Getting Over The Hump
For those of us who enjoy watching competitive golf and also enjoy a great story of perseverance, this weekend’s US Open had both on display. Dustin Johnson had been struggling to close out a major championship after being close several times and just coming up short. Well yesterday he finally got over the hump of […]
The Lake Wobegon Effect
You know Lake Wobegon from NPR and Garrison Kielor. It is the mythical place where “all the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children are all above average.” Unfortunately, we cannot all be above average. However, if asked we will generally claim that distinction no matter what the subject, and this […]
How Variable Annuity Guaranteed Minimum Income Works
We all have a tendency to hear what we want to hear. It seems to be especially true of financial products and services. I am often asked about the guarantees that variable annuities and equity index annuities offer. For example, this week I spoke with an individual who owned an annuity that offered an annual […]
Mid Year Resolutions
Being that it’s June, it’s time to check up on your financial New Year’s resolutions. Have you stuck to your financial plan? Have you achieved more saving or paid down debt? Have you given up completely on your personal goals only to fall back into old habits? Did you even remember that you set any […]
Lawsuit Challenging DOL Fiduciary Rule Filed
Here are the people who do not think advisors should be held to a fiduciary standard: SIFMA – Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. View their members here. FSI – Financial Service Institute. FSI is comprised of financial advisor members and broker-dealers. You can learn more about this group here. IRI – Insured Retirement Institute. IRI […]
The No Spend Weekend
Whether you live paycheck to paycheck, or are fortunate enough to enjoy some financial breathing room. Once a month, I challenge you to enjoy the “No Spend Weekend”. It might not sound feasible, but believe me, it can be done and is financially rewarding. Whether you go it alone or are married with or without […]
Picking Your Pockets
Stealing a page from Elliott Management, the $27 billion hedge fund founded by Paul E. Singer, who successfully sued Argentina for payment of defaulted bond issues, other hedge fund managers have been buying distressed Puerto Rican debt hoping for a similar payout. The strategy works like this: Puerto Rico is known to be in dire […]
Warren Buffett’s $1 Million Bet
Warren Buffett is the man. The Oracle of Omaha just seems to make the right move almost all of the time. One of my favorite Buffett moves has been 8 years in the making…so far. About 8 years ago Warren made a $1 million bet with a hedge fund company that a simple S&P Index […]
If You Invest Following the Headlines, You’ll Soon be Delivering the Paper
Stole that headline from Twitter. Originated with someone named Allen Kuhn. I don’t know Allen but that is a catchy snippet. One hundred and forty characters doesn’t tell much of a story so I will just guess what Allen was thinking. These were all on Yahoo finance today. This could send gold tumbling below $1,000 […]
Your Monthly Budget Is Already Garbage
Throw away your useless May 2016 monthly budget and just start over. Seriously, 99% of us have not stuck completely to the plan, and that’s expected. But that doesn’t mean you should go and spend as you please, it just means it’s time to start over. Reconstructing your budget around the middle of the month is […]
