The connection between Wall Street and Main Street is a quirky one. For the most part, Wall Street serves Main Street well. Investment banks, commercial banks and insurance companies match borrowers with lenders and keep the economy running. However, this...
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When most people think about investing, they think about the stock market. The stock market is the glamorous way to invest. Mr. Market makes headlines. We hear stories about people getting rich on IPOs or cashing in on a biotech...
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I get a lot of questions about IRAs so I thought a quick crash course in the basics would be helpful. Tax laws, regulations and individual circumstances change frequently so always check with your advisor or tax consultant before making...
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Earlier this week, Advisory HQ released a study detailing the average fees financial advisors charge across the country (How Much Does a Financial Advisor Cost?). I get a bit preachy when it comes to fees but today I’ll keep my...
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“checklists seem able to defend anyone, even the experienced, against failure in many more tasks than we realized.” ― Atul Gawande, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right Financial planning is a very broad topic. It involves an understanding...
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The Department of Labor on Wednesday rolled out its long anticipated rule aimed at altering how the financial industry doles out retirement advice. The Obama administration is hoping to bring investors a bit more transparency around the line that has...
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Last weekend, Leonardo DiCaprio finally took home the Oscar for best actor. While it was his first win, this wasn’t Leo’s first nomination. In 2007 he was nominated for his role as diamond smuggler Danny Archer in Blood Diamond. The...
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Last week I was reviewing a market-linked CD that a client had purchased. He didn’t quite understand how the product worked and wasn’t sure if he made a bad choice when he invested in it. With interest rates so low,...
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95% of 401(k) plans suck. With such limited investment options, it’s often a challenge to put together a decent portfolio. The typical plan that comes across my desk will include: 3-4 low cost index funds 10-15 actively managed equity funds...
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The most popular methods of compensation in the advisory industry have always irked me. Traditional, commission-based brokerage models are sketchy at best. They are fraught with misaligned incentives and more often than not, investors are left dealing with salespeople, not...
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