5 Step Guide to Complete Retirement Security
Thinking About Getting On The Gold Train? Think Again
The rise in gold prices thus far in 2024 is attracting the attention of new investors as it is already rivaling the best yearly returns the precious metal has seen in the last couple of decades. Before jumping on the gold train, investors should consider some of the...
GenAI: Another Bubble Or Long-Term Investment Opportunity?
All the exuberance swirling around artificial intelligence (AI) technology is reminiscent of the dot-com bubble a quarter century ago. The AI hype has driven the stock market to new highs over the last year, largely on the backs of the Magnificent Seven stocks—Apple,...
Should Investors Be Concerned About The Presidential Election
Here's the short answer: The stock market doesn't care about elections, nor should investors. It happens every four years like clockwork. Investors agonize over the coming presidential election and worry about its impact on the markets and their portfolios. For as...
How Delayed Gratification Improves Investment Performance
We live in a different world than we did just a decade or so ago. Instead of taking a few hours out of your day to go grocery shopping, you can now have them delivered in the same amount of time. With just a few clicks, you can book your entire vacation online. When...
WHAT IS A VESTED BALANCE IN YOUR RETIREMENT ACCOUNT?
In retirement planning, the concept of vesting is more than a contractual formality; it serves as a retention tool that incentivizes employees to remain with their employer for a certain period. By implementing vesting schedules for employer-contributed funds,...
7 Things To Do To Help Ensure Your Money Lasts for Generations
People often place immense emphasis on accumulating wealth. In this pursuit of wealth accumulation, there is an equally important facet that is sometimes overshadowed - the preservation of wealth. Wealth preservation is not merely a matter of keeping your finances...
Don’t Neglect Your 401(k) If You Get Laid Off
Losing a job can be a daunting experience. The abrupt transition from regular paychecks to a state of unemployment can lead to significant financial struggles. As you see your bills accumulating, you face mental stress and emotional strain, and your loved ones also...
I am a Financial Advisor: 5 Common Retirement Planning Mistakes I See And How To Avoid Them
Retirement can become burdensome without careful planning. Inadequate funds can spoil your plans for leisure and relaxation, and unexpected financial crises might limit your financial freedom. This is why it is important to plan for retirement in advance. Retirement...
The 4% Rule of Retirement Could Become 4.5%
Retirement planning, a vital aspect of securing one's financial future, is a multifaceted endeavor that requires careful consideration and adaptability. One cornerstone of retirement planning is the "4% rule," a guideline that has long served as a compass for retirees...
Are Social Security Benefits Subject to Income Taxes?
Social Security is a federal old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). It offers retirement benefits and disability income to qualified people and their family members, including spouses, children,...
40 Things To Do While Preparing for Retirement in Your 50s
Retirement is a significant milestone in life. You may have spent all your adult life preparing for it, putting away your hard-earned money in savings, investing in instruments that align with your goals, and trying to maximize your tax benefits. However, as you enter...
6 Surprising Facts People May Not Know About Roth IRAs
The Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is one of the most popular retirement savings vehicles. The account can be opened with a credit union, bank, insurance company, or broker. Although often compared to a 401(k) retirement account, an IRA works differently....
How The Sequence of Returns Risk Can Shape Your Retirement?
When you create a retirement plan, there are several factors you need to look at. This can include your financial goals, risk appetite, time horizon, age, income, liabilities, etc. Additionally, your plan can be affected by how fast you grow in your career, how...
How to Start Planning for Your Retirement in the Latter Part of Your Career
Most financial experts recommend starting retirement planning at the beginning of your career, ideally in your 20s and 30s. There are several benefits to this. You get more time to plan. Your money gets more time in the market to grow. And you can recoup from losses,...
Where to Invest Your Emergency Funds in Retirement
An emergency fund is one of the most vital financial instruments. It is a safety net that can rescue you in the worst of times. Having one is essential for everyone, but it is even more significant for retirees. Retirees have a fixed income pool, making it hard for...
What is the SECURE Act 2.0 And How Can It Affect Your Retirement Savings?
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was signed in 2019 and enacted under former President Donald Trump on December 20, 2019. The original SECURE Act was part of the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020. In 2022, the act...
6 Reasons Your Retirement Plan Might Change and How to Prepare For it
Planning for retirement is an essential part of securing a financially stable future. It can help you live a financially secure life without worries and stresses over falling short of money in the later years of your life. However, as life is full of uncertainties and...
7 Retirement Planning Strategies for Late Starters
Retirement planning is a vital part of financial planning. It can help ensure you live a comfortable and financially secure retirement and should ideally be started as soon as you begin your career. Unfortunately, not many people pay attention to retirement planning...
