The great advantage of owning individual bonds is they mature and you get all your money back. You become whole again. You have collected interest over the years as promised and you receive your money and can decide whether to find another bond at a different maturity and/or a better interest rate. You are in […]
The Risk of Owning a Bond Fund When Interest Rates Increase Read More »
Some of you may be wondering what a Couch Potato Portfolio might be. The concept was created by Scott Burns the past personal finance columnist of the Dallas Morning News. He came up with the passive investing strategy of purchasing index funds, often referred to as Indexing. The original strategy involved investing half of your
Your Couch Potato Portfolio could be in danger!!! Read More »
The purpose of the title of this blog is to bring up a relatively new concern that you should be aware of. The states, as in the State of Texas in our case, have added a new layer of work for us in the brokerage industry. I am certain it apples to the banking and
You Need to Keep Track of Your Investments Read More »
For the last thirty-five years we have watched interest rates gradually drop. In the last ten years we have watched the rates drop to almost zero for money market, savings and short-term CDs. It has been a long time since you last saw the interest rates posted on a bulletin board or sign at your
Making the right decision in a rising interest rate environment Read More »
For the last two years, my industry has been on edge for the coming regulations that will affect how we do business. In fact, it has turned the industry on its ear. The Department of Labor has authority over all ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) retirement plans and accounts. ERISA was the law created
The Department of Labor Fiduciary Rule, what it may mean to you Read More »
Home ownership in America has been one of the cornerstones of our economy. When we purchase a home, we spend more money on many products. We buy furniture, appliances, curtains, mini blinds and lawn mowers. We pay for utilities, insurance and property maintenance. We keep hardware stores and appliance repair shops in business. We remodel
Property tax exemptions, are you taking advantage of them? Read More »
Presented as a typical interview Q: Corey, we are from the same age cohort, early 50s, and I find myself well behind the curve as regards building the sort of net worth I require for my retirement in a dozen years. How do I begin the process of developing a plan? A: There are several important considerations:
A Primer on Rapid Retirement Planning: The Q & A Read More »
How we arrived here is the subject of many thoughts and opinions as to whether by extreme inflationary costs of college tuition, predatory lending practices and easy access to loans allowed by our government. Some point the finger at individuals who have not taken responsibility for their own finances. And, in other cases students were
The Challenge of Student Debt and Financial Planning Read More »
I want to thank a friend and business associate, David Reas, for the title. This blog refers to educating your children about finance (Saving, investing, credit management and potentially about business), and that we should educate our children now or we will pay dearly for it later. David establishes reverse mortgages for customers. He recently
Educate Your Children Now . . . . . or Get Wiped Out Later! Read More »
When you are ready to begin investing, there is an important aspect to improve your odds for long term success. We many times are so caught up in the basic nuts and bolts of investing we fail to consider what our expectations for the investment are. We fail to actually set goals for our investments.