Multi-level Marketing or Pyramid Scheme?

January 25, 2016

I’ve been hearing more and more from friends that they are considering a side gig selling a product or service. We all know stories of people who have made substantial extra income from things like nutritional cleansing, personal care products, cosmetics, financial products and vitamins. Many of these are established companies and household names. Consumers like their products and the feeling that comes with supporting their friends and neighbors. Continue reading “Multi-level Marketing or Pyramid Scheme?”

The Other Side of American Greed

January 18, 2016

Friday nights on CNBC, households all over the country are watching American Greed, the wildly popular documentary series narrated by Stacy Keach which tells the real-life stories of financial crimes and the effect on their victims. There have been episodes about Ponzi schemes, mortgage fraud, identity theft, insurance fraud and investment scams. Some of them tell truly heartbreaking stories, where the people who were victimized by the fraud seemed to be making wise decisions, only to be fooled by someone with criminal intent. In all the episodes, the message is clear:  there are hucksters and criminals who are out to steal your money — and you’d better be on guard. It’s an important message, one that we all need to hear. Continue reading “The Other Side of American Greed”

How Would You Take the Powerball Winnings?

January 14, 2016

What would you do if you won yesterday’s $1.5 billion Powerball jackpot? Before you start thinking about how to spend a billion and a half dollars, understand that you won’t get it all at once. Instead, it’s paid out in 30 installments over 29 years. If you want the money now, you only get $930 million. Then there’s taxes. Continue reading “How Would You Take the Powerball Winnings?”

What Are Your Funds Really Costing You?

October 16, 2015

In one of my recent conversations with an employee preparing for retirement, we covered a lot of territory over a number of sessions. In running his retirement projections, he was WAY ahead of the curve. He had his estate plan prepared by an excellent attorney. Continue reading “What Are Your Funds Really Costing You?”

Can You Put Your Investment Plan On A Note Card?

August 10, 2015

Does investing seem complicated? Despite the presence of overly complicated financial strategies and the often vexing financial jargon used by financial professionals, investing does not have to be so complex.Investing is simply a balancing act where the challenge is to find the ideal balance between risk and reward. Continue reading “Can You Put Your Investment Plan On A Note Card?”

Some Of The Riskiest Investments May Surprise You

July 30, 2015

One of the biggest fears people have when it comes to investing is a year like 2008, when the US stock market fell almost 40%. But as long as you didn’t bail out of stocks, you would have recovered your losses in about 5 years and then gone on to make more money. The same is true of every other market downturn since the Great Depression. If you’re worried about the real risk of permanent loss, some of the riskiest investments actually seem much safer. Here are ones that may surprise you: Continue reading “Some Of The Riskiest Investments May Surprise You”

What Makes A Good Mutual Fund?

June 25, 2015

That’s a common question I get in our investing workshops. Most people instinctively look at performance. After all, that’s how we typically measure ability and try to predict future performance in most areas but investing is different. Continue reading “What Makes A Good Mutual Fund?”

There’s No Such Thing As A “Safe” Investment

June 23, 2015

There is so much information regarding the best investment mix for your financial goals. I challenge you to watch one episode of Squawk Box and see how long it takes for your head to spin with all of the conflicting information. On top of everything, everyone has a different idea about risk. I was talking with my colleague, Kelley, and asked her to share her perspective on how people should look at risk. Below is her guidance. Continue reading “There’s No Such Thing As A “Safe” Investment”

A 6% Guaranteed Return?

June 18, 2015

Would you like a guaranteed 6% return on your investments? Is that even possible? I recently got a helpline call from a woman who thought it was. Her advisor had suggested that she roll her 401k into an annuity that paid “a guaranteed 6% return regardless of what the stock market does.” She thought the only downside is that she had to leave the money in the annuity for 10 years and that there was a 1% fee so the guaranteed return would be 5% after fees. Continue reading “A 6% Guaranteed Return?”