5 Important Financial Steps to Take When You Are 5 Years Away from Retirement
Retirement planning is a long-term process that can take years and years of preparation. However, the last five years can be particularly important. As retirement approaches, it is essential to start taking steps to ensure a financially stable future. If you are five...
The Real Risks Of Underestimating Your Investment Time Horizon
A volatile stock market can cause investors’ anxiety levels to rise. That unease is particularly acute among those near or in retirement who fear they may not have enough time before the market recovers. That could be understandable if their investment time horizon...
How Often Should You Rebalance Your 401(k)?
When investing in a 401(k), one of the most important decisions you can make is how often to rebalance your portfolio. Many people invest in their company-sponsored 401(k)s but only sometimes take the time to review the investments within the account. Rebalancing...
5 Signs You Are More Prepared for Retirement Than You Realize
The full retirement age in America is 67 years for those born in 1960 or later. However, you can start collecting your Social Security benefits from 62 and Medicare benefits if you are 65 and older. Some data shows that most people retire at 64 years. However, this...
Key Differences between a Roth IRA and Pre-Tax Retirement Account
When planning for retirement, one of the most important decisions you will likely make is which type of retirement account to use. The Roth Individual Retirement Account (IRA) and the pre-tax retirement account are two common options. Both these accounts can offer tax...
Putting The 2022 Stock Market Decline In Perspective
Last year's stock market performance was not what anyone would have wanted, but it was to be expected. For those keeping score, it was the largest yearly decline since 2008. That could be catastrophic for someone who initially invested in January 2022 with just a...
What is Roth 401(k) Matching, And How Does it Work?
Many employers offer retirement plans to help employees prepare for the future. One of these options is a Roth 401(k) plan, which allows employees to contribute after-tax dollars toward their retirement savings. According to recent 2021 data, 95% of employers offered...
Things to Consider When Deciding Between A Roth or Traditional Retirement Accounts
As of September 30, 2022, there were approximately $6.3 trillion in assets in 401(k) plans in the country. These assets represented the cumulative value of nearly 625,000 plans with 60 million active participants, among many former employees and retirees. The...
Pros and Cons of The 4% Rule in Retirement
Retirement planning can be a complex and challenging process. You have to consider several variables, such as income, living expenses, investment returns, and inflation. Retirement can last for 20 to 30 years, sometimes more. Ensuring your retirement savings last as...
7 Things to Do to Be Successful in Retirement
Retirement can bring a mix of emotions. Some people dread retirement as it is associated with old age and limited money-making opportunities. Others view it as a new chapter in life that offers opportunities to explore varied interests, hobbies, and passions. Despite...
What to Do If You Made Excess Roth IRA contributions
Retirement planning involves setting financial goals and creating a strategy to achieve them in order to ensure a secure and comfortable future. There are a number of retirement saving vehicles that you can choose from, such as a 401k retirement account, mutual funds,...
Retirement Planning Strategies for Dual-Income Families
Retirement planning is an intricate process that can include a number of estimations, calculations, and decisions. It can be tricky for one person alone. Things can seem more complicated when two people are involved. Most couples plan their finances together. A...
4 Retirement Rules to Follow at 55
Retirement planning can entail different things at different junctures of life. When you are young, it may involve investing in stocks, mutual funds, 401ks, and individual retirement accounts (IRA). Over time, this can change to include real estate and alternative...
Why Are Retirement Benefits Important for Workers?
A job helps you gain financial independence and can help you build your life as you see fit. Your education and hard work prepares you for a job, which in turn helps you earn a steady income. However, apart from your income, it is also essential to consider factors...
How Living Longer Will Impact Your Retirement
The life expectancy in America was 68.14 years in 1950. In 2022, it increased to 79.05 years. While the thought of living longer is positive, it also raises some concerns. The longer you live, the more money you need. Hence, your retirement years may be stretched....
The Magic Of Compound Interest In Investing
When you invest your money in the market, you do so with the intention of earning interest. The interest is an addition to your principal capital and adds to your financial net worth. There are different types of interests you can make in the market. One of these is...
The Hidden Cost Of Rolling Over Your 401(K) To An Ira
The 401k and an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) are similar retirement accounts. Both offer tax advantages, such as tax-deferred and tax-exempt growth. The two accounts also have two types, each based on taxation rules. The traditional 401k and IRA offer...
How to Set Realistic Investing Goals
Setting goals, evaluating each one of them, and drafting a suitable strategy to achieve them are some of the primary things you can do to achieve financial success. How and where you invest your money depends mainly on your goals, so being clear is very important....
Are Bear Market Woes A Signal To Abandon The Market? Think Again
The S&P 500 index closed out the first half of 2022 with its worst start in 50 years. On June 13, the index breached negative 20% from its previous high, officially entering bear market territory for the second time in two years. As often happens during a bear...
