October 2019

Ring! Ring! It’s 7 A.M.!…..When Is My Retirement?

If your retirement plan wasn’t built to be changed, you don’t have a plan. Read this week’s links and learn what’s really important for your retirement. Don’t let surrender fees stop you from getting out of expensive annuities. Dollars And Data What are experiences really worth? The Wall Street Journal Never take retirement advice from…

The Getting Out Of Investment Jail Almost Free Card

Only in 403badlands could wealth subtraction lead to wealth addition. The data proves this seemingly outrageous statement. Don’t believe me? There’s a reason, My colleague Nick Maggiulli is called Nicky Numbers. Using his skills, he crunched the numbers on the average surrender fees teacher’s pay to get out of costly variable annuities. The results were…

Financial Sales Incentives Are Motivational Junk Food

“What’s bad for the hive is bad for the bee ” Marcus Aurelius Financial sales incentives are the twinkies of human motivation. Shelly The Machine Levine, notwithstanding, the financial sales incentive structure conflicts with the fundamental needs of human happiness, productivity, and creativity. Susan Fowler points out the three intangibles that motivate all of us…

Ring! Ring! It’s 7:00 A.M.! …..When Is My Retirement?

You can worry about saving money now or worry much more later. It’s your choice. Instead of worrying, check out this week’s terrific retirement links. Medicare isn’t free. CNBC Flextime would keep more older workers employed. Bloomberg Be very careful before you take a lump-sum pension payment. InvestmentNews You will meet these nine types of…

Investors Need To Ask What, Not Why

To paraphrase President Kennedy – Ask not questions about why the unknowable occurs – ask what you can do to focus on the controllable.   Why questions invite belief systems to the curiosity party. Not a good thing. Depending on who you ask about the same topic, the answer is often completely different. Competing responses presented…

Martin Luther’s 95 Theses – 403(b) Edition

“Those who believe that they can be certain of their salvation because they have indulgence letters will be eternally damned together with their teachers” – Martin Luther Where are all the 403bodies buried? The longer something rots, the more it stinks. Nothing in the vast retirement space smells worse than public school teacher’s Non-ERISA 403(b)…

Ring, Ring, 7 A.M……When Is My Retirement???

The World Series lasts at the most seven games. Your retirement can last for thirty years or more. Plan accordingly by reading this week’s terrific links.   Senior inflation may be the biggest risk to your retirement plan. Morningstar Think twice about getting divorced. Barron’s Why you need to make a ‘When I Die’ file….

When Filling Out FAFSA, The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Who knew the late Tom Petty was a college financial aid expert? The waiting is the hardest part  -when it comes to filling out FAFSA forms. On October 1, the great race commenced for financial and merit aid for college. Parents and students began filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA…