Younger people don’t know where to begin to save for retirement… and older generations wish they had started to work with a financial advisor earlier to maximize retirement savings, says a new survey by Bank of America titled Merrill Lynch Affluent Insights Quarterly. When I read this, I got to thinking that perhaps our own [...]

As I write this article, the Dow dipped below 10,000 and the S &P 500 is off more than 12% from its April 23rd high. Even so, we aren’t really surprised. Since the March 2009 lows we have experienced extraordinary gains in the markets with no real correction, which means it is well overdue. And [...]

1934 Great Depression 1935 Spanish Civil War 1936 Economy Still Struggling 1937 Recession 1938 War Clouds Gather 1939 War in Europe 1940 France Falls 1941 Pearl Harbor 1942 Wartime Price Controls 1943 Industry Mobilizes 1944 Consumer Goods Shortage 1945 Post-War Recession Predicted 1946 Dow Tops 200- MARKET HIGH 1947 Cold War Begins 1948 Berlin Blockade [...]

I bet you don’t hear that every day, especially from the professional who handles your family’s finances. Nonetheless, it is true. Let me explain… Credit Cards are associated with debt and many of us were taught either by someone else – or through our own bad experiences with them – that they are the devil [...]

Yes. There is something psychologically satisfying about this, but that is one of the only few advantages. Don’t get me wrong. There are situations where paying down a mortgage makes perfect money sense. However, there is a good chance your situation is not one of these. A recent Fed study found that at least 38% [...]

Roughly two-thirds of the grandparents in our great nation have provided financial support to their grandchildren during the last five years-26 percent for education and 40 percent for general purposes. Additionally, one-quarter stated that they have increased financial assistance to their children’s families because of the economic downturn. 1.  For most grandparents today, getting their [...]

Many of us want to give more both now and through our legacy plan but question how when we also have a family we want to include in our legacy. Here is an idea that might tickle your fancy. There is a lot of hype about Roth conversions this year. Until now, only families with [...]

John: a proud father of one college graduate who recently blessed him with his first grandson, two children still in college, a loving husband to a wife of 32 years, and a recent diagnosis of terminal cancer at the age of 63.  John’s retirement plans for his wife and himself was solely dependent on the [...]

As a retirement and life planning firm, one of our primary goals is to “Help people retire successfully and stay successfully retired.” Retirement is a life changing event that demands thorough planning and the discipline to follow a plan for success. Life changes in many ways when you retire. So it should come as no [...]

Yes, it is the financial buzz of 2010: Covert your IRA or qualified retirement plan to a Roth IRA this year even if you earn over $100,000 annually. What’s so great about it? Earnings on a Roth IRA accumulate income tax-free, unlike a traditional IRA whose assets grow tax deferred and on which you pay [...]