By John Zeltmann

March 6, 2017

All too often, wildly swinging stock markets get a bum rap. They deprive watchful investors of sleep, prompt front-page photos of a panicked New York Stock Exchange trader, and force even the most diligent investors to consider reducing their exposure to equities.

By Stanley F. Ehrlich

February 16, 2017

An article in the New York Times¹ titled “Probably a Bad Idea to Sell Just Because You Fear Trump” reminded me of a piece in MONEY Magazine that I read last summer. That article questioned how the election might impact your investments, and included two comments worth repeating...

February 16, 2017

We haven’t devoted much space in these pages to a discussion about the fiduciary rule, primarily because we are fiduciaries. In brief, a fiduciary is a professional who provides financial advice in the best interest of their clients. A fiduciary can never recommend a service or product knowing that it’s not necessarily the best fit for their client’s individual needs. In fact, the professional organization that we belong to, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) dictates that a requirement of membership is that we are fee-only planners, who don’t receive any other income (i.e., sales commissions).

February 16, 2017

The Wall Street Journal¹ explored a topic that is of interest to many persons either approaching or already in retirement: Where to live? For some, the decision is dictated by family or friends. For others, health issues play a big part in the decision.

Source: Direxion Funds

February 16, 2017

By the numbers…....

• The S&P 500 has gained an average of 10.2% (total return) over the last 50 years. The index has also been positive over the last 8 years (9 years in a row is the all-time record), 13 of the last 14 calendar years, and 40 of the last 50 years.

• The split between up and down trading days for the S&P 500 over the last 50 years is 53% up and 47% down. The split during calendar year 2016 was 52/48.

February 16, 2017

If you’ve read or heard the term contrarian as it relates to stock picking, it refers to a philosophy that goes against the grain, someone who doesn’t follow the herd. At the end of 2015, for example, after the S&P 500 produced a total gain of only 1.4%, only 25% of stock investors were bullish (i.e., investors who thought the market was going higher).

February 16, 2017

Feel like you don't understand half of the television and print ads you see?  Here's why:

By John Zeltmann

Put away your calculators and W2 earnings statements.  This is not a math lesson - thank goodness - because the math behind the calculation of your Social Security retirement benefit can be pretty complicated.  That said, if you want to know the general calculations behind your Social Security retirement benefit, read on.

By John Zeltmann

If you were born after 1929, have 40 credits of earnings history (e.g. 10 years’ of work), and are at least 62 years of age, you are eligible to collect Social Security retirement benefits. (Note that I didn't include being a U.S. citizen as being a requirement...because it isn't one.) 

By John Zeltmann

You know you're entitled to a retirement benefit from Social Security, but there seem to be a lot of rules regarding when you can actually collect it. To understand some of those rules, let’s assume we’re talking about an individual at Full Retirement Age of 66 with a Primary Insurance Amount of $2,500 per month.