Recent Financial Articles

Make the most of your money.

I do not believe there is a direct correlation between money and happiness. Some of the richest people in the world are not happy; they can never have enough. Some of the happiest people are those who follow their calling and do not have a dollar to their name. However, the book Happy Money, The Science of Smarter Spending gives some sound advice based on research on ways you can use money to help create happiness in your life.  

One of the hardest things for a financial advisor (and/or financial planner) to articulate is his or her value. So much of what a financial advisor does is based on how he or she invests your money, but at that same time, there are many other areas where an advisor adds value outside of the performance of your investments.  

Have you heard about the massive amount of money investors lost due to the Madoff Ponzi scheme? There sadly are so many more scandals and schemes alive and doing well in the financial area.  

For many investors, the top retirement goal is total financial freedom with a certain income level. The income goal for one investor might be considered excess income by another. The amount you need is not what matters, as the basics are the same. 

Bert worked for one of the large Detroit automobile companies for many years and had a retirement plan with some very expensive no-load investment options. Every Monday, Bert checked in with his office peers and then adjusted his employer’s retirement account, moving his investment allocations according to what the market did the week before and what his peers projected the market would do in the future.

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