As Investment Advisors we experience firsthand the roller coaster that many individuals go on emotionally when they start to think about the monumental task of retirement planning. Most issues in […]
Index To Wealth Advisor Content
Wealth Advisor, regardless of your earning potential, we all need to learn how to manage our wealth. Many of the articles below will give you concepts and ideas to marinate over. Start thinking about how you need to manage your wealth. What areas do you need to learn about? Do you need help designing and implementing a financial plan? A wealth advisor maybe what is needed to help get you over the planning hump? Are the rich wealthy by accident or design? Request a consult and learn more today.
Wealth Management: It’s a Wonderful Life
12/16/2015 by
This classic gem directed by Frank Capra is one of my favorite movies and a sure watch every holiday season. It’s a story of an angel working to get his […]
Investment Cost: Advisor Beware or Investor Beware
04/03/2014 by
State College, PA – “How are you paid” is a common refrain heard by those working in the financial industry. One would think this is a very black and white, […]
In Life and Retirement Planning “It’s Never a Mystery”
02/27/2014 by
Lewisburg, PA – The common phrase “it’s never a mystery”, should end with, “except for the people involved”. Is it a mystery why the athlete medals in the Olympics? Not […]
Looking Out for Mr. Ponzi
04/11/2013 by
This summer Bernie Madoff will be celebrating his 4th anniversary in federal prison, 146 years to go. Madoff masterminded the largest Ponzi Scheme (slang for financial scam) in world history. […]
Tastes Like Chicken! Smells Like Fish!
04/26/2012 by
Every once in a while, I run into an investor who bought a financial product that, upon reflection, may not have been totally appropriate given the individual’s personal and financial circumstances.
Not that the investment was completely “wrong”, but perhaps a different product or approach may have better met the client’s goals and objectives.
One thing you can do to help keep this from happening to you, is to find out who the advisor works for. I don’t mean the specific company that employs him or her, but the type of company that employs the advisor. That information can go a long way to help you understand whether the financial advisor’s loyalty is to you, or to the employer.
You Don’t Know, What You Don’t Know
01/19/2012 by
Hidden Fees! They are all over the place when it comes to investing.
At least once a month, an investor tells me that another advisor offered managed accounts where the one and only portfolio cost would be the advisor’s fee. Often the fee quoted would be somewhere between 1.25% and 2.25%, plus or minus a little bit. That other advisor would say that there are no other costs and that everything else is free or all inclusive and that absolutely no other expenses would apply.
Ringing The Old Year Out and Bringing The New Year In—-
12/22/2011 by
As we look at the 2011 year in review, remember that “this too shall pass”. New Year’s Resolutions are about to begin and as we look forward to 2012, make a New Year’s resolution as it relates to your finances. Take the 30 day challenge, look at income needs vs wants and get a “real” budget in place.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal ran interviews with four financial advisors soliciting their outlooks for 2012. Specifically, the Journal asked these sages to forecast which sectors had the most promise and which ones investors should avoid next year.
Broker vs. Registered Investment Advisor
08/22/2011 by
Financial services industry has two predominant financial standards for representatives in dealings with clients and disclosure. One is a “suitability standard” which is the most common and requires the least […]
Memo to Financial Advisors: Women Are Not Men!
08/08/2011 by
Supposedly, Freud once posed the question: What do Women Want?
It seems to me the Financial Industry is still trying to figure that out. (But then again, aren’t most men?)
Smart Money reports that over 70% of women feel underserved and dissatisfied with the financial-planning services they receive.
This crazy economy has handed advisors a golden opportunity to reach out to women…who know they need help and, according to the question I get most often, are desperately looking for advisors they can trust.
Here’s where I believe the financial industry has missed the boat. Advisors are talking to women just like they do men…because the financial world is based on the male model of communication. Big mistake.
Women are not men!
Women More Likely to Consult a Professional Advisor
06/15/2011 by
Women More Likely To Consult A Professional Advisor
Women investors are more likely to consult a professional financial advisor than men, according to a new study of wealthy women investors released by the Spectrem Group on Tuesday.
According to the Lake Forest, Ill.-based consulting firm, around 46 percent of those with a net worth of between $100,000 and $1 million rely primarily on a financial advisor for their information. Women’s use of financial advice increases with wealth levels, according to the survey. Roughly 64 percent of female millionaire investors and 82 percent of female ultra-high-net-worth investors — with assets of $5 million and up — seek financial information from a professional advisor.
Women & Investing Weekly Clarity Coaching
05/19/2011 by
This weeks Weekly Clarity Coaching is coming from Deb Seaward here in our office. She has been working hard to add some coaching for women to our office, here is a taste of more to come.
Men no need to watch this one…..not!!!! Guys the ladies in our lives are far too important, lets all get coached up!
Quickest Way To Pay Off Your Mortgage
05/01/2011 by
There are different schools of thought on ways to accelerate paying of your mortgage. Most people are familiar with the 15-year mortgage versus the 30-year mortgage. The idea is a […]
401(k) Accounts & the DOL
03/08/2011 by
Last weekend’s Wall Street Journal had a front page article called Retiring Boomers Find 401(k) Plans Fall Short. The article begins by noting that “The 401(k) generation is beginning to retire, and it isn’t a pretty sight. The retirement savings plans that many baby boomers thought would see them through old age are falling short in many cases.”
This article peaked my interest since 401(k)’s are the retirement saving vehicles of our time. The old traditional defined benefit plans that promised a certain benefit every month after retirement until death are dinosaurs. The burden has shifted to employees to fund their own retirement through these and similar plans.
Leading Economic Indicator
02/09/2011 by
January was a great month for the stock market! The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 2.7% and the S&P 500 Index was up 2.4%. It was the best January for the markets in 14 years.
Wow! Does that mean we’re going to have a Great Year? The “January Barometer” says so. But is this widely followed stock market indicator just another myth? The “January Barometer” works this way: If January is an “UP” month, it could mean a good year for the stock market. But if January is a “DOWN” month, well, that means that it would probably be a pretty dismal year for investors.
It would be nice if it worked, but unfortunately, the theory just does not hold up to scientific scrutiny.
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