28-Point Checklist for High-Net-Worth Retirement Planning
Being a high-net-worth individual comes with many benefits, comfort, financial security, and peace of mind. Irrespective of whether you have been working hard to become a high-net-worth individual or were born to privilege, conserving your wealth is essential....
7 Key Areas Where Financial Planning Is Important
Financial planning is an essential piece of the puzzle to solving your financial concerns. Whether you want to save for a car or for your retirement, you need to plan for it in advance. Some goals may require a long-term strategy, while others can be fulfilled with a...
Tips for Managing Cash Flow in Retirement
There are two phases of retirement planning. The first involves the preparation for retirement. This includes setting a budget for savings, investing the money you save, allocating your money to different assets in tandem with your risk appetite, and using different...
6 Important Things to Consider Before You Make Investing Decisions
Investing refers to putting your money into a financial asset or scheme with the aim of earning a profit. Investing your money is one of the most critical steps for achieving financial freedom. When you invest, you give your money the potential to grow, beat...
How to Make Your Retirement Income Plan Recession-Proof
If you have been diligently planning for your retirement, but the talk of recession is making you uneasy, you are certainly not alone. With the stock market falling, inflation increasing, and an impending recession, the portfolios of retired and young investors as...
How Roth IRA Fees Affect Your Return on Investment
The Roth IRA is one of the most widely used retirement vehicles in the U.S. An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) has two types – the traditional IRA and the Roth IRA. The two accounts are similar in many ways. They are both tax-advantaged accounts that can offer you...
How Often Should You Review and Update Your Financial Plan?
A financial plan is a document that contains your financial goals, strategies to achieve those financial goals, your current financial situation, debt liabilities, and more. All in all, it serves as a guide to financial freedom. You can create a financial plan as...
Why You Should Use a 401k During Your Peak Earning Years
Retirement planning can involve a number of things, right from investing in stocks, bonds, and mutual funds to certificates of deposits, money market accounts, real estate, etc. It also requires a host of strategies like tax saving approaches, tracking expenses,...
Financial Planning for Women At All Life Stages
Financial planning is critical for all people. Financial planning can be vital for everyone regardless of age, income, or gender. However, it can be more crucial for some groups than others. If you look at the gender gap, you will notice that for every dollar earned...
Average Retirement Income in the USA: Where Do You Stand?
No matter how much you save or invest throughout your life, your retirement savings are limited, so you should use them optimally. The chances of working after retirement are scant. Even if you find a way to earn money, you may not be able to work for long due to...
How to Invest in a Roth IRA to Maximize Potential Returns
An Individual Retirement Account (IRA) is a tax-advantaged retirement account that lets you plan and save for your retirement needs. You can open an IRA at the bank, with a credit union, a life insurance company, a broker, or a mutual fund house. There are two types...
Should You Consider a Roth Conversion While the Market is Down?
A market downturn can seem crippling. Managing your expenses and aiming for financial growth can be challenging as your investments start to fall and inflation rises. The stock market has been a cause of concern of late. Several global crises have led to an economic...
The Importance of Calculating Your Personal Inflation Rate
Several things can impact your growth when you plan your finances and future goals. A new government policy on tax, your personal debt situation, poor financial planning, a downturn in the market, etc., can come in the way of your progress. Inflation is another...
How To Conduct a Financial Checkup
Life can move at a fast pace, and change is the only constant. Changes in your age, health, income, savings, and more, can affect your priorities and impact the way you grow and manage your finances. This is why it helps to revisit your financial plans every now and...
4 Tips For a Successful Investment Journey
Investment is the road to wealth, financial security, abundance, comfort, and a lot more. However, it is crucial to understand the concept of investing in order for it to work in your favor. Successful investing may not come to you instantly. It can require years of...
How A Solid Financial Plan And Historical Perspective Can Get You Through Volatile Periods
Though it was to be expected at some point, this market sell-off still stings. The rare convergence of surging inflation, extreme stock market volatility, declining bond values and growing geopolitical strife has investors on edge. However, as extraordinary as the...
6 Signs Your Investment Portfolio Needs To Be Reevaluated
Investing is a dynamic process that truly never ends. It starts with finding suitable investments for your financial goals, risk appetite, budget, income, etc. Then, it is about picking the proper method from systematic installments and contributions to lump sum...
6 Tips To Avoid Financial Fraud And Guard Your Investments
Financial frauds are more common than you think. Most often, until someone has been a victim of financial fraud, they fail to recognize the growing intensity of these crimes. However, the numbers tell a different story. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC),...
What Is Tax-Loss Harvesting And Why Is It Important?
Tax-loss harvesting refers to a strategy wherein you can sell securities at a loss to offset your capital gains tax due on the sale of profitable securities. In other words, you can sell your investment at a loss to lower your tax liability. Tax-loss harvesting can...
