Retirement Watch Weekly
6 Misunderstood IRA Rules and Strategies
IRAs aren’t the simple vehicles they seemed when they were new. What’s more, Baby Boomers have reached the stages of life when the rules are more complicated and full of pitfalls. Here’s a guide to the top questions my readers are asking about IRAs, and mistakes many are making. Required minimum distribution mistake #1. Most […]
The Yield Curve Warning Sign
There is a lot of misunderstanding about a key indicator of the economy and markets. The yield curve is attracting more and more attention. Most of the analysts drawing attention to the yield curve say it is giving or about to give a big warning to investors. I think they’re misreading the yield curve and […]
The Outlook for Bond Investing
Interest rates reached their recent lows in July 2016 in the U.S. This article explains the bearish case for bonds. It points out that with the Fed reducing its purchases there don’t seem to be enough buyers to make up the difference. Plus, there probably are going to be more bonds issued in coming years […]
Do People Understand Their Retirement Preparedness?
This study says that fewer than 60% of households have a realistic idea about how well they are prepared for retirement. Perhaps more importantly, about 20% think they are well-prepare for retirement when they really aren’t. The real danger in terms of misperceptions is being in the “not worried enough” group. The key drivers here […]
Navigating the Great Transition: Investment and Economic Year-End 2017 Review
Click the arrow above to begin the presentation. Please make sure your speakers are turned up. We’re entering a period with higher than usual uncertainty for investors. The economy and most investments have been supported by extraordinary measures from central banks since 2009. These policies kept interest rates near zero. Now, though, we’re in the […]
Aging in Place: 3 More Ways to “Future-Proof” Your Senior Home
“Aging in place” is a phrase associated with older Americans who wish to stay in their homes for as long as they’re able to. And according to an AARP 2015 survey, nearly 90% of respondents indicated a desire to do exactly that. Yet hardly anyone has developed a plan for how. Until now… Last week, […]
Byron Wein’s 10 Stock Market Investment Surprises
The BlackStone strategist published his annual list of 10 potential surprises for the coming year, plus five runners up. Byron Wein emphasizes that these aren’t predictions of what will happen. These are events most people discount but that he thinks have at least a 50% probability of occurring. It’s interesting reading every year. He reviews […]
Evaluating the Aging Bull
After eight years of strong returns, is it time to consider selling U.S. stocks? Periods of strong returns make many investors nervous. Through 2017, we documented the extended periods of gains in the major market indexes without interruptions by significant declines. These periods without declines are at or near record lengths. The S&P 500, for […]
