By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
Channeling David Letterman and all those Top Ten lists. I thought it might be fun to compile one of my own. To wit:
The Top Five Mistakes People Make With Their Money
This is a list compiled after about 25 years of experience.Â
Mistake #5
You eat out way too much....
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
Picture the scene: My wife has a group of friends visiting. I come home from work, greet everyone, and have a glass of wine to be sociable. At some point I announce that I’ll retire to my study for the evening. What does that verb mean – to retire? It means to go away...
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
We usually understand the time value of money in two contexts: the growth rate of an investment, and the inflation rate.  Nonetheless, the TVM is a topic that should be understood by everyone serious about financial planning.
Sketch Out a Timeline
To conceptualize ...
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
In this blog post I want to go just a little bit beyond the basics of traditional IRAs and how they work.Â
What are Traditional IRAs?
An IRA is an individual retirement account by definition, with the emphasis on individual. One IRA means one owner, so there can be ...
By Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®
Most people are familiar with the 401k, but what’s a 403b? Basically a 403b is a retirement plan that is sponsored by a 501c3 organization, meaning a not-for-profit employer. A local school board or hospital are good examples. The employee invests in mutual funds or ann...
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
I’ve been pondering this.
This Page is Intentionally Left Blank
It sort of hit me one day after having noticed This Page is Intentionally Left Blank in clients’ brokerage account statements.
Seems to me that if there’s printing on the page, it is not blank, is it? ...
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
This blog post is the second of a trilogy having to do with Social Security. The first is about Social Security Benefits; the third is, Will Social Security will be There When I Retire? Â
Oh yes. Many new Social Security retirees get a big surprise when they learn a...
by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®
The Thrift Savings Plan, or TSP, is the equivalent of the 401k for federal government employees. My intention here is to cover the main highlights of this fantastic retirement benefit. Much more detail is found on the TSP website.
As in a 401k, you contribute pre-tax m...
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
Increasingly as we work with people of retirement age, we’re hearing a new concern: What happens when my mother runs out of money? This is something relatively new. Those in their middle ages used to be called the sandwich generation, because they were in the middle, ...
By Glenn J. Downing, CFP®
(Note to the reader: I originally posted this piece in mid-March of 2020. Now I'm reviewing it at the end of April 2020. Hit the nail on the head, didn't I?)
I’m sure you’ve heard the term before: asset bubble. Sounds ominous, because a bubble is generally something ...
by Jonathan G. Cameron, CFP®
We’ve all seen the financial headlines:
“Sell everything and buy gold!”
“Time to take profits off the table!”
“The market is poised for a big upswing – get in now!”
“Make 16% guaranteed with tax lien certificates!”
“Buy my real estate flipping system and control yo...
By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®
Charitable Giving
As a financial adviser, I am privileged to work with many wonderful people who give generously. These are people who want to leave a legacy. These are clients who want to leave money behind which will continue to accomplish the good works the donor ...