Financial Milestones To Aim For By Each Decade Of Your Life
It can be overwhelming to compare your financial progress with others and be bound by a timeline. But it can also offer you a roadmap for the future and give you something to aspire for. Financial milestones are targets that you aim to achieve by a certain age or...
Seven Common Money Mistakes Advisors Have Seen Their Clients Make
“I will never financially recover from this”. If you have ever felt this way, you may not be alone. Financial planning is a complex process. It entails several strategies, styles, timelines, methods, and more. There are numerous financial instruments out there. Each...
Cash Flow vs. Goal-Based Financial Planning
Sound financial planning is indispensable for a secure future. However, most people think of financial planning as a burden and often delay creating a structured financial road map for the future. Some others take up financial planning only as a task that they have to...
Pros and Cons Of A Roth IRA Conversion
If you have been planning for your retirement, you may have come across several types of savings and investment accounts. The two most popularly used include the 401(k) and the Individual Retirement Account (IRA). For decades, retirees have relied on these to save for...
5 Signs To Know If Your 401(k) Allocation Is Too Aggressive
One of the most convenient and popular ways to save money for retirement is to have a 401(k) plan. This basic retirement plan allows you to contribute pre-tax dollars to a retirement account and invest in various securities to generate wealth and build a substantial...
4 Financial Planning Tips For Your Family
Life is full of milestones – graduating from high school, passing out from college, getting a job, finding your partner, having children, retiring and growing old, and everything that happens in between. All of these stages can bring significant changes to your life....
Sequence of Returns: Your Biggest Risk in Retirement
Dollar-cost averaging has always been a sound investment strategy. It consists of making systematic monthly contributions to a retirement account whereby a fixed dollar amount would purchase more shares when stock prices declined and fewer shares when they rose....
When Should You Start Taking Social Security Benefits?
As with many questions about personal finances, the answer is “it depends.” Initially, several factors should weigh on the decision. Your age Whether you plan on working in retirement Whether you need the income sooner rather than later How long do you expect to live...
What Is The 4 Percent Rule?
With most people relying almost exclusively on their own assets to generate lifetime income sufficiency, it’s up to each individual to determine the optimal rate at which they can safely spend down their assets so they don’t outlive them. Several decades ago, a...
Dividends: What Are They And How They Can Enhance Investment Returns
With interest rates still hovering around their historic lows, yield-seeking investors often turn to dividend-paying stocks. Aside from the income they can generate for investors, dividends can significantly enhance total investment returns. One way companies reward...
9 Steps You Can Take to Prepare for Retirement
Retirement planning is one of the most critical financial decisions an individual makes during his lifetime. Retirement plans are tax-advantaged instruments that enable you to save and build up a large corpus, ensuring that you do not run out of savings during your...
5 Financial Planning Tips for 5 Stages of Life
Financial planning refers to preparing for your future financial needs. This can include saving for your health expenses when you are old, covering higher education expenses for a child, accumulating enough funds to buy your dream home, or simply reducing or getting...
Why Work With a Registered Investment Advisor?
Whether it is budget creation, retirement planning, tax optimization, debt minimization, estate planning, or another specific financial area, it is important to hire a financial advisor who truly understands you in terms of your goals, life stage, and financial...
Higher Inflation, More Volatility: How Should Investors React?
After a four-decade hiatus, inflation is once again rearing its ugly head. Its impact has been felt at the checkout counters and gas pumps for months, and now it’s shaking up the markets. Year over year, U.S. wholesale prices were up 10% in 2021—a rate of increase not...
What Is The First Step In Financial Planning?
Financial planning is essential for achieving one’s financial goals. It is a step-by-step approach wherein you create a financial plan to control your income, expenses, and investments to better manage your finances. However, not everyone has a financial plan....
How To Make Roth IRA Contributions for Your Child In 2022
Parents want the best for their kids and are often worried about whether they can fulfill their needs, especially their financial security. A Pew Research Center report states that American parents particularly worry about the financial future of their younger...
How Asset Management Can Increase Your Wealth
An investment portfolio is a combination of various asset classes. These can include stocks, bonds, real estate, cash, gold, collectibles, currencies, and more. The selection of each asset can be made on the basis of your risk appetite, investment budget, financial...
9 Tips to Help you Boost Your Retirement Savings
In an ideal scenario, an investor aims to have built a large retirement corpus that is earning interest (and the interest sum is earning further interest), ensuring they can retire comfortably, even early if they desire. This is the perfect retirement scenario that...
What Is the Difference Between a Wealth Manager and a Financial Advisor?
In today's dynamic world, managing money is one of the most complicated tasks. Most people stress about money and often do not have the right financial plan. However, hiring a professional to manage money matters is a wise choice. These professionals have the...
