Remember leisure suits? Remember bell bottoms? How about skinny ties? Fashion sense changes. And so has money sense over the last couple of decades. But like the old song title: Everything Old Is New Again. Over the past couple of decades we loaded up on debt, used our homes as piggy banks and became part of the "ownership" society investing more in real estate, mutual funds, stocks and our ... Read More
Beware the Siren Call
Like the mythical siren's call, the pitch is enticing - a seemingly perfect investment. Investors can buy into a contract offering a minimum return with the potential to capture the upside of increases in the stock market while avoiding portfolio value declines if - and when - the market goes down. This blend of promises can be found in 'equity-indexed annuities" or EIAs offered by insurance ... Read More