The “Hidden” Sales Charge

June 17, 2015

I received a call recently from an investor that was a little confused about differences in mutual fund share classes. It seems this individual opened an IRA with a financial advisor a few years ago and purchased an “A” share mutual fund. Then, just a few days ago, they received a letter from the custodian informing them that “B” shares would no longer be available for purchase. The investor had never heard of a “B” share and wasn’t quite sure what this meant, so they decided to call the Financial Helpline. Continue reading “The “Hidden” Sales Charge”

How to Invest While Getting a Tan

June 10, 2015

June signifies summer, a time when millions of Americans flock to frolic in the sand and soak up some sun. If only investing were as easy as a day at the beach…or is it? It can be if you follow these simple guidelines: Continue reading “How to Invest While Getting a Tan”

Which History Matters?

June 05, 2015

Risk is something most people want to avoid.For that reason, and with 2008’s stock market crash and a lot of talk about today’s market being at or near all-time highs, I am seeing people re-evaluating the level of investment risk in their 401k’s. One trend that is a bit troubling is going on with young employees in their 20’s and 30’s who entered the workforce or were relatively new hires when the 2008 collapse happened. Many of these employees are shunning investment risk at perhaps the expense of their future financial security. Continue reading “Which History Matters?”

How New Online Tools Will Save One Woman Tens of Thousands of Dollars Per Year

April 30, 2015

Last week, I wrote about my three favorite online investment services. This week, I’ll show you an example of how a couple of those tools saved a friend’s mother tens of thousands of dollars. When I spoke to my friend, his mother had just retired with a $1 million portfolio and he wanted to know how she should invest it for retirement. Since we can’t provide specific investment advice at Financial Finesse, this was a rare opportunity for me to be more hands-on. Here’s what we did: Continue reading “How New Online Tools Will Save One Woman Tens of Thousands of Dollars Per Year”

3 Tools That Can Make Your Investing Simpler and Cheaper

April 23, 2015

Last week, we discussed the three keys to successful investing being properly diversified, minimizing costs, and re-balancing periodically. Over the last few years, we’ve seen the emergence of online automated investment services (often called “robo-advisors”) that aim to make these steps even easier. After reviewing the various options, there are three in particular that I really like. Here’s a comparison of how each of them can help you with the three steps and what type of person they might each be best suited for: Continue reading “3 Tools That Can Make Your Investing Simpler and Cheaper”

Three Investment Terms You Should Know

April 22, 2015

Have you ever noticed how different words mean different things to different people? The other day I was talking with a helpline caller who was looking for a way to invest their retirement funds such that they couldn’t lose money and could draw an income from it in the future. When I mentioned the word “annuity,” they immediately had a negative reaction as they were lead to believe all annuities were bad, which seemed ironic considering that’s exactly what they just described they were looking for. When it comes to investment terminology, not understanding the meaning of a word can be a financial mistake. Here are three investment terms that are frequently used but often misunderstood: Continue reading “Three Investment Terms You Should Know”

Do You Understand Your Advisor’s Recommendations?

April 21, 2015

I recently spoke to a friend who wanted to ask my opinion about her current financial advisor. Knowing that I have a slight addiction to chocolate, she offered me her homemade Godiva Hot Chocolate with a chocolate coated bottom for my trouble. Of course I would have offered my opinion at no cost, but who am I to turn down her homemade hot cocoa? As I listened, she started to describe how she was referred to him though a family friend so she did not feel the need to do a background check or ask him questions about how he gets paid. She took it on faith that if her family member recommended him then she would be fine. Continue reading “Do You Understand Your Advisor’s Recommendations?”

All You Need To Know About Investing In 3 Simple Steps

April 16, 2015

Whenever I talk to people about investing, I find that most people fall into one of two groups. One group feels that investing is too complicated for them so they want to hire a professional to manage their money for them. The other group is make up of active investors who try to time the market with statements like “I think the market is too high to get in right now” or “I’m going to wait for prices to come down before I buy” and/or pick stocks or actively managed funds that they think will outperform the market. The problem is that there’s no evidence that market timing or even actively picking stocks really works (unless monkeys or cats are doing the picking). If the vast majority of professional money managers continue to underperform the market with these methods, do you really think you can in your spare time? Continue reading “All You Need To Know About Investing In 3 Simple Steps”

3 Investment Myths Busted

February 26, 2015

Think you know everything you need to know about investing? I recently read three articles that dispel some conventional wisdom when it comes to your investments. Here are the busted myths along with the implications of what they could mean for you: Continue reading “3 Investment Myths Busted”