Is the American Dream Over?

Is the American Dream Over?

The Washington Post recently reported that for the first time since the 1930s, a majority of Americans are expected to be financially worse off in retirement than their parents. This conclusion, based on research from the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, the New School for Social Research, and Boston College’s Center…
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Should You Avoid Bonds in Today’s Environment?

FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, recently warned investors that in the event of rising interest rates, “outstanding bonds, particularly those with a low interest rate and high duration may experience significant price drops.” Why are bonds facing this risk today and what should investors do as a result? As I wrote last year, we…
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The Importance of Long Term Care Planning

According to a recent survey from UBS Wealth Management Americas, long-term care is investors’ greatest personal financial concern.  Donald Jay Korn in On Wall Street (a SourceMedia publication for the financial services industry) reports that more respondents were “highly worried” about “being able to afford healthcare and the support I need in my old age”…
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Are You Putting All Your Eggs into Your Small Business Basket?

Scott Shane, professor of entrepreneurial studies at Case Western Reserve University, writes in Entrepreneur Magazine that small-business owners don’t save enough for their retirements.  Citing senior economist Jules Lichtenstein of the Small Business Administration, he finds that self-employed people are less likely to have a retirement plan than people who work for others.  The statistics…
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Another Hedge Fund Collapses Through Fraud

The San Jose Mercury News reported this week that a federal judge sentenced the manager of the Sunnyvale-based Asenqua Beta Fund and the Fireside LS Fund to 12 years in prison for defrauding local investors out of at least $6.5 million. Albert Ke-Jung Hu was found guilty in June of luring wealthy investors to his…
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Is It Better To Stick With CDs Than With Stocks Right Now?

Late in 2008, right after the market crash, I was providing financial advice to a woman as part of a free financial clinic put on by the Financial Planning Association.  We were discussing ways to preserve and grow her investments when she mentioned the approach taken by her 85 year-old aunt.  The aunt simply buried…
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