Making Cents: Myths About Financial Advice
When it comes to choosing a new financial advisor or evaluating your current advisor, there are some very basic elements that you need to consider. To get you in the right frame of mind, consider these myths and new realities. Myth number one is about competence and success. Believe it or not, the most successful…
Making Cents: Take the Noise in Stride When Considering Investment Approach
Looking back over history there are many times when policy, politics and fear overcame markets. It happens in just about every market; real estate, Wall Street, Currencies and Commodities both domestically and abroad. Sometimes these markets react favorably and other times, unfavorably. What is exceptionally tough to do is to use policy, politics and fear to…
Making Cents: Real Estate As An Investment
Many people own some real estate, and for the most part, those who don’t own property still have the desire to own as a part of their financial forecast. Whether it’s your primary residence, a second home or an investment property, there are several ways to look at real estate from an investment point of…
Making Cents: When You’re In Charge Of An Estate
There is a saying about the only two things that are certain in life are death and taxes. That may be true, but for people with any assets, there is a third to be concerned about. That third issue is the resolution of the estate of the decedent. The loss of a loved one is…
Making Cents: Knowing Your Level of Financial Independence
Many trod through life because that is what they do. They go to work, they save and spend, and they keep in that motion until they either must stop working or decide that doing something else would be nice. Some are so good at what they do, that they couldn’t fathom how they would spend…
Making Cents: Why Financial Education is Important
We live in the age of information and big data. As a result, there is no shortage of ways to obtain information about any matter of personal finance. Sometimes the information that you find is relevant and useful, and other times it is outdated and not germane to your topic or need. The problem is…
Making Cents: Decoding Alphabet Soup When It Comes To Financial Advisors
Recently, a friend poked fun of my email signature because of all the initials after my name. Lots of professionals use designations in their signature; some recognizable and some not. The question you need to ask is whether the initials, (AKA credentials or designations) are necessary and would a credentialed professional deliver better service and…
Making Cents: Are you Suffering from Familiarity Risk?
Unless you are a CPA who audits public companies, you’ve probably never heard of familiarity risk. Familiarity risk are risks that you may be incurring that are easily masked by something or someone that you simply become used to. Being too familiar with any situation may cause your guard to become lower than it should…
Making Cents: Why Many Won’t Discuss Their Finances
Many people would rather talk about their love lives than their finances. This is a conundrum to me, but I have a few theories on what may be holding you back. The fear of confirming ignorance appears to be a riskier place for many than the complacency of innocence. For many, it is as simple as…
Making Cents: What Type of Advice Are You Getting?
There are so many different terms used to describe a relationship with a financial professional that what you get may frequently differ from what you expected. Terms like investment consultant, financial planner, wealth management or broker are frequently tossed around with little thought as to what each actually means. Regulation surrounding the titles and services…