What a difference a few weeks makes: the DOW Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both fell about 10% from the beginning of the year to mid-February. Then, the DOW rallied 1,013 points or 6.53% from the low on February 11. This all happened in the space of 11 days. As of the close […]
The Stock Market: Time to Panic! or Time to Buy! ???
The markets got off to a negative start this year. For the month of January, the S&P 500 was down 5 percent and the DOW Jones Industrial Average was down 5.5 percent. At their lowest points, the indexes were down 9.5 and 9 percent, respectively. (1) Between the volatility and the overly-emotional coverage in the […]
From College Graduation ~ Back To Their Childhood Bedroom!
Will you have to support your kids when they graduate from college? As anyone who has a child in college right now knows, this is a scary time to be a twenty-something. While the statistics have improved since their lows, a recent study by the Economic Policy Institute found that the unemployment rate for young […]
3 Junior Year Strategies for College Admissions and 3 For Retirement Success
School has started again, which for my family means a fresh start on the college planning roller-coaster. My son, Clay, is now a high school junior, and we are trying to help him stay focused on the big high school end-game — college — while juggling his many activities. I’m sure for some readers I’m […]
It’s a Volatile Market ~ Do You Know Where Your Financial Advisor is?
If you’re reading this, you probably know that the market has been volatile lately, to say the least. Recently the DOW was down about 14 percent off the high and the index had its worst month in over five years. ~ Do you know where your financial advisor is? When the going gets tough, a […]
Sabotaging Your Retirement? ~ Download My Free eBook “10 tips you need to know about your IRA rollover”
I’ve written a free eBook called “10 Tips You Need to know about your IRA Rollover,” and if you’ve ever wondered what to do with your retirement savings you might want to take a look! It’s a comprehensive, plain-English guide that can help you to understand the options and take control of your retirement. For […]
2 Reasons to Have Dividend-Paying Value Stocks in Your Portfolio
It’s no surprise that I’m a big proponent of diversification and having many different asset classes in my clients’ portfolios. Diversification is useful for a reason: it gives you the chance to participate in the growth of different asset classes while hopefully minimizing the risk that a downturn in one sector will wreak havoc on […]
The Four Phases of Getting Through a Divorce
As a wealth advisor, I’ve helped a few clients through divorces. Some are amicable and peaceful and others are complicated and stressful, but all of them are incredibly tough on the people involved. In any situation involving divorce, I feel that my role is to make the situation as seamless as possible from a financial […]
Here’s My Crystal Ball When it Comes to Investing
Imagine you were able to look into my crystal ball and see: a major terrorist attack on US soil, we come close to a complete financial collapse in our banking system, panic over a terrifying disease, a drop in the market of almost 40 percent, and the unfolding of the worst oil spill in history, […]
The Top Financial Planning Resolutions for the New Year
As a wealth advisor, I receive a lot of phone calls in January that deal with New Year’s resolutions about money. Of course, resolutions often come with negative associations. We’ve all been in the situation of getting really motivated at first, but seeing the enthusiasm fade quickly. Like it or not, my clients know that […]