It used to be that professionally managed investment accounts were only for the ultra rich investor. Only those with money like Bill Gates had access to these money managers but the average joe didn’t. Initial investments of $10-$20 million were the norm. But over the last few years, due to advances in technology that automate […]
One of the most common questions that I receive goes something like this: “Why should I be investing in the stock market while the economy is still on shaky ground?” This is certainly a reasonable question. After all, U.S. unemployment remains very high, the global real estate market is soft, taxes are rising, countries in […]
Recently, I was a featured panelist on an online retirement forum hosted by financial content giant, Seeking Alpha.com. The forum focused on stock exposure during retirement. Should retirees continue to own stocks? How much should they own? What types of stocks and in what form (i.e. individual stocks or mutual funds and ETFs)? While each […]
The financial crisis has left many retirement investors wondering if the old rules for owning stocks for the long run still hold true. Many are asking these days: – Is ‘Buy and Hold’ of stocks no longer a prudent strategy? – Do blue chip stocks in the traditional sense even exist anymore? – Are traditional […]
When a new client who had recently received an inheritance opened up an account with me, he transferred this new portfolio from a well-known brokerage firm. After the transfer was completed, we sat down to review his current holdings and adjust the portfolio. Some of the client’s stocks were showing large losses. However, he explained […]
A common worry among investors whose stocks are not performing well is the fear of selling at a loss. Their way of dealing with this situation is to hold onto the losing stock until it moves back to the price for which they originally bought it. At first glance, this doesn’t make much rational sense, […]
With many foreign investors worried about the potential of a real estate bubble occurring in Israel, I have been asked by many tourists here for Passover about other investment alternatives available to gain exposure to the strong Israeli economy. While many of you will question my opening line about a potential real estate bubble forming […]
As the Obama administration continues to turn over every stone in search of revenue, Americans who have investment accounts with Israeli banks have been asked to close their accounts. This was seen as a precaution taken by the local Israeli banks to avoid putting their U.S. banking licenses in jeopardy, ala UBS. I was recently quoted […]
With hotels about to be taken over with tourists for Pesach, I am prepared to hear a very common question asked by friends and family visiting Israel: “We are thinking of making Aliyah in two to three years and we want to know how we can make ends meet, let alone save for retirement, on […]
With Pesach fast approaching, we are all celebrating the fact that we have gone from being slaves to being a free people. In the tractate of Pesachim 10:5, the Mishnah states that “man is obligated to view himself as if he himself left Egypt.” In other words, we must internalize the fact that we were […]
