Bond Fund Investing
October 27, 2009
Bond funds probably aren’t the investments that you spend hours investigating and researching when building your portfolio or 401k. Typically individual stocks or equity mutual funds are the primary investing focus and bond funds are an afterthought if they’re included at all. However, bond mutual funds and their fixed income can be just as important […]
Outsourcing Your Investing Decisions
October 24, 2009
Would you pay someone to make your investment decisions for you? Sure, most of us have some money invested for us by mutual fund managers but would you outsource your investing choices to someone that simply had a good track record of earning in the stock market? A company called kaChing that runs a virtual stock […]
Fixed Annuities Overview
October 16, 2009
Fixed annuities have caught the attention of some investors who have taken a pounding from the world of stocks over the last few years and started looking for something a little less volatile. This type of investment, though it brings a much lower return on investment, does provide more stability. Are the lower returns and […]
Bond Investing Strategies
October 9, 2009
Bond investing strategies to help you decide how to invest in bonds are the next topic to cover now that we’ve talked about bond investing basics and some bond investment terms. Bond Ladders Bond ladders are a strategy where an investor purchases bonds with different maturity dates. It is the fixed income equivalent of dollar […]
Bond Investing Terms
October 6, 2009
Bond investing terms can be confusing for someone who’s never been around the bond market. I remember the first conversation I had with a bond investor; I knew he was speaking English but his talk of yield curves and zero coupon bonds made it feel like a foreign language. If you don’t know the bond […]
Bond Investing Basics
October 5, 2009
Bond Investing Overview Bond investments should probably be a part of most portfolios; across all ages, investing goals, and levels of risk tolerance. The problem is many people spend their time learning how to invest in stocks and aren’t aware of the benefits that investing in bonds can offer. In general, investors spend very little […]
529 College Savings Plan Overview
October 3, 2009
A 529 college savings plan is another way for U.S. families to prepare for the high costs of college. Named after section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, this investment vehicle has some similarities with and differences from the Coverdell ESA. A 529 plan is another tax-advantaged plan that is designed to give incentives for […]
Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA) Overview
October 2, 2009
Coverdell Education Savings Account History Years ago, there used to be an account called the Education IRA. It was created by the government to help parents prepare for the costs of schooling for their children. This account was not that popular, because at the time, it had a $500 annual contribution limit. I remember clients […]
Life is Short: Save & Spend Wisely for Those Left Behind
September 17, 2009
Do you ever ask yourself why you’re being such a stickler with your money? We save and invest money for “the future” but how do we know when that future we’ve been preparing for becomes the present? My Grandmother’s Apartment My kids and I paid an evening visit to my grandmother this week, just so they could […]
Roth IRA Conversion Tips
September 16, 2009
The Roth IRA conversion rules are changing in 2010, here are a few things to consider if you’ve been thinking about converting your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Roth IRA Conversion Limits The current IRS rules only allow you to convert your traditional IRA to a Roth IRA if your modified adjusted gross income […]
