The recent talk of “tapering” has brought back intense volatility to the financial markets. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s comments outlining what it would take for the Fed to stop buying back bonds sent stocks dropping, gold plunging and interest rates soaring. Investors, and especially retirement investors, the world over have begun to worry whether this […]
A son can bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair. – Niccolo Machiavelli Should you plan for receiving an inheritance? In many circles, just speaking in broad terms about the topic is tantamount to handing a written invitation for the “evil eye” to […]
One of the hottest issues in financial-planning circles is how to make sure retirees don’t run out of money before they die. As more and more baby boomers hit retirement, and with interest rates at record low levels, the question is how can retirees generate the income they need to meet their expenses. I’d like […]
As I have written about many times, it appears that the days of the US dollar as the global reserve currency are numbered. In an article in the RT.com Dick Bove, vice president of equity research at Rafferty Capital Markets says the dollar’s actual percentage of total money supply worldwide has gone from 90 per cent […]
“Every time in this century we’ve lowered the tax rates across the board, on employment, on saving, investment and risk-taking in this economy, revenues went up, not down.” – Jack Kemp It’s no secret that Finance Minister Yair Lapid has been raked over the coals for his budget, but we haven’t seen much in the […]
With interest rates near zero, investors have been desperately seeking yield. As a result, one of the hottest trades for investors over the last three to four years has been buying large companies that pay high dividends. Investors have turned to “blue-chip” companies, like Johnson and Johnson(JNJ) or AT&T(T), that they know and that pay […]
As the US stock market (as measured by the S&P 500) continues on its almost daily march to new highs in the face of continued disappointing economic news, retirement investors should be on the lookout for markets that have the potential to provide more value going forward. Keep in mind the most important investing mantra: […]
“Governments don’t reduce deficits by raising taxes on the people; governments reduce deficits by controlling spending and stimulating new wealth.” – US president Ronald Reagan So after many zigzags and leaks to the media we finally get to see Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s budget. The headlines are screaming about the draconian budget cuts. In fact […]
Let me start by wishing a big mazel tov to my niece Avital on her recent engagement. With Lag Ba’omer serving as the official opening of wedding season, I’d like to focus on some financial issues that newlyweds will face. For the new couple, many important decisions need to be made. Where to live, who […]
As I mention often in my upcoming book, Retirement GPS: How to Navigate Your Way to A Secure Financial Future with Global Investing (McGraw-Hill), I am not the biggest fan of spending a lot of money to pay a financial adviser to do a financial plan. I have seen too many financial planners use the financial plan as […]
