Think that's hyperbole? Not according to a recent survey from Nationwide Financial. In a survey of potential investors with at least $100,000 in investable assets: 83% fear another financial crisis 62% are scared of investing in the stock market 58% fear death
Building wealth is supposed to be like watching paint dry. Boring. Successful strategies are tried and true. Save, invest wisely, mind your spending, live within your means, etc. Yet sadly and all too often we hear from clients and prospects about so-called strategies that are nothing but self-defeating behaviors and attempts to add excitement where [...]
If recent fund flows are any indication then the sad truth is the typical retail investor continues to prefer the ‘buy high, sell low' approach. The past few years have seen investors pile into the perceived safety of bonds despite record low interest rates and, in many cases, negative real returns (nominal returns adjusted for inflation). Even [...]
The hidden costs of mutual funds are neither hidden nor costly. The proof is in the performance of index funds. Want to know more? Read all about it here.
Yesterday saw the major US equity indexes fall over 2%. Headlines blared "markets tumble!" (Why say fall when they can say tumble? Does 2% qualify as tumbling? Which is the more image-evoking word? Which is designed to get us to click on the headline or watch the story? For shame ‘trusted' media!) The talking heads [...]
1962's The Man Who Shot Liberty Vallance starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart gave us this gem: Stewart (as "Ransom Stoddard"): "You're not going to use the story, Mr. Scott?" Carleton Young (as "Maxwell Scott"): "No, sir. This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." In a surprising twist Big Government has decided to dump the myth in [...]
The frustration about regulations is often the (needless) complexity. Can't we have a CliffsNotes version? Yes we can - Kaiser Family Foundation to the rescue! This simple flow chart explains who will be required to purchase coverage or be subject to the "remember it's not a tax...oh, wait, The Supreme Court said it is" penalty. This calculator helps in understanding premium assistance / [...]
CCH has released a new briefing analyzing President Obama's fiscal year 2014 budget. The $3.77 billion plan includes approximately 160 individual and corporate tax provisions intended to raise revenue and reduce spending.
The Orator in Chief wants to play a shell game with American taxpayers. He's about to pull a bait and switch that would be the envy of even the most unscrupulous salesman. Barely three months removed from the fiscal cliff deal that made "permanent" the inflation-adjusted $5 million exemption and set the top rate at 40% [...]
In response to this report about assistance for homeowners in the wake of Hurricane Katrina David Montoya (Inspector General - Department of Housing and Urban Development) admitted the program was little more than a complete and utter failure. "I'd give it a very low D," he said. More than 24,000 Louisiana homeowners received grants of up to $30,000 [...]