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Retiring Like a Pro Athlete

May 29, 2012

News media often have stories about pro athletes who made a lot of money but became bankrupt. Here’s a piece with a more positive take. It interviewed a collection of retired pro athletes who did smart things with their money and are having successful retirements. The article isn’t just for athletes and prospective athletes. You can […]

You’ll Need Social Security

May 15, 2012

People make a lot mistakes in financial and retirement planning. One I see regularly is pre-retirees, of almost every age, say they won’t need or rely on Social Security. Many say they assume they won’t get anything from it. Routinely surveys of pre-retirees indicate that 30% or fewer expect SS to be a “major source […]

The High Dividend Fallacy

May 14, 2012

For the last few years a number of analysts urged income-seeking investors to buy high-yielding stocks instead of different types of bonds. I haven’t done that, because there’s a risk-return trade off that’s ignored in this advice. The trade off became obvious last Friday when JPMorgan announced a large hedging loss and its stock declined […]

Today’s Best Investment – Gold?

May 4, 2012

A plurality of Americans believe gold is today’s safest investment, and by a surprisingly wide margin, according to a Gallup poll. This is the second consecutive year the poll had this result, though the number in favor of gold declined from 34% to 28%. The poll leaves a lot of questions unanswered. How do Americans […]

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A Margin of Safety Primer

May 2, 2012

I almost always recommend a reading of the quarterly shareholder letter from Martin Whitman of Third Avenue funds. The first quarter of 2012 is no exception. In fact, it’s a special letter because Whitman recently stepped down as manager of the Third Avenue Value fund. The latest letter is a primer on Whitman’s version of […]

Increasing Cash by Automating Your Finances

May 1, 2012

Many people are overwhelmed by the financial options and decisions they face. That’s clear from both the feedback I receive from people and studies I read. When people are overwhelmed and uncertain, they procrastinate. We need to prevent procrastination in financial matters. It’s too expensive. One of my goals is to simplify your financial life. […]

Tricks and Traps in Social Security Benefits

May 1, 2012

People continue to miss significant opportunities to maximize their Social Security retirement benefits. The problem is especially acute among married couples who don’t consider the long-term effects or don’t know the interaction between personal retirement benefits, spousal benefits, and survivor benefits. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime decision, but the benefits or drawbacks of the decision will last […]

estate planning

Low-Cost Estate Planning Strategies to Help the Family

May 1, 2012

You don’t need a lot of wealth to develop a simple Estate Planning Strategy that helps your loved ones. You also don’t need large gifts or other transfers as part of good estate planning. Estate planning strategies aren’t only for the very wealthy, and your loved ones don’t have to wait to benefit from your […]

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