Airliners used to require three pilots — a pilot, a copilot and the flight engineer. Now two crew is the norm. A flight engineer used to be responsible for monitoring an aircraft’s engines in flight, as well as other flight systems. Since the late 1980s the position slowly become obsolete with the advent of automation […]
Target-date funds (TDFs) provide an investment mix whose objectives vary over time. TDFs are marketed as a way to ensure risk is allocated appropriately. Risk-tolerance should be carefully reexamined against any fund’s investment objectives. Introduced in the late 1990s, target-date funds (TDFs) were developed to provide those investors planning for retirement an easy way to […]
Creating an emergency fund is a necessary part of financial planning. People often have unexpected or significant expenses arise and have had to turn to emergency funds to make ends meet day-to-day. It’s even more challenging is if there is no emergency fund to access. An emergency fund creates a “buffer” that can help individuals […]
Whether you’re retiring in 10 years, 5 years, 3 years, 1 year, or have just retired, getting organized, planning ahead, and being in control of your money-related matters, goes a long way toward making your retirement experience a little less stressful. Furthermore, everyone’s retirement is unique. Beyond deciding when to begin receiving retirement benefits, other […]
Voicing concern over America’s widening income inequality gap, multi-billionaire investor Warren Buffett thinks he may have a solution — give poor people money via the tax system. Buffett believes that expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit system (EITC) will mean more money in the hands of hard-working but less-skilled Americans. A “refundable” tax credit, the […]
For over 20 years, I have worked within the wealth management industry helping individuals with retirement planning. One of the big decisions one will need to make is deciding which withdrawal strategy is the best for your specific situation. When choosing a withdrawal strategy, it is important to take factors such as taxes, life expectancy, […]
Currently, the price of gold is about $1,275 an ounce. At the peak in 1980 and again in 2011 the precious metal traded above $2,000 an ounce. Now, buying and investing in gold is hard. Getting those peak prices can be once-in-decade events. But finding gold on the ground, well, that’s free money! Why part […]
Got a cellphone? Get read for a flood of bill collector texts. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is proposing changes to the 1977 Fair Debt Collection Practices Act The changes will allow debt collectors nearly unlimited ability to contact debtors via digital communication. The Act previously prevented debt collectors from calling and harassing people […]
A vacation is usually an exercise in spending too much money through design or ignorance, like buying a pricey souvenir that gets thrown into a closet once it’s brought home. Consider that the average American comes home from vacation with over $1,500 charged to credit cards. Such debts are usually borne out of paying for spontaneous, […]
The founder, chairman, and CEO of Blackstone, Stephen Schwarzman, is advocating for immediate legislative action to improve the lives of struggling Americans, including a substantial increase in the minimum wage. Schwarzman is pushing for what he calls “Marshall Plan for the Middle Class,” named for the American-led fund that rebuilt Europe from rubble after World […]
