The economic benefits of owning rental property may seem compelling but is real estate a good investment? And, are you landlord material? Certified Financial Planner, Paul Fain, joins us with the pros and cons of investing in real estate. WHAT ARE THE TRAITS REQUIRED TO BE A GOOD LANDLORD? Enjoy home improvement projects (painting,
Featured in the Knoxville News Sentinel: August 29, 2018 Recently, a friend asked me to review a sales pitch for an alternative investment product. As he repeated the “Financial Adviser” sales terminology, I cringed. Any time I hear words like “guaranteed” or “low risk” in the same sentence as “up to 8 percent return,” my
The current bull market in stocks is the longest period of uninterrupted gains in American history. But investors wonder, is this a boom or a bubble? Paul Fain, president of Asset Planning Corporation, joins us to look at stock market cycles and your Sunday Money. WHEN DID THIS BULL MARKET OFFICIALLY BEGIN? The run
At mid-year, how are your investments doing and what should we expect for the remainder of the year? Certified Financial Planner Paul Fain reviews your portfolio. PAUL, LET’S START WITH STOCK INVESTMENTS…HOW DID THE FIRST HALF OF THE YEAR GO? 7% U.S. Large Companies: The widely-quoted S&P 500 index of large company stocks rallied
Fun Facts about Stock Ownership Owning shares of stock in a company makes you an owner of that company and some companies treat their shareholders like real owners – giving them discounts and rewards on products and services. HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF SHAREHOLDER PERKS… Kimberly Clark and 3M: Gift boxes with an
Interest rates are an important part of everyone’s lives! Following the 2008 financial crisis, the Federal Reserve (“the Fed”) began to gradually increase key interest rates in December 2015 from a record low of near zero. The expectation is that the Fed will continue raising rates in 2018 and 2019 (See Fed Chart.) On the
When the stock market gyrates, especially those downturns in prices, millions of investors start watching the “ticker tape” – sometimes hour by hour. It is easy to get lost in the stock market lingo – here’s a quick glossary of terms. LET’S START WITH TERMS LIKE “CORRECTION” AND “BEAR MARKET” – WHAT DO
My youngest child, a college freshman, recently sent me a long text discussing the potential opportunities for Bitcoin miners. As we know, last year, Bitcoin rocketed from $1,000 to $20,000 before splashing down below $9,000. I know an 80-year old investor who has shifted most of his portfolio into stocks, particularly into healthcare and
My family has Appalachian kinfolk who will predict your future by reading coffee grounds. Of course, you could just visit a fortune teller in Pigeon Forge. While I don’t know the track records of mountain folk divinations or palm readers, I do enjoy keeping an annual “Forecasting” folder to review the predictive powers of the
The recent spike in market volatility has left many investors concerned about their portfolios and uncertain as to how a rise in interest rates impacts their bond investments. LET’S START WITH BONDS 101, HOW DO BONDS WORK AND WHY DO WE BUY THEM? Bonds are generally conservative investments and they produce income –