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Don’t Gamble With Your Retirement
(Main Content/blog)
... than you are comfortable with. 3. What is my risk tolerance? Risk tolerance refers to an investor's ability to withstand market fluctuations without panicking. Financial advisors help clients determine ...
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Tax-Loss Selling is Losing its Luster
(Main Content/blog)
... bill is slashed and you keep more of your money in your pocket. For years, I've recommended and executed tax-loss selling for my clients, just as the vast majority of financial advisors have. But I plan ...
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We're Not Out of the Woods
(Main Content/blog)
... dysfunction in Washington, and next year’s looming election are additional wildcards. I always advise clients to stay in the stock market for the long run. Ultimately, it’s the best way to earn the kinds ...
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The Big Question: When Can I Retire?
(Main Content/blog)
... target on your own. An experienced investment advisor can give you a factual, non-emotional perspective. I’ve had to persuade clients who were absolutely convinced that they could not retire that they ...
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Here’s Why I’m a “No” on Annuities
(Main Content/blog)
... I quit selling them 15 years ago. One of my big concerns with annuities is that there's a huge incentive for financial advisors to push them on clients. The sales commissions are typically 5% or 6%. So ...
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How to Get Back into the Market
(Main Content/blog)
... the market gradually helps many investors overcome this kind of paralysis: If stocks go way up in the next month, you'll have made money. If they go down, you'll have limited your losses. Of all my clients, ...
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For Investors, the Shoe Has Dropped
(Main Content/blog)
... hardest. Zillow and Zoom are examples. By comparison, "boring" companies with solid earnings and dividends, while they may have lost ground, have held up comparatively better. A few of my clients have ...
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Capital Gains Tax Hike a Possibility
(Main Content/blog)
... it's not my place to tell you who to vote for. But I am advising my clients to be prepared for the different eventualities that could lie ahead, and to be prepared to make money moves to suit your situation. ...
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Bond Yields Are Low – So Where Do You Find Income?
(Main Content/blog)
... the rate of inflation. As my clients' bonds mature, I'm advising them to consider some other opportunities with more attractive yields. One is an old standby – high-quality dividend-paying stocks. I ...
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Is This Your Advisor's First Rodeo?
(Main Content/blog)
... and complaints. The Securities and Exchange Commission's public disclosure site can provide you with background information on a financial advisor and details about the practice and what kinds of clients ...
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When You Can't Trust Your Financial Advisor
(Main Content/blog)
... them to put their own financial interests ahead of their clients' financial interests. However, a significant minority of advisors operate under what is known as a fiduciary standard: They are required ...
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Choosing the Right Advisor
(Main Content/blog)
... don't want to be their first. What is your advisor-to-client ratio? If the advisor serves more than 100 clients, he or she may be stretched too thin to properly take care of you. How much experience ...
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Why ETFs Shouldn’t Dominate Your Portfolio
(Main Content/blog)
... say, adding bonds or foreign stocks to the mix. ETFs are like corks on the water, rising and falling with the tides. In a word, they're dumb. That's why my clients' portfolios include individual stocks ...
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Why Your Advisor Should See Your Taxes
(Main Content/blog)
... must see your tax return in order to provide you with the best investment advice. It's the reason that, although I'm primarily an investment advisor and planner, I personally help with many of my clients' ...
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How to Get (and Stay) on Track for Retirement
(Main Content/blog)
... clients whether they're stashing away enough for retirement, or need to be saving more. And I can calculate the rate of return that they'll need to grow that savings to $2.2 million. If they're ahead ...
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Should You Buy the Trump Rally?
(Main Content/blog)
... level of 20,000. Other major indexes have been cruising right along as well. So the market can only go up from here, right? Actually, I'm advising clients not to get caught up in the moment. While ...
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Trump and the Stock Market
(Main Content/blog)
... that my clients remain patient and take a long-term view, while staying alert as always for new opportunities. ...
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Will Wall Street Clean Up Its Act?
(Main Content/blog)
Most of my clients are surprised to learn about the low standards under which the brokerage industry is allowed to operate. The most egregious example: Brokers are allowed to steer clients into an ...
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How to Invest in a Tough Market
(Main Content/blog)
... to keep their money invested for several years if they hope to make gains in stocks and bonds. As a financial advisor, I'm reminding clients to look not just at the past year of market performance, but ...
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How Much Should You Save For Retirement?
(Main Content/blog)
One of the most common questions I hear from my clients is: "How much do I need to retire?" The earlier a person asks that question, the better—because if retirement is relatively far away, you have ...