War of Two Goals: Retirement Planning or College Funding

September 09, 2010

My wonderful daughter is about to embark on a very (hopefully) fruitful and fun part of her life, college.  As a parent, this is also a trying time as it often entails the child leaving the nest as well as the dollars leaving the wallet.  This rite of passage for both our kids and parents is a question that is asked often in our workshops about college planning. Continue reading “War of Two Goals: Retirement Planning or College Funding”

Thoughts Behind a Vacation/Retirement Home

September 02, 2010

Well we made it back in one piece, fully rested and ready to take on the world.  Well at least our decision on what to buy and where to buy.  So here’s our verdict: we are going to purchase a house that we can visit occasionally (vacation) and also retire to.  (Remember, my wife wants to retire ideally in 5-7 years.)  This creates an additional component to our decision.  We don’t want to necessarily foot the entire bill for the mortgage, insurance, possible HOA, etc, so this home will also need to be in a location that will provide us with rental income from other vacationers.  And who said financial decisions like this were easy? Continue reading “Thoughts Behind a Vacation/Retirement Home”

Beware of the “It Must Be Fate” Investment

August 26, 2010

Somehow I found myself in a conversation the other day concerning what we perceived were the most interesting investment choices we knew friends/family to have made. The one that immediately came to my mind was the one a family member had the misfortune of being a party to. Continue reading “Beware of the “It Must Be Fate” Investment”

Thoughts Behind a Vacation/Retirement Home

August 19, 2010

I have to first say thank goodness for the “free upgrade” my wife and I received during our vacation in Playa Paraiso because it afforded me the ability to write this while viewing the tranquil waters of the Caribbean from our ocean view room.  Nice.

Back to the topic at hand.  We have been talking for a while about purchasing a home that we could spend some time in, if not live permanently, when we both retire.  Continue reading “Thoughts Behind a Vacation/Retirement Home”

From Emotional to Rational in 45 Minutes

August 12, 2010

DATELINE: November 2008

Participants: Myself and a loving family member

ISSUE: Wanted to sell out of the stock market

MISSION: To turn a emotional decision into a well thought out one (rational)

In my workshops to clients and also in one on one discussions, I am often asked how investors get through the inevitable market declines.  I would usually describe the tenet of taking time to assess a situation before making a decision, or in other words taking the emotion out of the equation.  Sounds easier to say than it is to do.  That is why I now use an example of a wonderful family member who, unbeknownst to them, has provided me a real life example of moving from an emotional decision to one devoid of emotion.  Here’s what happened: Continue reading “From Emotional to Rational in 45 Minutes”

A Strategy for All Markets

August 05, 2010

One of the great benefits of doing educational workshops is that I can share personal stories and strategies with large groups of people with the end result being that those attending often have more confidence in the investing strategies they employ.

So what are some of my strategies?  Those of you reading this as you are having your favorite meal are about to find out one of the key strategies I use (and in my very humble opinion, one that the vast majority of successful investors use).  That strategy is simply having what is called a “sell discipline.”

Let me give you a recent example. Continue reading “A Strategy for All Markets”