APRIL 2013 A recent study released by the Spectrum Group, entitled 2013 Mass Affluent Investor, found that the average American “Main Street” investor remains overly pessimistic in regards to their finances. Their study focuses on what they call the Mass Affluent Investor, which they define as people with a net worth of $100,000 to $1 […]
OCTOBER 2011 I find it interesting that many in our enlightened class, whether it be the mainstream media or some Nobel prize winning economist, fail to recognize the double-edged sword of artificially low interest rates. Low-interest rates are grand if you are a debtor, not so grand if you are a saver. It is even […]
Over the past eighteen months we have been pressing our listeners in regards to the dire fiscal situation of a large swath of our states, cities and municipalities. This situation could very well lead to an extraordinary amount of municipal bond defaults over the next several years. Investors are starting to take notice by unloading […]
Let me tell you how it will be. There’s one for you, nineteen for me. Cause I’m the taxman. Yeah, I’m the taxman. Should five percent appear too small, be thankful I don’t take it all. Cause I’m the taxman. Yeah, I’m the taxman. If you drive a car, I’ll tax the street. If you […]
What if foreign entities stop buying our debt? Most of our nation’s debt is in short-term instruments that need to be rolled over on regular basis. We have just witnessed what happened when the nation of Greece had a hard time borrowing to finance their socialist entitlement programs. What would our government do if […]
There is a very attractive new option for employer sponsored retirement plans that will become available next year. The DB(k) will provide businesses with 500 or fewer employees an opportunity to provide a strong retirement plan for their employees with a lot less paperwork, hassles and cost than a traditional pension plan. The DB(k) is […]
Some recent tax-law changes have improved Health Savings Accounts (HSA’s) that have made them even more attractive to a wider range of people. We have been strong advocates for high deductible health insurance couple with HSA’s since their inception. The HSA can best be described as an IRA for medical expenses. Contributions can be deducted […]
After the aftermath of the past two years (Lehman, Wachovia, GM and Washington Mutual) a question and problem we have to deal with from many of our new clients coming on board is, “What do I do with stock that is worth zero?” The strategy is to claim a capital loss deduction for worthless stock […]
In the aftermath of the credit crunch, widely publicized ponzi-schemes, and regulatory failures, there is a battle taking place that will hopefully put in motion some important steps in providing investors with unbiased advice they need. The power struggle taking place right now in Washington is between stockbrokers and insurance agents that work for the […]