Traditional IRAs are an IOU to the IRS
“IRAs are now an awful, terrible asset to use for wealth transfer and estate planning.” That was the message that IRA expert Ed Slott (IRAhelp.com) recently delivered at the Retirement Income Summit sponsored by InvestmentNews. He was referring to traditional IRAs. It’s true mostly because all withdrawals from traditional IRAs are subject to ordinary income tax. [Ed. You don’t ... READ MORE
How to take advantage of a down market
Nobody likes a down stock market — or do they? Almost every conversation I have had with clients this year included some amount of fear over where the markets are and where they are headed. The concerns range from losing a few more percentage points (possible) to losing 100% of their money (absurd). If an investor in a moderate portfolio lost all their money because the stock market ... READ MORE
A new investment strategy to consider
Recently, direct indexing, a lesser-known investment approach, has started outpacing both ETFs and mutual funds in investor adoption. Direct indexing offers unique benefits that can’t be replicated in a traditional ETF or mutual fund structure, particularly around personalization and tax management. Given its benefits, direct indexing is expected to continue to outpace ETF and mutual... READ MORE
What we can learn from the best investors
Financial journalist William Green has written a great book, Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World’s Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life, based on his in-depth interviews with the world’s most successful investors. The book stands out because Green probes beyond the field of investing to find out how they have succeeded in their lives generally. This is especially interesting... READ MORE
How to protect your portfolio from yourself
Seeking Alpha (seekingalpha.com), a well-respected publisher of finance-related content, recently published an enlightening article titled “4 Simple Rules To Protect Your Portfolio From Yourself.” It’s a long article, full of sound advice based on historical analysis and advice from many stock market experts, such as Ray Dalio, Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, among others. I ... READ MORE
Preferred stocks are worth a closer look
Many investors don’t fully understand the advantages and disadvantages of buying preferred stocks. Preferred stock is really a hybrid security more similar to a bond than to a common stock. The primary advantage is consistent high income with less downside risk than common stocks. The primary disadvantage is that when interest rates increase significantly, the value of preferred stocks ... READ MORE
How to make better financial decisions
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to challenge every aspect of our lives — work, family, health and money — it is imperative we all take a gut check on any of our portfolio exposed to the wild rides of the financial markets. A recap is important: According to JP Morgan’s Q2 2020 Guide to the Markets, the S&P 500 index hit its last historical high on Feb. 19, 2020. It... READ MORE
Finding the upside of a downside market
The year so far has presented a challenging time for investors. However, periods of market dislocation also can provide opportunities on the financial planning side to create a better long-term position. Here are five things you can do right now to prepare for the future financially and take advantage of lower equity prices: Create a personal balance sheet and income statement Many of... READ MORE
Bonds still offer pockets of opportunity
Bonds survived a brutal financial upheaval, reinforcing my confidence that positive returns will extend through the remainder of this strange year, albeit with massive help from the Federal Reserve. There will be more bad days and shrill headlines, and you can expect a bulge in corporate debt downgrades to junk status in the most-depressed industries and localities. But actual defaults... READ MORE
Is your target date fund letting you down?
Target date investments are supposed to be an easier way to invest, and they’re a popular choice in 401(k) plans. But the recent market downturn showed that some target date strategies suffered much bigger losses than others, especially for investors nearing retirement. Target date investments did protect near-retirees from the full force of the sell-off. While U.S. stocks overall... READ MORE