Key Components of a Good Financial Plan
A sound financial plan is important for a financially healthy present and secure future and critical for your mental health. Financial stability and mental health are closely intertwined. Financial worries are one of the prime reasons for stress in modern life....
Why It Is Important to Revisit Your Financial Plan in 2022
The beginning of every year is a fresh new start. The New Year gives you a chance to change, revise, modify, and correct past patterns and start new ones. The New Year is a good time to make amendments and start afresh. It is also a great time to take on new...
What Is Personal Financial Planning and Why Is It Important?
When it comes to finances, it is best to be prepared. Money matters are complicated to manage. It is important to balance your short-term wants, long-term goals and simultaneously handle any future exigencies that are out of your control. Whether it is about your...
How To Minimize Taxes on Retirement Account Withdrawals
You work hard all your life to effectively save for retirement. However, a financially secure retirement results from in-depth financial planning, smart investments, and, most of all, minimum taxes and bills. Taxes consume a large share of your hard-earned money. Tax...
2022 Roth IRA Contribution Limits and Changes
Since the 1950s, the majority age of the U.S population has been 65 years or older. The number of people in this age group is expected to further increase in the coming years. Additionally, due to increasing life expectancy figures in the country, an average retiree...
Rising Inflation Means It’s Time To Get ‘Real’ With Your Money
Most people, including many economic experts, were caught off guard by the recent surge in inflation. That’s not surprising since most people alive today have never really experienced high, sustained inflation. You could say that everyone from investors to the Federal...
Seven Investing Principles for Investment Success
The world of investing is complicated, especially for new investors. Undoubtedly, investing can cause a genuine fear of loss among new investors. Moreover, even seasoned investors can be fearful of the investment world in some cases; specifically, the fear of...
Important Post-Retirement Financial Strategies To Avoid Potential Risks
After years of working hard, experiencing job insecurity, grappling with peer pressure, dealing with familial responsibilities, and more, retirement can come as a breath of fresh air for most people. Retirement can be a time for you to relax, pursue your hobbies, live...
Can You Open A Roth Ira After You Turn 60?
Retirement is a time in life that a lot of people look forward to. Life is a lot more relaxed after retirement as the stress and deadlines of work are no longer there. You can use this time to pursue hobbies, travel the world, catch up with friends and family, and...
Retirement Planning – Not Saved Enough for Retirement? Here Is What You Can Do
Retirement is the beginning of the golden years of your life and the end of a steady income. To ensure you have a secure retired life, it is critical to have an adequate retirement nest egg that can support your living expenses during the non-working years of your...
Forbes – The Compounding Returns Of Stocks
In his most recent annual letter to shareholders, Warren Buffett proclaimed that “bonds are not the place to be these days.” Buffett has never been a fan of bonds as an investment, but he specifically cited the potential for rising interest rates as a reason to avoid...
End-of-the-Year Personal Finance Checklist for 2021
It is almost time to bid goodbye to 2021. The year has been a mix of challenges and opportunities. With the pandemic settling down and the stock market regaining its old charm, 2021 is ending on a good note. Even though the year brought respite for millions of...
Paladin – Can You Retire On 1 Million Dollars?
A $1 million nest fund was considered the gold standard of retirement planning success for a long time. It was thought to be sufficient to enjoy a dream retirement and leave a lasting legacy. However, the image of the $1 million nest egg has begun to erode as the...
Retirement Planning – Six Retirement Savings Tips for Investing After You Retire
Although the retirement process is the same for most people today as it has always been, several factors have significantly transformed over the years for present day retirees. Today, retirees face several challenges, many of which the previous generations did not...
8 Retirement Savings Tips For 55-64 Year Olds
The years before your retirement can be rather crucial. Regardless of when you decide to settle into retirement, the time left to retire significantly narrows down when you reach 55. Considering the fact that most people retire by 65, you have only 10 years to save...
Forbes – Why Boring Stocks Outperform Over The Long Term
For as long as people have been investing in the stock market, they have been told that with the expectation of higher returns should come the expectation of higher risk. So, it’s not surprising that many investors think high-risk, high-volatility stocks will...
8 Retirement Savings Tips for 55-64 Year-Olds
The years before your retirement can be rather crucial. Regardless of when you decide to settle into retirement, the time left to retire significantly narrows down when you reach 55. Considering the fact that most people retire by 65, you have only 10 years to save...
Is it Time to Welcome Volatility Back into Our Portfolios?
It seems there are plenty of things to blame for September's nearly 5% stock market decline, the worst monthly performance since last March. It started with a global worries over a possible default by China's real estate developer behemoth Evergrande. The market...
