If you ever have the inkling to manage your investments on your own, that inkling is worth reconsidering. Do-it-yourself investment management is generally a bad idea for the retail investor for myriad reasons.
This is not a bull market. This is not a bear market. This is a bunny market. It hops up and down but doesn’t go anywhere.
You learn lessons as you invest in pursuit of long-run goals. Some of these lessons are conveyed and reinforced when you begin saving for retirement, and others you glean along the way.
You’ve heard it a thousand times: Take care of your retirement first, then consider whether you can afford to help an adult child financially. It’s like putting the oxygen mask on yourself before assisting your young child on a plane, they say, and then … the word “no” somehow gets stuck in your throat.
Over the past 12 months, consumer prices have increased very little. The latest Consumer Price Index (September) shows 0.0% yearly inflation and only 1.9% core yearly inflation. That means no cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security, and very few IRS adjustments to retirement plan contribution limits.1
Roth IRA & traditional IRA contribution limits stay the same for 2016. Those 49 and younger in 2016 can contribute up to $5,500 to their IRAs, while those 50 and older will be able to contribute $6,500.2 Read More
With all the hype over the new Star Wars sequel, the Force Awakens, my family decided we needed to take the journey back into this world of light-sabers, black-masks, Jedi Knights, and Wookies. Who could resist the force, right? To prepare for this epic adventure, over the holidays, my daughters decided we needed to watch ALL the prior movies to prepare, while eating pecan pie and blue bell ice cream.
This summer I got hooked on sailing. Debra and I took lessons, learned the lingo, and got mesmerized by the interplay of wind, water and sail. One day we got out on the water with some friends only to find that there was very little wind. The forecast said the winds would kick in, but it was taking longer than expected. Should we take the sails down and head in? Instead we waited, sails up, in patient expectation. And in the end were rewarded with a beautiful day of calm winds. I’m glad we didn’t bring the sails down.
December is a time that many folks celebrate the Holiday season with a special focus on giving. What a great time of year to consider charitable gifts!
What financial, business or life priorities do you need to address for 2016? Now is a good time to think about the investing, saving or budgeting methods you could employ toward specific objectives. Some year-end financial moves may help you pursue those goals as well.
There is a mind-boggling amount of financial advice out there — so much that it can be difficult to separate the noise from the facts, or know who and what to believe.
