Retirement Watch Weekly
Yellen Surprised by Inflation
Anyone who’s monitored Fed pronouncements the last few years knows that the central bank has significantly overestimated inflation. While others have said forces were in place to keep inflation below what it would be at this point in a traditional business cycle, the Fed disagreed. In this article, Chairman Janet Yellen acknowledges the Fed’s been […]
Dodge & Cox Profile
One of my favorite mutual fund firms is Dodge & Cox. Their stock fund consistently has beaten the S&P 500 over an extended period. The firm charges low fees, and its winning investment style has continued to excel through several generations of management. Read the profile. The old-school investment firm does virtually nothing to promote […]
7 Ways to Compare Long-Term Care Insurance
I’ve found that long-term care is, without question, one of the most difficult aspects to handle in retirement planning. In Part 1 of our LTC piece last week, we covered some of the basics of long-term care, such as costs, elimination periods, and types of payouts. In today’s story, we’ll “cut through the sales talk” […]
The 5 Steps Every Investor Should Take Now
Everyone knows markets go up and down. It’s the natural ebb and flow. Amazingly, though, few investors ever prepare for big, dramatic, fast turns in the markets. In my new Retirement Watch Spotlight Seminar, you’ll learn why now is the best time to prepare your portfolio for the inevitable next downturn in the markets and […]
The Dollar Bounces Back
The reversal in the U.S. dollar is the big news in the markets. The dollar soared after the election but began a steady decline in January that didn’t stop until recently. At one point, the dollar was down almost 10% for the year against a basket of major currencies. That was its longest and steepest […]
IRAs: A Quick Reference Guide
The Investment Company Institute (ICI) reported in June 2017 that total US retirement assets exceeded $26 trillion and accounted for 34% of all household financial assets as of March 31, 2017. The largest share of these retirements assets – 31% or $8.17 trillion – was allocated into Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). This is the first […]
When to Consider Tactical Investing
Tactical investing is when you change a portfolio’s asset allocation from time to time based on what’s happening in the markets and economy. For example, you might reduce stocks after they’ve had an extended rally or reduce bonds when interest rates seem about to rise. This article points out that tactical investing isn’t for everybody […]
The Workout Cure
This article presents the latest research to argue that there’s not much that can’t be cured or prevented by exercise, including depression and disease. It also points out that it’s important to do a variety of exercise. Most people focus on the cardio or aerobic exercises. You also need to do some weight-bearing and flexibility […]