5 Mistakes to Avoid While Rebalancing Your Portfolio
The success of your investments depends on how you keep track of and manage your investment portfolio. Maintaining equilibrium between risk and reward, diversifying your investments optimally, timing the market, knowing when to enter and exit, etc., are some ways that you can use to ensure that your portfolio fares well over time and delivers the returns that you expect from it. Creating a high-yielding portfolio can take time, effort, proper knowledge, awareness, and a lot of foresight.
Paladin – How to Plan Your Taxes if You’re a High-Net-Worth-Individual
The broad scope of tax legislation that has become law over the past several years has prompted many higher-income taxpayers to take a closer look at their tax situation. With the legislation tipping towards taxing the wealthy even more, the time is ripe right now...
Retirement Planning – Retirement Planning Checklist
Retirement can invoke mixed emotions in an individual. If you dislike the humdrum of work, traffic, deadlines, and meetings, retirement can be the best thing to happen to you. However, if you thrive on work and look forward to every day at the office, retirement may...
Questions To Ask Your Financial Advisor About Retirement
Retirement is the golden period of your life, provided you save well for it. If you have sufficient retirement savings, you can spend your non-working years traveling, enjoying life, spending time with your family, and doing anything else you like. However, if your...
Paladin – 5 Investment Strategies For High-Net-Worth-Individuals
High net worth individuals (HNWIs) are people with liquid assets in the range of $1 million and $5 million. What sets individuals with a high net worth apart from others is not just how much wealth they have, but also how they approach wealth creation and protection....
Forbes – The Diminishing Benefits Of Too Much Stock Diversification
From early on, most investors have heard the adage, “Never put your eggs in one basket,” which has become synonymous with the term “diversification.” They’re taught diversification is the key to minimizing risk because owning many non-correlating assets is less risky...
Forbes – Why Investing Is Like A Triathlon And How To Master It-
You have probably heard it said that building real wealth through investing is a marathon, not a sprint. Investors with the preparation, patience, perseverance and focus of a top marathon runner are almost certain to do well over the long term. I’d like to add a...
Why Should You Hire a Retirement Advisor?
Retirement can last much longer than you anticipate. Life expectancy rates have been rising over the years, owing to improvements in medicine and safety. While this suggests that you will live longer, it also indicates that you will require a larger retirement corpus...
Retirement Planning – What Are the Best Retirement Investments for Your Portfolio?
Saving for retirement is not always as easy as it seems. While most people know of or have heard of different retirement accounts, investment options, and portfolio strategies available to build a significant retirement corpus, not many have a strategy in place that...
Forbes – To Find High-Quality Companies, Investors Must Prune The Right Data
In searching for the key to successful investing, all roads lead back to Warren Buffett, who once said, “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.” That simple investment philosophy has propelled him through...
A Retirement Planning Guide For High-net-worth Individuals
Planning for retirement is an important component of everyone’s financial planning, including that of a high-net-worth individual (HNWI). What is a high net worth individual (HNWI)? There is no industry-recognized definition for an HNWI. One of the most commonly...
Retirement Planning – Lifestyle Inflation Factors to Consider While Planning for Retirement
People are likely to spend more money as their income increases, even when they don’t necessarily need to. This phenomenon is known as lifestyle inflation. Lifestyle inflation refers to increased spending on luxuries or other expenses that could raise your standard of...
What Makes Independent Financial Advisors Different?
Managing your finances can be a challenging process. However, a financial advisor can help make it less daunting. Your financial advisor can help you manage your money and achieve your financial goals, such as tax minimization, debt management, retirement planning,...
Retirement Planning – What Are the Tax Implications of an Inherited Roth IRA?
When you lose a family member, managing their old retirement accounts is likely not one of the first things that come to mind. However, if you are a beneficiary of the deceased person, it is important to consider what is to be done with their retirement account at...
Forbes – Why Trying To Time The Market Doesn’t Pay
Investors who follow financial pundits know that pundits are generally wrong more often than right when trying to forecast the stock market's direction. So are investors who base their buy and sell decisions on the changing political or policy winds. But what if...
What’s So Special About a Roth IRA?
Even though Roth Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) have been around since 1998, many investors aren’t aware of all the differences between traditional and Roth IRAs. Thus, they aren’t sure which IRA is the better alternative for them. As a summary, the unique...
Understanding Your Investment Risk Profile
Benjamin Graham, one of the greatest investors of yesteryears, famously said, “Successful investing is about managing risks, not avoiding it.” Risk, to put it simply, is the possibility of something bad happening. In finance, risks are an inherent part of the...
How Investors Are Costing Themselves Money
Peter Lynch, who formerly managed the high-flying Fidelity Magellan Fund from 1977 to 1990, is a legendary investor. Under his management, the fund averaged an astounding annual return of 29%. It would seem all you had to do was ride along with Lynch and you would...
