What Should I Do With My Money? It Depends… | Paul Fain, CFP® From the perspective of personal financial planning, the answer to many of life’s complexities is, “It depends.” Of course, we all prefer black and white answers to important questions. But “It depends” fails to give us any certainty of outcomes. Here are…
How Will the Presidential Election Impact My Financial Plan? | Paul Fain Consider these election headlines: “Should you hoard cash before the election?” “This election could help make or break your retirement.” “The nastiest election of our lifetime.” “A Trump win will tank the market.” Were these headlines published last week? No, they are all…
5 Tips to Prepare for Market Turbulence | Paul Fain Many investors are switching their concerns from the coronavirus to the stock market. If the resurgent virus forces a new economic shutdown, and if everyone is forced to stay-at-home again, will the stock market take another 30% hit? Of course, the bottom line is:…
Use the Pandemic as a Test Drive for Retirement | Paul Fain Unless you are an essential worker, you have probably spent most of the last three months sheltering in place at home during the COVID pandemic. If you are a sales or client service worker, or consultant, or computer-based worker, or the like, it…
Is It Time to Change Your Investment Strategy? | Paul Fain Uncertainty is a fact of life. With uncertainty comes fear. Without a doubt, the global pandemic has escalated uncertainty and fear in our lives. Learning to cope with uncertainty is essential to a resilient life. But how do we do this? Some thoughts:…
APC Then and Now It was 1972; a 33-year-old Kemp Fain had discovered and joined a pioneering effort to professionalize “financial planning” as a field of study and service. Subsequently, he became the first enrolled student for the Certified Financial Planner designation and went on to become a driving force in the movement…
Find Courage By Acknowledging The Good News During The Pandemic | Paul Fain In these troubling and uncertain times, is there any good news out there? As very real pain and suffering, physical and financial and emotional, spreads across the globe, is there any good news? Let’s consider: Gas prices are down, way…
We Will Get Through This Market Pandemic | Paul Fain Well, this seems crazy, almost surreal like one of the (always popular) Armageddon movies. My sister, who lives in Los Angeles, said people are lined up down the street to get in gun stores (presumably to take up arms to guard their toilet paper). But seriously, the…
When finances weigh on the mind, relax and focus | Paul Fain What is “mindful financial planning?” What do terms like “mindfulness” or “being present” really mean? Is this column about to go “woo-woo” into emotions and feelings? Hang with me. What space does your head typically occupy? The past, the present, or the future?…
Over the past month, the market pundits have been proffering their 2020 forecasts for stocks, bonds, interest rates, real estate, gold, oil and basically anything investors might buy or sell. But before I put much weight in reading this year’s tea leaves and crystal ball divinations, I want to know how accurate the soothsayers were…