“A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” -Winston Churchill.
4 Logical Questions on the Value to Clients of Indexed Annuities
“If it doesn’t make sense, it’s usually not true.” ― Judge Judy Sheindlin I hear all the time from diehard investors and salesmen of annuity products that “the stock market is nothing more than rolling the dice at Vegas!” To which I always respond, “Really? I didn’t realize we had that many compulsive gamblers in the world.” My reply tends …
The Retirement Planning Process Answers the Question ‘Can I Retire?’
In my last article, What I Wish Every Prospect Had Considered Before Asking ‘Can I Retire’?, I discussed three broad points that most investors need to ask relative to the common retirement question all advisors get from time to time. In this follow-up article, I want to review the major retirement planning process details most investors don’t think about… http://www.thinkadvisor.com/2013/10/22/the-retirement-planning-process-answers-the-questi
What I Wish Every Prospect Had Considered Before Asking “Can I Retire?”
As an experienced wealth manager and retirement planning advisor, I find it very challenging when a prospective client somehow thinks I can answer their “Can I retire?” question in an initial one- or two-hour meeting. I’m sure most fiduciary advisors have been asked the same question, which, as you know, entails a far deeper discussion, mostly driven by actions taken …
Donald Quoted In 2 Articles on InvestmentNews.com
Donald was quoted in two article recently by InvestmentNews.com regarding FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority) wanting oversight on Independent Investment Advisors. You may remember that Don lobbied against this in congress with Spencer Bachus back in 2011. Below are snippets from each article. To read each article in full, click the link below each snippet. Finra hampered by rising …
Why College Athletes Shouldn’t Get Paid
One of the most publicized stories is that of returning Texas A&M quarterback, Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, aka “Johnny Football, ” who allegedly signed autographs for compensation. With the premise of college athletes getting paid over and above their scholarships as a backdrop, I thought it would be interesting to explore the actual financial details of the annual debate: …
What Bubble Gum Can Teach Us About Bond Bubbles
I’ve always fancied myself somewhat of a bubble gum aficionado, and fondly remember my childhood when I pestered my mom for some Big League Chew in the grocery store checkout line. I got pretty good blowing the largest bubbles and keeping them from popping all over my face. As I recently reminisced about my bubble gum-blowing days, I noticed some …
Your Clients & Their Children: Solutions To Joint Bank Accounts
If you didn’t get a chance to read my first article on this subject, Your Clients and Their Children: The Problems with Joint Bank Accounts, it may be helpful to review it as a means of providing context for this article. As noted in that first posting, if a client couple wishes to make their bank accounts into joint accounts …
Your Clients & Their Children: The Problems With Joint Bank Accounts
Do you get the recurring question from clients that I do, from time to time, about bank accounts? I’m referring to the issue where an elderly mother or father wants to add their child’s name to one or more of their bank accounts. In simple terms, the logic makes sense, as most parents want to assure that their bills, mortgages, …
Remind Clients of the Non-Market Returns You Provide: 7 Examples
Now that I’ve finally come up for air after a daunting 2012 tax season, which kept me away from my writing my monthly column in April, I want to discuss whether you’ve ever explained or shown your clients their non-market related return on investment. The simplified method of looking at a monthly statement to assess whether their money has increased …