“We’re just overwhelmed with life.” That was my response to an attorney looking for insight into the obstacles facing Generation X. I’d referred a number of 30- and 40-something financial-planning clients to this attorney. All were in need of estate-planning documents. But he came to me concerned about the difficulty he was having in reconnecting…
Every market pundit has an opinion on whether the market is now at or near a bubble. And after the recent bout of volatility, triggered by a resurgent and scary narrative about a “slowing global economy,” investors who have been in on the six-year bull market run would be right to question the profits they…
Exchange-traded funds—commonly referred to as ETFs—are all the rage. While there are several excellent reasons to use an ETF over the seemingly archaic traditional mutual fund, they are not a universally preferable solution. First, to be fair, let’s review a few reasons why ETFs can be a better solution than mutual funds. ETFs generally have…
Throughout the course of my career, I’ve heard a lot of financial horror stories. The majority of these stories are told by baby boomers whose aggressive stock market strategies went bust, often at the behest of a transaction-oriented “advisor.” The most pain—yes, even marginally greater than that of former Enron employees and Bernie Madoff scam…
You know what has to be done, but it doesn’t make it any easier. You’ve done all the research, asked all the questions and mulled over your options, and you know that moving on from your current company is the right thing to do. You wince, imagining the look on the face of your boss…
As more of the burden of generating income in retirement falls on the shoulders of retirees—and not the companies who signed their paychecks throughout their careers, in the form of corporate pensions—it’s become increasingly important for retirees to understand the role that Social Securitywill and will not play. Here are some points you may not be…
So you’ve experienced a financial windfall and you don’t know what to do with it. This is what we refer to as a “luxury problem,” right? Indeed, you’d think this would be the most glorious dilemma possible to befall you and your household. But for some, a windfall can be more of a curse than…