10 Ways to Improve Your Retirement Investments Now
Consider the following 10 ways to improve your retirement investments during the pandemic: Do increase long-term investment allocations to stocks while interest rates are depressed. At current low interest rates on high-quality bonds, a diversified portfolio of stocks...
Retiring During the Pandemic
For people planning on retiring soon, the Covid-19 pandemic produced two new factors to consider: Lower Interest Rates reduce income. Retirees will earn at least ¼ less income from their bond holdings now than January 2, 2020, as shown in table below.Higher Risk....
Opportunities Remain in Stocks’ Splintered Recovery
With the economy spiraling into a depression (25% or more unemployment), the S&P 500 stock index’s dramatic 27% recovery from its March 23 low can largely be attributed to: investors looking beyond the next few quarters of weakness, investors valuing firms with a...
Navigating Your Investments During the Coronavirus Crisis
Where are We Now? The S&P 500 index, a good proxy for the stock market, closed on April 9 at 2,789.82. The index peaked on February 19 at 3,386.15, fell about 34% by March 23, then rose nearly 25% by April 9, using closing prices. We are now down nearly 18% from...
3 Steps to Know When You Are Financially Ready to Retire
Determine the Resources You Will Need to Sustain Your Living Expenses Once You Stop Working A common question people ask is “Do I have enough money to retire?” The answer depends on several factors. This 3-Step guide will help you determine the resources you will need...
Stock Market Returns Averaged 10% Since 1926
Although the S&P 500 index returned 10%, on average, since 1926, the actual return in each year was 10% +/- 2% in only six of the past 93 calendar years. In most years, the index’s return was outside of the range—often above or below by a wide margin—with no...
Customized Financial Advice for Widows
Great perspective for widows excerpted from the NY Times article "You're a Widow, Now What?". “Widows may not recognize that they are in a state of shock, and they will not make wise decisions,” said Ms. Armstrong, author of “On Your Own: A Widow’s Passage to...
Estate Planning Tips for Couples and Surviving Spouses
These excellent estate planning tips for couples and surviving spouses appeared in the March 30, 2019 edition of the Wall Street Journal. I'm posting the key tips and a link to the article for easy reference. Take key steps for advance planning: ☑️ Hire an estate...
Rent or buy a home? We help you decide what’s best.
The character thinking what to choose, buy house or rent? The choice between buying and renting a home is among the biggest financial decisions that many people face. Answering this question is more complicated than it may seem at first. Let’s begin by laying out the...
How Much Should Be Invested in Stocks?
Stocks Power Portfolio Values Over Long Periods There are 3 major factors to consider when contemplating your asset allocation: timing, risk tolerance, and to a lesser extent, valuation. This question is on people's minds no matter what the stock market is doing. I...