Have you ever wondered if a chef eats his own cooking? Does a doctor take her own medicine? Or, do financial planners invest in the same strategies they recommend to investors? Recently, a vice president at Morningstar, an investment research firm, wrote about his personal investment portfolio. His asset allocation is basically 93 percent stock, 4 percent cash,…
With spring in bloom, we are also entering wedding season! Getting married is truly a family affair when it comes to figuring out how to pay for it! WEDDINGS CAN BE EXPENSIVE… The average Tennessee wedding typically costs between $20,000 to $30,000. A Manhattan wedding’s average cost is $82,000! LET’S BREAK IT DOWN,…
There’s still time to make a regular IRA contribution for 2016! You have until your tax return due date (not including extensions) to contribute up to $5,500 for 2016 ($6,500 if you were age 50 by December 31, 2016). For most taxpayers, the contribution deadline for 2016 is April 18, 2017. You can contribute to…
Beginning in 1993, the Financial Planning Association (FPA) has annually given the P. Kemp Fain, Jr. Award to an individual who has made remarkable contributions to the profession of financial planning in the areas of service to society, academia, government, and professional activities, as well as, upholds the FPA’s Core Values of competence, integrity, relationships,…
Almost every single client we meet with over the age of 65 asks “what about the required minimum distributions from my IRA?” and with good reason! Even if the specifics are not understood, what most do know is that this is very important to get right. The first element to understand is when a distribution…
WBIR: Oh, snap! Within an hour of Snap, Inc.’s first public trading on the New York Stock Exchange last Thursday, the company’s stock price had already soared 50%. But what exactly is an “IPO” and how will it change the future of popular mobile app, Snapchat? PAUL, LET’S START WITH THE BASICS, WHAT IS…
America Saves Week is a national effort to set a savings goal, make a savings plan, and save automatically. It all starts when you make a commitment to yourself to save. Are you saving for the right things? Just like your car needs a tune-up, and just like you need your annual physical, your checkbook needs…
Do you have a “pending” file? How long have some of those actions been pending? How many relate to your personal financial plan? Consider the synonyms for “pending”: unresolved, unsettled, up in the air, on ice, unfinished, on the back burner. I don’t know about you, but unresolved financial matters in my life are a leak…
Sustainable, responsible, and impact investing (SRI), which is a discipline that avoids or favors certain investments for moral or ethical reasons, has become big business, with an increasingly wide range of options for investors. SRI consists of three main parts: screened investing, shareholder advocacy, and community investing. In the 1970’s, a new era was emerging…