November 15, 2018

By: John Zeltmann

Since my Dad's passing earlier this year, my Mom and I have spent countless hours wrapping up his finances.  I thought I'd share my impressions from the past several months, highlighting lessons we learned from bumps in the road they managed to avoid (as well as some they didn't).

November 15, 2018

The short answer is “There isn’t one answer for everyone.” The long answer is: “It depends.”

November 15, 2018

MONEY Magazine recently had an article¹ on the “growing number of people (who) are facing retirement by themselves.” Please click through to find a few tips on how to “live life to the fullest when it’s a party of one.”

Source: Direxion Funds

November, 15 2018

• A greater percentage of Millennials have all of their pre-tax retirement money invested in cash and bonds (20%) than those that have all of their pre-tax retirement money invested in stocks (19%). 2,593 Millennials (ages 20-36 in 2017) were surveyed in the 4th quarter 2017.

• 47 investment bankers worldwide received jail time as a result of the 2008 global recession, including 25 bankers from Iceland. Just 1 American investment banker went to prison, receiving a 30-month sentence for “fraudulently inflating” the prices of mortgage-backed securities.

• 618 US employers surveyed in the 1st quarter 2018 anticipate offering a starting base salary of $65,000 to college graduates with a bachelor’s degree, $85,000 to workers coming “direct-from-industry” and $105,000 to MBA graduates.

September 30, 2018

I was standing at my desk reading an article titled “What is Your Good Life” when the phone rang. It was my wife, asking if I wanted to come home to have lunch with our daughter and granddaughter who had dropped by. I logged off my computer and promptly walked out the door. Apparently, my definition of my good life includes having lunch with a three-year-old who still thinks I’m funny and wants to play with me.

September 30, 2018

By: John Zeltmann

As I write this article, we’re approximately three weeks out from the arrival of our third child.  The due date is mid-October, and we don't yet know whether we're having a boy or girl.  We're obviously very excited to find out and to also meet this little one who's coming into our lives. 

Of course, being a financial planner, I can't help but start thinking about a topic for my family that we frequently discuss with our clients: 529 plans. As we’re asked a lot of questions about 529 plans from both parents and grandparents alike, we thought it might be useful to share some of them.

September 30, 2018

AARP Bulletin¹ points out nine anticipated changes to the Medicare program for 2019. If you’re an enrollee, or about to become one, pay attention, because a lack of information may cost you a lot of money. 

September 30, 2018

The Wall Street Journal¹ article states the obvious: There are no easy answers or decisions when it comes time to try to stop an older driver from driving. (I can recall one family member stating that if he lost his license, he might as well die. He was approaching 90 at the time.)

September 30, 2018

MONEY Magazine¹ points out there are a lot of reasons to volunteer, especially in retirement when you may have more time. They note that “many groups also offer gigs with sweet benefits, from intellectual stimulation to outsider access, freebies and other perks.

Source: Direxion Funds

September 30, 2018

• Foreigners have increased their holdings of US Treasury securities from $1 trillion in 2000 to more than $6.2 trillion in 2018.

• In June 2018, the Congressional Budget Office projected that by the year 2048 (i.e., 30 years from now) the US government will spend as much money servicing its national debt as it will spend that year on the nation’s Social Security program. Today, our nation’s net interest cost is just 33% of our Social Security outlays.

• Borrowing $100,000 on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage at 4.53% (today’s national average) requires a monthly “principal and interest” payment of $508.47. Borrowing $100,000 on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage at 5.53% requires a monthly “principal and interest” payment of $569.67.