The recent volatility in worldwide stock markets reminds us that stock and mutual fund prices can and do fluctuate frequently and sometimes wildly. Indeed, coming on the heels of one of the best years for investing in several generations (2013), the market’s recent gyrations appear that much more unexpected and severe. The fact is that…
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As is probably well-understood, one of the most valuable benefits of life insurance is income replacement should the breadwinner(s) in a family unexpectedly pass away. For this reason alone, just about everyone supporting a family should have some amount and some type of life insurance during their working years. It’s less clear, however, whether or…
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If your company pension plan (assuming you work for a company that still has one) supports a lump-sum distribution when you retire, you will be faced with the decision whether to roll over the pension into an IRA or whether to take it as an annuity (i.e. as guaranteed income for life). What many people…
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At a speech in Washington a few weeks ago Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen declared that a large number of American families are “extraordinarily vulnerable” to financial setbacks because they have few assets to fall back on. To them, a financial crisis is a month or two without a paycheck. By contrast, she went on…
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One of the most heatedly debated questions regarding Social Security (SS) is when to start. You have the option of initiating benefits as early as age 62 or as late as age 70. The longer you wait, the greater the monthly payment you will receive over your lifetime. If you are married, there are various…
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The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) recently ran an article about affluent individuals and families who, despite large six-figure salaries, managed to pile up a huge amount of debt. They cited one woman who had accumulated $300K in debt despite earning more than $200 a year. Reader responses, unsurprisingly, were variously indignant, angry, and puzzled. Many…
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Cognizant Wealth Advisors, LLC ("Cognizant"), dba Perigon Wealth Management, LLC (“Perigon”) is a registered investment advisor.
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