The irony of having investment experience is the acute awareness that humility is always right around the corner ready to remind us that we’re not as smart as we think we are. When throwing out our predictions for what the market is going to do next, it is only a matter of time until humility finds us. While I wrote last week that pundits on TV have no career risk, I do, so I tread lightly. I haven’t shown a…
As if the news cycle wasn’t already stuck in short-term repeat, our lives have entered into a morose version of Groundhog Day and we have no idea when it will end. On Twitter, somebody posted it’s March 76th because that’s what it feels like. Spring is here and instead of barbeques with neighbors, we’re locked in our houses. When each day seems like the last, it’s easy to get stuck in our own short-term repeat. The markets continue to move…
All bull markets must come to an end. Many of the gains of the last few years were abruptly wiped out in just a month’s time. The argument could be made that bear markets are healthy and are sometimes referred to as a feature, not a bug. I’ve come to believe that there are four stages of a bear market, each with their own emotional issues and include at least two decision points that could arise on our journey through…
As a Retirement Planner, each year I eagerly await the release of J.P. Morgan’s Guide to Retirement. It is essentially a booklet of retirement charts filled with great information impacting retirees. Making it even better, it often highlights things that are regularly overlooked by just about anyone (including professionals) planning for retirement today. With that in mind, I have selected 10 charts that I think everyone transitioning into retirement should see with a little commentary on each. Every chart comes…
Fear has taken over - and for good reason especially with regard to health. I want to do my part to help. I am offering 10 complimentary 30-minute phone consultations for retirement planning. There are no strings attached whatsoever. I don’t care if you use a fake name or whatever makes you feel comfortable enough to schedule. All I need is your phone number and the information you provide via our conversation. Once our conversation is complete, I will not…
Nick Maggiulli recently posted the best article I’ve read on the topic of being a buyer during this stock market drawdown as he reframes where we’re at today and what this could mean over the next few years. Here is a quote I wanted to share: So, if you think the market recovery will take:* 1 year, then your expected annual return = 50%* 2 years, then your expected annual return = 22%* 3 years, then your expected annual return =…
Right about now, investors and advisors are kicking themselves for not having sold about two weeks ago. Some are still considering selling. Investors who say the thought hasn’t crossed their mind are probably lying to themselves. It’s easy to say to ourselves, “I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE SOLD!” because hindsight is always 20/20. But the truth is, we didn’t know because we can’t know. That’s truly the toughest part of my job. I live, eat and breathe this stuff and…
An attorney friend of mine reached out asking me about using universal life insurance with a cash-value component as a retirement savings vehicle. He said a friend of his was being pitched this and his antennae went up that he should ask some questions. I responded with some typical inquiries - general age, whether he is covered by a retirement plan through work, and a variety of other questions to ascertain whether this could even be viewed as an appropriate…
Mark Manson is a writer I admire for the quality of his thinking. In his Monday Newsletter, he wrote the following: Pick Your Poison: Health Crisis or Economic Crisis? - If you quarantine large swaths of the population, now you’ve created another predicament for yourself: commerce grinds to a halt. It’s estimated that 30% of small businesses in China are closed right now. Japan closed all of their schools for March, sending nearly a million teachers home without work. Millions of…
SELL! SELL! SELL! This is the typical response recommended by the media right now as they go about trying to make some sense out of things that are unable to be understood, forecasted or responded to. It’s what they do. What should you be doing with your portfolio to account for the coronavirus? If I had a dime for how many times I’ve heard that over the past couple of weeks, I’d already be retired. Seriously though, what should you…