Opportunity Costs
Are Bonds Still a Good Choice for Safe, Steady Growth?
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know that bonds aren’t what they used to be. Values are declining, risk is up, investors are selling, bond funds are underperforming, and municipal bonds are no longer the safe haven they once were. “With the demise of the bond insurance industry in the financial crisis, credit quality in…
Read More 7 Reasons to be a Private Lender
“The human species, according to the best theory I can form of it, is composed of two distinct races, the men who borrow, and the men who lend.” – Charles Lamb It’s one of the oldest, most proven forms of investing; lending capital to another-perhaps someone who can’t get traditional bank financing-in exchange for interest,…
Read More 7 Strategies for More Income in Retirement
One of the biggest fears people have is running out of money in retirement. And for many Americans, this is a very real risk, not an irrational phobia. If you are a reasonably healthy 65-year-old non-smoker, actuarial tables estimate you’re likely to live to age 86, as a man, and 89, as a woman. And…
Read More Principles of Financial Strategy – Control
The interest rate on an investment or financial product is important, but it’s not the only thing that matters. It’s one principle of financial strategy among many that should be considered before committing to a financial course of action. There is more to financial strategy than searching for the highest rate of return on a…
Read More Principles of Financial Strategy – Certainty
What does the principle of certainty mean to you when it comes to your financial strategy and the investments and products you choose to purchase? Are you thinking about whether or not your money will be available when you want to use it 5, 10, 20 years down the road? When you are analyzing whether…
Read More Do you understand the power of your whole life insurance?
Whole life insurance is a terrible investment… They said with authority. First, whole life insurance isn’t an investment, unless of course you consider it an investment in securing the foundation of the rest of your entire financial strategy. Second, compared to what? That’s a great question to ask whenever somebody makes an assertion about how…
Read More Avoid losses and keep more of your money
Avoid losses and keep more of your money. What has a greater impact on your ability to build wealth: higher rates of return or reducing costs? While seeking out investments with the highest rates of return seems more exciting than figuring out how to avoid losing what you already have, it is the latter that…
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