You’ve seen his TV commercials or his ads in magazines and newspapers. He spends a fortune on these negative advertisements every year. According to Forbes, he’s worth over $3 BILLION dollars. He earned the bulk of his net worth by managing investors money (minimum investment is $500,000) and collecting quarterly fees. Nothing wrong with that. We are fiduciaries too and our firm charges fees for two of the stock/bond market “risk buckets”. But there are 3 risk buckets – not just two. (text continued below) So what about … Continue reading

The following is an example of “out-of-the-box” financial thinking. It certainly is not meant to make any recommendation for any individual or couple since everyone’s present circumstances and financial goals are very different.  It only serves to show that there are more possibilities out there to reach various financial goals than many people (including advisors) realize. Of course, the numbers shown below will vary based on age, gender and health. They could be better or worse – more attractive or … Continue reading

Do your business owner friends and relatives know what a Section 162 Bonus Plan is and how it can help them grow their business by attracting and retaining key talent? Section 162 Plans are a very typical way that small business owners can bonus their key employees in order to recruit and retain top talent. It can be a TAX-FREE ROTH IRA alternative with no IRS contribution limits nor income limits.  But once an employer learns how they can supersize these bonuses — WITHOUT … Continue reading

On December 23rd, I passed the third and final exam for a one-year long course to earn the Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) designation. At about $2,000 (for the 3-course advanced curriculum), plus over two hundred hours of coursework/studying plus passing 3 two-hour exams, I have now earned the RICP® designation. Of course, I’ll have additional continuing education (CE) requirements for the rest of my career too in addition to my CFP® and insurance license CE requirements too. It is … Continue reading

Generally there are two systems of property in the US. Most states use the common law system, but about 30% of Americans live in states that operate under Community property laws. .Specific laws vary among the nine “Community Property” states. However, the basic concept of those laws is that a husband and wife each own a 50% interest in what is labeled community property. One determining factor in the classification of a particular asset as community property is the time … Continue reading