Aug 27, 2010 04:42PM

When Will the Next Big One Arrive?

The long history of markets is volatility, uncertainty, and during recent decades, meltdowns. The major economic events that have rocked the markets since the Civil War include: The Panic of 1873, which closed the New York Stock Exchange for ten days. The country had 364 railroads and 89 went bankrupt; massive business failures occurred, unemployment reached [...]

Aug 09, 2010 10:55AM

Market Myths that Sway Investors

As this is being written, the market is surging upward by 200 points ? this comes after a matching downward spiral a few days before. Some sages say the market?s headed higher while other pundits say lower: my position is ?you know, you never know?. The recent movements in the market are stomach [...]

Feb 24, 2010 10:23AM

Getting to Know Roth IRA Conversions

Tax-free Roth IRA conversion is a topic that can help many of you have more money for retirement … an important law change in 2010 has been a real game changer. Everyone needs to find out if a tax-free Roth IRA is right for them. Before we get into the specifics of Roth IRA Conversion, let [...]

Jan 07, 2010 12:48PM

Making Your Retirement Money Long

What will you do if you run out of money during retirement? What are the consequences if your surviving spouse doesn?t have enough money? These serious questions are reality for many retirees. Nonetheless as I mentioned in my retirement blog, the fear of running out of money  has not kept many retirees from speculating with [...]

Dec 07, 2009 06:29AM

Should You Buy Gold as a Retirement Hedge?

This is a question I get constantly on this Retirement Blog. Like most decisions in life the answer is: maybe and maybe not! It depends on what you?re trying to accomplish. Historically, gold has been used to hedge against government failure, inflation, economic uncertainty or as an investment. For example, when governments have been on the brink of toppling (wars, coup d`etat, monetary collapse and more) the demand for gold, along with diamonds, soars in that country. Generally as monetary excesses erode the purchasing power of currency (inflation), gold goes up in price. During depressions and recessions (economic uncertainty) gold generally moves up in price. As the probability of any of these occurrences rise, the demand for gold as an investment also rises. If you want to own gold, what is your motivation?

Dec 03, 2009 09:35AM

Ten Biggest Misconceptions about Fixed Annuities

No other savings vehicle is as misunderstood, under appreciated and maligned as fixed annuities. Most people who can benefit from annuities have been bombarded by misinformation, biased opinions and outright lies. The truth is: fixed annuities are safe because they are guaranteed by insurance companies, a great place to keep retirement money because they pay tax-deferred competitive returns, and