The Emotional Cycle Of The Average Investor
The picture associated with this blog shows what the average investor not working with an advisor often does.
The Importance of Rebalancing Your Portfolio
One of the most underused, overlooked and unappreciated practices in investing is rebalancing your portfolio on a yearly basis. There's an old saying that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Disciplined rebalancing, however, is as close as you can get to a free lunch. Let's explore why.
Retirement Has Two Doors. Which One Will You Choose?
Retirement has two doors. One leads to a chance of success. One leads to certain failure. Which door will you choose?
Why Is The Stock Market So Volatile At Times?
If you follow financial "journalism" at all you will inevitably hear how volatile the market is and how you should take action to protect yourself from the volatility. However, when we turn off the "news" and look at things rationally, we can see a completely different story. One that is actually true. It's not the market that is volatile. It's the investors that are volatile.
Why "Beating The Market" Should Never Be Your Goal In Retirement
Yearly portfolio returns are literally meaningless in retirement and conversations about them put me into a deep REM type sleep. The only thing that matters in retirement is that you don't run out of money (also known as purchasing power). That's it! It turns out that "beating the market" or an imaginary benchmark in retirement doesn't really matter if you don't have two nickels to rub together and you're looking for a job when you could be hanging out with your grandkids.
Your NRECA 401k Options Explained In Plain English
Today I want to discuss, what I feel, is the single most important benefit the co-op offers you. And that is your NRECA 401k plan. It’s important because it’s the fastest and simplest way for you to grow your wealth over time.
Our Retirement Planning Strategy Explained
Our strategy is long term and not affected by day-to-day fluctuations of the stock market. Our retirement plans are designed with one thing in mind and that is to keep you as worry free as possible so you can enjoy this time in your life that you have earned and deserve.
Why Does The Average Investor Consistently Underperform His Own Investments?
In a society that has basically turned outperformance into a religion, the average investor is not only underperforming the markets, he is consistently underperforming his own investments!
You Must Consider Taxes When Deciding Between The NRECA R&S Lump Sum & The Annuity Option
If you are eligible for the NRECA R&S Plan, you MUST consider the tax scenarios when deciding whether to take the lump sum option or the annuity option. You essentially have a winning lottery ticket and just like a real lottery ticket, the IRS is waiting for their piece of the action.
Working While Collecting Social Security Benefits
If I claim SS at 62 and decide I want to work will SS lower my monthly benefit? Will I get that money back? Am I losing that money?
What Should You Do If You Inherit An IRA?
If someone you love passes and leaves you as the beneficiary to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), what should you do? Like the answer to most personal finance questions, it depends.
Should I Be Investing In A Roth Account?
When reviewing the key differences between Roth accounts and Traditional accounts, it’s important to ask yourself: “When is the most advantageous time to pay tax on my income?”
Investing For And During Retirement
Successful investing for retirement and in retirement is not that complicated. The planning process can be complicated, such as when to liquidate certain investments, how much cash to keep on hand, and sticking to your plan, but the investing process isn’t hard at all.
Retirement Boils Down To One Simple Question
If you spend ten minutes this year reading economic forecasts, you've wasted ten minutes of your time that you'll never get back. By the way, time is your most valuable asset. Invest it wisely.
Your Cooperative Annuity Payment Options Explained In English
You may be considering retirement from your cooperative this year. Most cooperatives that participate in the NRECA plan provide you with an annuity option, lump sum option or some variation of both options via your R&S pension plan. If you are not familiar with annuities and their payment options the choices can be a bit confusing. I'm going to list the options with plain definitions that are easy to understand in hopes that it can help you make an informed decision.
Football And Baseball Aren't The Same Game
Have you ever watched an NFL football game? While watching the game did you compare either team to your favorite baseball team? Probably not because they aren’t playing the same game. As a retirement income planner, I often get questions from clients and potential clients on outperforming the market or investment performance in general. Maybe they heard on the “financial news” that the market was up X percentage that day, month or even that year and they wonder why their retirement portfolio isn't up the same percentage. Well simply stated, I am not a day trader or short-term trader. I’m a long-term, goal focused, plan-driven investor. I’m not playing the same game as the so-called “experts” on TV and radio, etc. I’m not playing a day to day game. I’m not even playing a year to year game.
