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When working with a wealth advisor or financial planner the topic of long term care often comes up.  This conversation usually centers on whether or not to purchase a specific form of insurance that protects against the expensive cost of extended care.  But is this really the only definition of long term care?  In this day and age, aging can take many forms (more…)

Many self-employed entrepreneurs may want to save for retirement using either an IRA, Roth IRA, SEP (Simplified Employee Pension), or SIMPLE IRA.  A Single 401(k) maybe a better option due to higher contribution limits.  For 2013, a business owner can make elective deferral contributions of up to $17,500 plus (more…)

You’ve heard the old investment adage, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” It’s good advice. A diversified portfolio should be at the core of any well-planned investment strategy. While a worthy goal at any age, it’s especially desirable as your net worth grows over the years.

The basic purpose of diversification is to reduce your risk of loss. It’s primarily a defensive type of investment policy. Depending on your investment goals and tolerance for risk, your strategy may emphasize one type of investment over another. But overall, your plan should be diversified. That’s because no single type of investment performs best under all economic conditions. A diversified program is capable of weathering varying economic cycles and improving the trade-off between risk of loss (more…)

If you remember when the Beatles’ song, “When I’m Sixty-Four,” was first a hit, then retirement planning should have been high on your list of priorities for some time.  If you remember the song only as an “oldie,” you are in luck because you have time to make a retirement plan. No matter your age, once you begin working, keeping (more…)

I’ve never quite understood the vast majority of the public’s aversion to the word “budget.” If you are one of the millions of “budget-phobes” who equate the word with such unappealing terms as “restrictive,” “limiting” and even “scary,” let me share with you some of the terms I associate with the word: “freedom,” “dreams” and “control.”

Why the drastic difference in perception? I believe the answer lies in many individuals’ lack of awareness of the budget’s potential to help them achieve their goals. Some of the soundest advice I give my clients is to examine their (more…)

Inheriting a small fortune often brings about mixed emotions. Feelings of loss, confusion and anxiety can lead to difficulty in making choices regarding your new assets. But before you do anything rash, you must first complete one important task: do absolutely nothing.

Immediately following a loved one’s passing, you are not in a place to decide how to manage your newly acquired money or property, so the smartest thing you can do is sit tight and wait. Use this time to sort through your emotions, (more…)

We all go to tremendous measures to protect what is ours. We install sirens in our homes to frighten intruders and alarm systems in our cars to scare off robbers.

But what steps do we take to protect our identities? (more…)

Are you saving enough for retirement? You know, “the golden years”, the time when you kick back, relax and enjoy a life of leisure? Studies show that a very large percentage of people who answer that question with a nod are actually mistaken.

Ouch! While whether or not you are saving enough depends partly upon the lifestyle you expect to have at retirement age, there are some general rules you should be following to help ensure you can focus on your newfound hobbies – (more…)

Save, save, save is a message you’ll hear me drive home on more than one occasion.

But the fact of the matter is, tucking the money away is only about half of the story. The other half involves doing everything in your power to see that all those dollars you’ve so faithfully set aside are where you want them. (more…)