Here are the Ten Commandments for achieving strong financial health. The Ten Commandments: KNOW HOW IS YOUR ADVISOR IS PAID. It really does matter because the quality and kind of advice you receive is a result of how your advisor is paid. The best model for receiving investment and financial planning advice is the Fee-Only […]
Category: Investing
Why Invest in Bonds?
The BIG THREE pillars of investing are Stocks, Bonds (sometimes called “fixed income”) and Cash. Other smaller investment categories include REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts), commodities and alternative investments, etc. In my experience, clients understand the pros and cons of stocks and cash but are fuzzy about bonds. Some of the reasons investors don’t understand […]
Three Common Investment Mistakes, And How To Fix Them
by Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner(TM) Whether you’re working with a broker or advisor, or you’re managing your own investments, watch out for these common investment errors. They are: 1) having multiple overlapping holdings (and not being aware of it), 2) having a risky portfolio that’s a poor fit with your needs and 3) letting […]
Are You Making These Common Investment Mistakes? Here’s What To Do.
By Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner™ Do you manage your own investments? If so, you may be making one or more of these common mistakes: 1) you have an extreme portfolio that’s a poor fit with your needs, 2) you have too many overlapping holdings and/or 3) if you’re married, one spouse (often the husband) […]
Don’t Make These Investment Mistakes!
By Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner™ The investment world is a confusing, opinionated and noisy place. Here are 2 classic investment mistakes that are very common: 1) trying to time markets and 2) stock-picking your way to investment success. Mistake One: Thinking You Can Time Markets (And Do Better Than the Average Investor) Markets are […]
5 Lessons Learned from the 10 Year US Bull Market
By Eve Kaplan, CFP® We’re celebrating 10 years of a remarkable bull market in US stocks. Here are 5 lessons reinforced during this time: Lesson 1: Stay the Course When Things Get Rough The 2008-09 crash seemed to be The End of the World because the entire banking system (with knock-on effects worldwide) was in […]
Better Annuities Are Fixed Annuities
by Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner ™ In my prior article I explained the kinds of annuities that are “bad” or “ugly” for investors: virtually all variable annuities, including indexed annuities (that are misleadingly categorized at a type of fixed annuity). My objections have to do primarily with cost and the fact that they often are sold […]
Invest Like a “Tortoise” — Not Like a “Hare”
by Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner(R) Aesop’s “The Tortoise and the Hare” is a perfect metaphor for the way people go about investing their money. As you recall in the fable, the hare brags about his ability to beat the tortoise and is overly confident about winning. In the investment world, the hare is someone […]
Market Forecasts: Helpful or Useless?
By Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner® The financials industry spends a lot of time and money on preparing stock and bond market forecasts – especially at this time of year — but are they “helpful” or “useless” when it comes to making investment decisions? In my opinion, most of these forecasts have little predictive power. […]
“It’s Greek to Me!” – Understanding Your Investment Statements
By Eve Kaplan, Certified Financial Planner™ Note: I recently gave a seminar at the Bernards Township Library in Basking Ridge, NJ. Here are a few points that we touched on. When you look at your monthly investment statement, do you think “this looks like Greek to me”? Do you ignore all but the first page, […]