Consider these election headlines: “Should you hoard cash before the election?" "This election could help make or break your retirement." "The nastiest election of our lifetime." "A Trump win will tank the market.” Were these headlines published last week? No, they...
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5 Tips to Prepare for Market Turbulence
Many investors are switching their concerns from the coronavirus to the stock market. If the resurgent virus forces a new economic shutdown, and if everyone is forced to stay-at-home again, will the stock market take another 30% hit? Of course, the bottom line is: “No...
Use the Pandemic as a Test Drive for Retirement
Unless you are an essential worker, you have probably spent most of the last three months sheltering in place at home during the COVID pandemic. If you are a sales or client service worker, or consultant, or computer-based worker, or the like, it was probably fairly...
Basic Investing Building Block #2
Investing can be complicated to the average “Joe or JoAnn.” However, having just the simplest knowledge of what it is and how it works can help you manage your money with confidence. Let’s break it down in a way that makes it easier to understand. This is the...
To Convert or Not to Convert? That Is the Question!
What am I talking about, you ask? Roth conversions. What is a Roth conversion? A Roth conversion is taking all or part of an existing traditional IRA and moving it into a Roth IRA. The main difference between a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA is that traditional...
Is It Time to Change Your Investment Strategy?
Uncertainty is a fact of life. With uncertainty comes fear. Without a doubt, the global pandemic has escalated uncertainty and fear in our lives. Learning to cope with uncertainty is essential to a resilient life. But how do we do this? Some thoughts: Have a financial...
APC Then and Now
It was 1972; a 33-year-old Kemp Fain had discovered and joined a pioneering effort to professionalize “financial planning” as a field of study and service. Subsequently, he became the first enrolled student for the Certified Financial Planner designation and went on...
Basic Investing Building Block #1
This is the first in a series of postings where the focus will be around investing. We will touch on some of the core building blocks of investing. It may be a reminder for many of you or new to some, but if you find these useful, please share it with others. Whether...
Find Courage By Acknowledging The Good News During The Pandemic
In these troubling and uncertain times, is there any good news out there? As very real pain and suffering, physical and financial and emotional, spreads across the globe, is there any good news? Let’s consider: Gas prices are down, way down (even though we have...
We Will Get Through This Market Pandemic
Well, this seems crazy, almost surreal like one of the (always popular) Armageddon movies. My sister, who lives in Los Angeles, said people are lined up down the street to get in gun stores (presumably to take up arms to guard their toilet paper). But seriously, the...