The Cautious Investor

Retirement is supposed to be glorious, a time to cross off items on your bucket list. One problem however, is that rising health care costs are tipping the buckets over on many retirees.    According to HealthView Services, health care expenses are projected to increase at a rate of 5.47% per year. This is more than…

Older adults who lose their life savings may also lose years from their life, a new Journal of American Medical Association* study suggests. Looking at more than 8,700 Americans ages 51-61, researchers found that those who lost 75% or more of their net worth within a two-year period were more likely to die over the…

When you think of a wedding, golden rings, bells, and buffets may come to mind – but what about after the celebration is over and the happy couple have said their “I-do’s”? For those who don’t have serious and continuous discussions about finances, the future could spell trouble, and even divorce, for 36.7% of marriages.…

Sometimes being an investor feels like driving on a congested freeway. Changing lanes when you’re stuck in a traffic jam never works out – the lane you choose always slows down and the lane you left speeds up after you change. Patience pays off just as it does when you invest. Sometimes investments may look…

Insurance companies always win, right? Well, that hasn’t necessarily been true when it comes to Long-Term Care insurance carriers. What began in the late 1970’s as “nursing home only” products, LTC insurance increased in popularity in the 1980’s and 1990’s as contract language broadened to cover assisted living, adult daycare, and in-home care. However, actuarial…

Since the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has doubled the standard deduction starting in 2018, few individuals are expected to itemize.  However, if you are an IRA owner over age 70 ½ and have a charitable intent, you can utilize Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) to maximize the new higher standard deduction, in effect getting…

Many Investors seem to know their approximate rate of return, but probably don’t know how much risk they are taking to garner the return they receive.  The goal for most is to get the highest return while taking the lowest amount of risk.  This can be much easier said than done, and it’s important that…

The snow is flying, and thoughts of a warm weather vacation are heating up. This leads some to the debate over whether to buy or rent. The decision can be confusing but must be what is right for you. So, let’s pause a bit and go through the advantages and disadvantages of owning. When you…

Imagine this; your friend is preparing his tax returns and is confused as to why he owes taxes on a mutual fund position that he hasn’t sold, and it went down in value from the purchase price. He bought $100,000 worth of a mutual fund on October 1st at $10.00 per share in a taxable…

This is the “Age of Accelerations,” according to Tom Friedman in his new book Thank You for Being Late. In the book Friedman is referring to the dramatic pace of change in the age of the internet and cloud technologies. As most of us have noticed, the dramatic pace of change is affecting everything in…