The Financial Pain Equation

Acknowledge, allow and accept. This advice will help you to endure the inevitable pain caused by the next bear market. Experts in the centuries-old practice of meditation have a formula for suffering. S = P x R. The amount of suffering you experience is equal to the actual Pain (P) times the mind’s Resistance (R) to…

It’s Monday Again….When Is My Retirement?

Here are our weekly top ten links for issues concerning 403(b)s, 401(k)s, retirement savings tips, pensions, and various annuity products. Enjoy! Annuities can make sense, but not for everyone – Rick Bloom Big bump needed in Georgia’s contribution to secure teacher pensions – The Atlanta Journal Constitution Debate in Michigan: Teacher pensions or 401(k)? – Detroit Free Press How…

Sexism, Lies and Videotape

Dina here … It’s hard to believe, but in a former life I got sucked into the world of high-end party planning for the Chairman’s Club.  In reality, this was a group of men skilled at selling the hell out of product.  Read on for the sad and ridiculous details…

Chasing People to Push Product is so 2,000 + Late

Selling should not be defined as persuading. Talking people into buying things that they do not need adds no value.  Selling should be construed as determining a fit between the buyer’s need and the seller’s supply; the key word being need. Once a good match is determined, then the job is to facilitate the next step. Here…

Prepping For Double Intense Carnage

    “I hope to God I know what I am doing.” – General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Supreme Allied Commander Meticulous planning and a good deal of luck are two of the most important ingredients for success. Like the old saying goes, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” This is true in creating…

BOOM! There Goes Your Pension!

Some state employees may be in for a rude surprise regarding their guaranteed pensions, and it might cost them a comfortable retirement.  To make matters worse, public employees tend to ignore the opportunity to save for retirement in their 403(b) plans because they have put all of their faith in tenuous pension promises. The problem…

A Financial Fix that Would Make Arnold Rothstein Proud

The opposition to laws designed to shield investors from conflicted interests expose the dark underbelly of too many financial firms. The methods they employ to protect their valued hunting grounds often border on the despicable. Take for instance a common defense of the indefensible; the so called “expert” testimony. Washington D.C. is overflowing with think tanks that often…

This Is Your Brain On Annuities

  Annuity salespeople are literally hunting in the zoo. These complex products are often misused while clients are abused. This is not to say that some people would not benefit from a low-cost annuity as part of an asset allocation strategy. The problem is the majority of the time the wrong people are targeted by…

Risk Literacy Must Precede Financial Literacy

  People need to be more certain about uncertainty. Life is not a math problem. Investing provides ground zero for the cost of this neglect. “I don’t know,” “maybe,” and “it depends,” are words that are clearly lacking in the vocabularies of too many investors and those who are paid to advise them. This belief…