Whether you are a retiree or an investor accumulating for a goal, you probably have fixed income assets in your portfolio - at least you should. With the prospect of higher interest rates on the radar, investors need to consider bond ETFs to hedge interest rate risk. Over the past several months yields on 10-year Treasuries have been ticking up. In the past month alone, this key benchmark rate ... Read More
Exchange Traded Fund
Low ETF Fees Attract Investors
Can you keep a secret? Affluent investors are becoming big fans of Exchange Traded Funds (ETF). While Wall Street may want to continue to pick your pocket through higher-cost mutual funds, you can lower your costs and need to get to know about ETFs. Wall Street doesn't want you to know that you may not be getting the best deal when it comes to your investments. Most people invest through ... Read More
How Many Choices Does A Retirement Investor Need
KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid. That advice can apply to most things in life. It may be true for investing as well. As financial advisors we have access to tons of academic research, white papers and other sources of navel gazing. But the reality is that most investors prefer to KISS. And maybe they're onto something. Yes, we try to demonstrate our added value through complex algorithms ... Read More
Cashing Out ESOP Stock
Question for Boston Money Coach: Can I cash out my company ESOP? Bob from Portland Response from Boston Money Coach Steve Stanganelli: Thanks, Bob, for your question. First, let's take a step back and review the basics. In the alphabet soup of finance, an ESOP stands for Employee Stock Ownership Plan. To be clear, this has nothing to do with stock options - those are an entirely different ... Read More
Dealing with an Inheritance
Question for Boston Money Coach: Best course for inheritance money? I recently received a significant amount of money from an inheritance and I'm just wondering thoughts on the advantages/disadvantages to using this money towards a rental property vs investing it. I'm in my 40s, married and have two kids at home. Response from Boston Money Coach Steve Stanganelli: Before investing an ... Read More
Ask the Money Coach: How to Save for Retirement when Self-Employed
If you're a small business owner running a business by yourself or with your spouse, you are eligible for a "solo" 401(k) plan that can cover you and your spouse (if you have one). These types of plans are usually offered through any number of platform providers using a simple "prototype." By using this type of template, the costs for setting up a plan are significantly reduced. Most mutual fund ... Read More
Protecting Your Overseas Investments with Currency ETFs
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) have been growing in popularity with investors and their advisers. They offer low costs and opportunities to more precisely create an asset allocation or take advantage of trading and hedging ideas. Currency Exchange Traded Funds have grown popular over the course of 2011 to investors who are attempting to gain exposure to foreign currency while avoiding the cost ... Read More
Ask the Adviser – Should I Rollover a 401(k) from My Old Job?
This is a common question from many folks. There are many valid reasons to consider a 401k rollover. While changing jobs can be stressful and life can otherwise get in the way, you really should not neglect this. Oftentimes, out of sight is out of mind and you could be losing money and not even know it. Costs While it may not seem like it, you are paying for your funds to stay with your old ... Read More
Ask the Adviser: Why Should I Rollover My 401k From My Old Job?
There are many valid reasons to consider a 401k rollover. Costs While it may not seem like it, you are paying for your funds to stay with your old employer’s sponsored plan. You just don’t see it. Fees for employer plans are not very transparent. While you may not see an actual bill, your employer is probably paying for the administration of the plan through hidden fees assessed on the ... Read More
New Year’s Resolutions: Money Tips for Staying on Track
The other day I was contacted by Evan Lips, a reporter from the Lowell Sun who was doing a timely article on financial planning tips for the new year. He had spoken to other financial planners and investment representatives and he had a wide range of opinions provided by them. These included ways to manage credit to savings to kinds of investments to use for a retirement account. Because ... Read More
