"The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic downturn took pretty much everyone by surprise. Are you ready for the next crisis?" Tim Davis Most Americans were caught off-guard both by the swiftness with which the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and the economic disaster it birthed. While we are just beginning to see some of the consequences of [...]
Like most people, I have found myself challenged by the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The social consequences are genuine, so is the financial impact as millions of Americans face economic hardship and uncertainty. - Tim Davis, CLU, CEBS As is the case with most of life, each hardship and challenge contains lessons to be [...]
The SECURE ACT took effect 1/1/2020: Will your family be affected? When it comes to finding new ways to siphon more money out of middle-class taxpayers' pockets, there is no shortage of great ideas on Capitol Hill. Take the clumsily-titled Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Act (SECURE Act), for example. The SECURE Act, which became [...]
What is a “Black Swan” event and how could it affect your retirement plans? "Go ask your portfolio manager for his definition of "risk," and the odds are that he will supply you with a measure that excludes the possibility of the Black Swan-hence one that has no better predictive value for assessing the [...]
Have you ever thought about that? If you knew that you would never lose your money, what type of investment would you choose? The fact that you are exempt from a loss would free you of the worry of concern about any investment, and you would merely choose a category that potentially had the [...]
Annuities and Asset Protection: What you need to know! Joe Richmond (not his real name) followed every bit of advice his financial planner gave him. He paid himself first and accumulated a very nice emergency fund. He maxed out his employer-matched qualified plan, invested in income-producing assets, looked for any tax savings, and started a [...]
Annuities have a long and important history dating to the Roman Era Annuities have a long history dating back to the Roman Era when they were used as a form of gratification for loyal soldiers. These early annuities were given to soldiers as a thank you for military service. The first mention of annuities [...]