Retirement Planning – Retirement Income Planning Tips for a Secure Retirement
Most people consider their retirement to consist of a relaxed lifestyle with ample time to enjoy things and pursue hobbies, travel the world, spend time with friends and family, or take up recreational activities. However, at the same time, apprehension and stress...
Important Principles to Incorporate in Your Investment Strategy
Investments can be a stepping stone to wealth. With the right investment strategy, you can grow your wealth significantly and be financially secure for life. However, investing is not all that simple. Investing strategies can vary based on your risk appetite, your...
Paladin – 5 Financial Planning Steps Women Can Take to Build Wealth
It’s 2021, and a lot has changed over the years for the better in the movement towards gender equality. Women increasingly feel empowered and ready to break the glass ceiling across industries. From CEOs to heads of state and from world-class athletes to influencers,...
Paladin – 20 Tips to Spend Less and Save Money
While the act of putting away some money every once in a while in order to save for the long run sounds simple, we find that it is harder to practice in reality. Research shows that one in five Americans barely save money, and those who do manage to save aren’t...
Paladin – 10 Common Investment Mistakes to Avoid Under Current Market Situations
The year 2020 was thrown into disarray by the COVID-19 virus with far-reaching repercussions. Lockdowns and social distancing led to disrupted workforces that resulted in an economic recession, affecting millions of people worldwide. In such times, the markets are...
Retirement Planning – 8 Factors That Can Be Detrimental to the Success of Your Retirement Plan
Retirement planning is a long-term process that requires many strategies, methods, modifications, and brainstorming sessions along the way. Since most people plan to save for retirement at least 30 to 35 years before they retire, it can seem challenging to create a...
Forbes – For Long-Term Investors, Fees Really Do Matter
From bull market to bull market over the past 10 years, investors' long-term performance has been boosted by solid stock market returns. Over time, the stock market has consistently rewarded investors with the discipline and patience to stick with their investment...
Paladin – 10 Financial Planning Tips for High-Net-Worth Individuals in 2021
The financial planning requirements of the rich are vastly different and a lot more complex compared to that of a regular investor. high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) and ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) usually rely on the continuous flow of income and cash...
10 Strategies For Preserving Your Wealth
2008 brought to the world the worst financial disaster since the great depression of 1929. People lost their jobs, investments tanked, the value of real estate dropped, and financial anxiety was at its peak. The aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008 was equally...
Paladin – What are Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), and Why do They Matter?
Earlier on, there were no retirement programs available for people to generate savings to meet expenses for when they retired and no longer earning via a stable income. Eventually, with the development of the banking system, people began saving their money in bank...
Paladin – Financial Goals and Milestones to Hit Before you Turn 50
Reaching the Golden Jubilee Year is a special moment in one’s life. While celebrations are in order, it is also time to reflect on and reassess your financial goals. By the time you enter your 50s, you should ideally have a plan set in place for a majority of your...
Forbes – What Type Of Financial Advisor Is Right For You?
More than ever, people are searching for financial advice. However, the cluttered advisory landscape can be confusing when searching for the right financial advisor for you. While there may be hundreds of financial professionals in your area who present themselves as...
Forbes – What Type Of Financial Advisor Is Right For You?
More than ever, people are searching for financial advice. However, the cluttered advisory landscape can be confusing when searching for the right financial advisor for you. While there may be hundreds of financial professionals in your area who present themselves as...
Paladin – How Do Financial Advisory Asset-Based Fees Work?
Financial advisors are specialists that offer advice and guidance on how to best manage your money. They help you formulate a financial plan to achieve your goals at a pace that is most suitable to you. Their services include investment management, tax planning,...
Paladin – The Inverted Yield Curve: Simplifying Yield Curves and its Impact on Investments
The Inverted Yield Curve is an important concept in economics. Although a rare phenomenon, an inverted yield curve raises worries and concerns on what it means for the future of the economy, as it is seen as a prediction of an impending recession. Knowing about the...
Paladin – 10 Ways to Build Wealth
Generating wealth is an important milestone in everyone’s life. However, not everyone is able to achieve this goal following the same path. You could either be fortunate to be born into a wealthy family, or you may have to build wealth on your own by following a...
Retirement Planning – 7 Ways to Create a High Performance Retirement Portfolio
Your retirement portfolio is the foundation for a secure financial future. Typically, your retirement portfolio comprises your retirement and non-retirement (taxable) accounts. Your portfolio grows with you during each life stage and offers you income to support the...
Paladin – What is an IRA?
An IRA (Individual Retirement Account) is a tax-advantaged account set up by investors that allows them to save money for retirement. An IRA allows tax-free growth of funds and also permits tax-free withdrawals (subject to some conditions.) IRAs are held by...
Paladin – Should I Roll my 401(k) into an IRA?
A 401(k) account is a professional advisory managed account and is the starting point for retirement planning. A 401(k) account is activated when you gain full-time employment and opt for it, and a portion of your paycheck is then directly invested in it. Your...
