Article
13 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
Determining the Optimal Rebalancing Frequency
Within the investment consulting community, it has long been preached that periodically rebalancing a multi-asset class portfolio is a requirement for an effective investment policy. However, little research is available to help in determining what is the optimal rebalancing frequency. From an efficiency and simplicity standpoint, rebalancing at a set time period, such as annually, […]
6 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
7 Key Steps To Create A Good Estate Plan
Estate planning is a wise thing to do to ensure that your family and loved ones are safe and at the same time save them from unnecessary stress and headaches during an extremely difficult time. A comprehensive estate plan is more than just the will, power of attorney, and trusts as it covers other critical […]
6 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
Never Give An Adult Child Your Credit Card
Your adult son or daughter is having cash flow trouble and they are having a hard time getting refinancing or credit on their own right now. After some discussion and much thought, as parents trying to help out, you offer to let them use one of your credit cards with those low rate offers (borrowers […]
3 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
Measuring Investment Risk and the Significance of Sharpe Ratio
Investment pros borrow a tool from the statisticians’standard deviation’to measure investment risk. It shows the range of returns that investments are likely to earn over a given period of time and it has two sides, the out-performance and the under-performance of an average rate of return. For example, let’s look at the S&P 500 Stock […]
4 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
Why Retirement is Over-Rated
By Paula Pant. How much money do I need to retire? How much should I be saving per year toward my retirement? Should I save for my kids’ education first, or my retirement? If you’re on a quest for financial stability, chances are you’ve asked yourself questions like these (and many more). Of all the juggling […]
6 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
Term, UL, VUL and Whole Life Insurance: The Differences
Many people are under the impression that they must buy one type of insurance, or the other. One choice or the other choice decision, period. The truth is, you could all types of coverage in force at the same time, on the same person. Perhaps you need a large term policy while the children are […]
2 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
Consider Splitting Your IRA
The distribution rules for inherited individual retirement accounts (IRAs) generally make it advantageous to separate accounts for each beneficiary, which can be done during your life or by December 31 of the year following your death. If you plan to leave an IRA balance to several beneficiaries, consider splitting each beneficiary’s share into a separate […]
5 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
Skip Plan B (Along with Plans A and C)
Some mutual fund families offer several classes of shares that differ in the way they charge fees to shareholders. Classes A, B, and C are the most common. The front-end “load” typical of Class A funds is a sales charge paid when shares are purchased. Class B funds carry no initial load. Instead, they have […]
6 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
Energy Royalty Trusts
Background Energy Royalty trusts are neither stocks nor bonds, although they share some of their characteristics. Investment trusts are created to hold interests in operating assets, which produce income and cash flows that are passed through to investors. A “trust” is a legal instrument, which exists to hold assets for others. A “trust” investment that […]
4 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
Roth IRA: The ‘Liquid’ Retirement Savings Account
One key component of the Roth IRA that is rarely mentioned is the sunset tax provision that mandates these tax free savings vehicle options will cease to be an option unless the provision is renewed in 2010. What this means to you and your investment planning is that these accounts need to be funded now […]
6 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
6 Financial Advisor Certifications You Need to Know
What does it mean when someone says they are a financial advisor? The titles “financial advisor” and “financial planner” are vague terms that don’t connote any specific type of training or education. That’s why the financial certifications a person has obtained are so vital to selecting an advisor. Understanding which certifications are relevant is also confusing. In fact, […]
4 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
Measuring a Stock’s Risk
Basically, stocks are subject to two types of risk – market risk and nonmarket risk. Nonmarket risk, also called specific risk, is the risk that events specific to a company or its industry will adversely affect the stock’s price. For instance, an increase in the cost of oil would be expected to adversely affect the […]
6 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
First-Time Homebuyers: How Much Do You Really Need to Save?
Table of ContentsSUMMARYBuying Your New Home: Savings and ExpectationsClosing Costs: First-Time Buyers BewareHome-Buyer Alternatives for First Timers SUMMARY Saving for a new home can seem like an insurmountable challenge, especially for first-time buyers. But what kind of numbers really come into play? We look at down payments, mortgage insurance, closing costs, and more. Singles, couples, […]
2 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
What Happens to Bondholders When a Company Goes Bankrupt?
Seniors like bonds because they can possibly provide a steady income, diversify a stock portfolio, and are backed by the insurer’s financial strength. But things don’t always go as planned. Companies occasionally have financial problems and must file for bankruptcy. Investors holding bonds in bankrupt companies can at least have the comfort in knowing that […]
9 Min Read
17 Dec 2025
10 Things Financial Advisors Don’t Want You to Know
One premise I tell my clients up front is, “Don’t believe anyone who tells you they are totally objective. Everyone has biases. The important thing is to understand what biases exist with each professional, and then determine if they are acceptable. My best qualification for writing this article is that I’ve been compensated every way […]
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The blog articles on this website are provided for general educational and informational purposes only, and no content included is intended to be used as financial or legal advice. A professional financial advisor should be consulted prior to making any investment decisions. Each person’s financial situation is unique, and your advisor would be able to provide you with the financial information and advice related to your financial situation.