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
investing
Better International Investing Tips
Better international investing, like all investing, starts with a plan and not just a tip from a friend. Investors are always on the lookout for the 'Holy Grail' in investing. I'm often asked 'what's hot?' There's a tendency in human behavior and certainly in behavioral finance to go where the crowd goes based on the idea that collectively there's safety in numbers and "they" must know something ... Read More
Reducing Your Investment Risk
Let's talk about risk for a second. What's it mean to you? Is it the loss of your money or maybe it's the lost chance to make some. Everyone has a different way to define and measure it shaped in large part by our experiences and family history. Now, when I talk about risk with a client I explain that I think it's the chance of not meeting your goals. Intuitively, we all understand that ... Read More
Secrets to Long Term Investing Success
Portfolio Management Secrets of a Successful Investor Investors Ask: How do I improve my investment performance? We're all familiar with the disclosure at the end of all the commercials and print ads: Past Performance Is No Guarantee of Future Results. If that's true, then how can you be sure that someone is doing better than the market? Well, the short answer is: You Can't. But there ... Read More
Risk-Managed Investing with Clear View
Isn't it time for a fresh perspective and a Clear View about your money, retirement and financial goals? From our perspective, opportunities exist regardless of market conditions. No matter which way the markets move - up, down or sideways - there's plenty of potential that will help you meet your goals. You just need to know where to look and have a good map to help you get ... Read More
Tax Impact of Divorce and Other Tips
Tax Tips for Handling Real Estate in Divorce Case Study: First-Time Buyer Credit & Divorce In 2008, Chris and Jenny purchased a home that qualified for the $7,500 first-time homebuyer credit. They were married at the time of purchase and applied for the credit on a joint return. In 2009, they divorced and Jenny received the house. Chris gave up ownership in 2009 and filed Form 5405 ... Read More
Should Investors Worry? Low Stock Dividend Yields and The Future of Stock Prices
A key component of a diversified income-oriented portfolio is dividends. This is what I have noted in the past during my presentations, blogs and online musings. They are a key part of a solid retirement income strategy. The total return from stocks is derived from two key components: price appreciation and the cash flow from dividends. Most investors are certainly familiar with the concept of ... 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
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