Paladin – What is a 401(k) and how Does a 401(k) Work?
Named after the section of the US Internal Revenue Code under which this retirement planning account is defined, 401(k) accounts are company-sponsored, tax-advantaged, and defined contribution plans where you can contribute pre-tax dollars. As an employee, one may...
A Financial Advisor’s Guide to Long Term Capital Gains
When it comes to long term investing, there are various aspects that can be hard for investors to track, such as the impact of market volatility, associated risks, taxes on returns, etc. A financial advisor can help you understand the financial implications of long...
Paladin – Do I need a Financial Planner or a Wealth Manager?
When it comes to investing, saving for a better future, or managing your wealth, deciding on whether you should seek the guidance of a financial planner or a wealth manager is critical to be able to best define your financial goals. It is therefore important to get a...
Retirement Planning – How Much Money do you Need for a Comfortable Retirement?
A critical part of retirement planning is to find the right answer to the question – “How much money do I need for a comfortable retirement?” The response differs from person-to-person, and is influenced by current lifestyle and income. According to experts, working...
Paladin – Should You Hold Or Sell Your Long-Term U.S. Government Bonds?
The Pandemic and the ensuing Fed actions to revive the market by easing liquidity has pushed the yield of the benchmark 10-year Treasury bonds to near record lows; yield as of October 2020 is at a measly 0.7%. Meanwhile, the price of the bonds in the open markets...
Are You Ready to Retire? 6 Important Factors to Assess Your Retirement Readiness
Retirement readiness measures how equipped you are to comfortably live the golden years of your life. It estimates your financial preparedness and the degree to which you can support your current standard of living after you retire. According to the 2019 Consumer...
Paladin – How to Get Started When You are Ready to Invest
It’s great that you are ready to start your investment journey. However, with that decision comes the big question: Where do you invest your money and how do you get started? Additionally, what goals do you set, and do you make the investments yourself or seek...
How to Use Bond Ladders for Retirement Income
For years, the value of bonds in a retirement portfolio has been unparalleled. Investors have argued for the low-risk and fair return advantages of bonds against the high risk of equities, especially for retirement-focused investments. However, bonds too have a...
Paladin – What is FINRA and What is the Role of FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority)
If you are someone who scrutinizes their account statements or your financial documents, you might have come across the word ‘FINRA’ – probably in a very small font size. Have you wondered what it stands for? How does it affect you? Why should you care? In this...
Paladin – The Pros and Cons of Investing in Mutual Funds
Although working with a financial advisor who invests in mutual funds may seem like a great way to “set it and forget it,” most investors fail to realize the truth about what these investments are costing them in fees that typically fly under the radar. The reality is...
Don’t Invest in Mutual Funds… Until you read this
Although working with a financial advisor who invests in mutual funds may seem like a great way to “set it and forget it”, most investors fail to realize the truth about what these investments are costing them in fees that typically fly below the radar screen. The...
Have You Seen Your Financial Advisor’s Performance Results?
Merriam Webster defines the word “verify” to mean “to establish the truth, accuracy, and reality of” a claim or situation. When it comes to choosing someone to make decisions with your money, nothing serves as better verification of ability than the truth about a...
What to Look for When Researching a Financial Advisor
Just as you would do before hiring a heart surgeon or anyone who provides a critical service, conducting proper due diligence is a must before enlisting the help of a financial advisor. In this article, we’ll cover which documents that you should ask for, how to...
Paladin – What to Look for When Researching a Financial Advisor
Just as you would do before hiring a heart surgeon or anyone who provides a critical service, conducting proper due diligence is a must before enlisting the help of a financial advisor. In this article, we’ll cover which documents that you should ask for, how to...
Paladin – Have You Seen Your Financial Advisor’s Performance Results?
Merriam Webster defines the word “verify” to mean “to establish the truth, accuracy, and reality of” a claim or situation. When it comes to choosing someone to make decisions with your money, nothing serves as better verification of ability than the truth about a...
Social Security Benefits: How Much Will You Receive?
Next to “When should I claim Social Security benefits?” one of the more common questions people have is “How much will I receive?” Calculate Your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME): The highest 35 years of indexed earnings is added together. It is then divided by...
Warren Buffett: When stocks go down it’s good news
Please click the link below to see a recent video of Warren Buffett. There's a quote from him commenting that over time stocks will be higher than they are now. He doesn't know where stocks will go over the next month, 6 months or year. We don't either. We're still...
Warren Buffett says it’s “crazy” to try and time the market
Please click the link below to see a recent video of Warren Buffett. He talks about the best way to think about your retirement portfolio in general. To focus on the long-term and not the short-term. To find out what he has to say, watch this informative CNBC video....