“China Market Drop Leads to Worries of Further Turmoil”. Wall Street Journal – January 4, 2016 “Dow, S&P Off to the Worst Starts Ever for Any Year”. Wall Street Journal – January 7, 2016 “Nikkei Posts Largest Weekly Percentage Drop Since Financial Crisis”. Wall Street Journal – February 12, 2016 “S&P 500 Turns Positive for the Year.” Financial Times – March 17, 2016 “Stocks Grind Out Another Blue Chip Day – Dow Climbs 49 Points, Notching Their Fifth Win in the Past Six Trading Days.” Wall Street Journal – April 20, 2016 This first few months of 2016 certainly provided investors with a tale of highs and lows. At times, headlines were at or near proclaiming Armageddon. It was a tough
No .. this isn't an article about the Donald. But for better or worse the word "Trump" does seem to get our attention these days. Rather, this Blog is about one of my favorite phrases: "It's not what you make, it's what you keep". Saving more and spending less should trump other priorities in all of our financial plans. However, whether it is to remain active or to overcome retirement savings shortfalls, many people, including clients we work with at TruNorth Capital, plan to delay retirement past the traditional retirement age of 65. Generally, I think we should delay retirement for as long as possible. However, despite best laid plans, recent research[i] published by the Pension Research C
Let’s be totally honest. If a financial advisor, broker or other so-called investment professional advises you to purchase a variable annuity in your IRA, you should in nearly every case fire that advisor or walk out of the room. Why? You don’t wear a belt AND suspenders, do you? Of course not. Which is why you don’t need to buy a tax-deferred status investment (the variable annuity) in a tax-deferred account (the IRA). You are duplicating needlessly the ability to save money, to allow the money to grow tax-free, to control when you withdraw the money, and to pay taxes at a certain age with a lower tax bracket. Most reasonable people think that the greatest benefit to a variable annuity, whi
