"It's been over thirty years since Toronto Stock Market launched the first exchange-traded fund (ETF). Since that time, ETFs have gained popularity and are poised to take over the current mutual fund market." John Ripley What are ETFs, anyway? Created to give individual investors more liquid and tax-efficient products than traditional mutual funds, ETFs were [...]
"If people would look carefully at their advisor recommended portfolio, they probably would find they are being charged an advisory fee by their advisor and then learn they are paying another fee in the mutual fund to have their money managed. Double fees." Jeff Wisuri I cannot count the number of times I have sat [...]
"Liquid assets are a major component of a healthy financial plan. Are you making sure your clients have the cash they need to hedge against disasters?" Del Fujinaka Income shocks produced as a result of the pandemic have had a somewhat purifying effect on financial planning. Before COVID-19, many consumers were dismissive of the idea [...]
"There is only one difference between a long life and a good dinner: that, in the dinner, the sweets come last." – Robert Lewis Stevenson. We all want our retirement years to be financially secure, but the "Golden Years" are anything but sweet for many. Even the best plans can be completely derailed by market [...]
While there is no single quality that guarantees a person will be financially successful, there are some common traits the financially free have in common. I believe that anyone, especially those partnering with a dedicated, trusted financial advisor, can achieve financial freedom, no matter how small or large their salaries. There are tons of stories of people [...]
The one-size-fits-all approach their advisor may have used during the accumulation phase just won’t work when it’s time to retire.-George Politarhos Generic, templated approaches to financial planning can work for some people during the “accumulation” phase of their financial lives. However, as a person gets within five to seven years of retirement, it becomes obvious [...]
"Retirees wanting to generate most of their retirement income from an investment portfolio should be aware of how the order of investment returns could significantly impact the portfolio's value."- Michael Lucey One of the most significant risks seniors face in retirement is their portfolios' potential to experience large negative returns soon after they retire. When [...]
One of the most common concerns expressed by retirees in financial planning sessions is the fear of running out of money in retirement. As you near the time when you are no longer in the workforce, you might worry about whether your savings will be enough to sustain you once you stop working. The possibility [...]
"Knowing who you are with regard to money is a critical component of becoming more successful in life."- Angie Politarhos. Attributed variously to Plato, Socrates, or Aeschylus, the saying, "Know thyself," has popped up in self-help books for hundreds of years. When applied to a person's finances, "Know thyself" has an intrinsic self-help appeal. I [...]
"Building an expert team to guide you through the often bewildering and frustrating financial landscape is a crucial task if you are a pre-retiree or already retired."-Eric Coons "Do-it-yourself" retirement planning is certainly possible, even if it's probably not a great idea. The current IRS tax code, for example, is around 2,600 pages long. Then [...]
