We Are ALL Victims of Bad 403(b) Plans

EVERYONE is affected by a bad 403(b) plan. Taxpayers, students, and teachers all suffer the consequences of the misdeeds of price-gouging financial salespeople. The conventional wisdom is: “Why do I care about some teacher’s retirement plan?” Predictably, this is neither conventional nor wisdom; ignore this at your own peril. First, let’s take a look how this issue…

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

Good Morning! Here are our weekly top ten links for issues concerning 403(b), 401(k), retirement savings tips, pensions, and various variable annuity products. Enjoy! Excessive Fee Suit Filed Against Another Ivy League 403 (b) – NAPA Keeping It Simple Is Key Lesson For Encouraging Retirement Savings – Pensions&Investments Should I Keep My 401(k) With My…

The Investment Night is Dark and Full of Terrors

Winter is coming for the current eight-year bull market. Only a charlatan or a fool will confidently tell you the exact date of its imminent or much deferred arrival. There is no red clad sorceress like Melisandre out there to revive the dead or predict the outcome of great battles for retirement savers. In other words,…

Greed is Good, at The Harvard Business School

Cliques are not just part of the torture chamber, more commonly known as high school. A disproportionate number of our nation’s CEOs and board members hail from one place: The Harvard Business School. According to “Book Pins Corporate Greed on a Lust Bred at Harvard,” by Andrew Ross Sorkin, “An M.B.A. from H.B.S., as those in the…

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

Good Morning! Here are our weekly top ten links for issues concerning 403(b)s, 401(k)s, retirement savings tips, pensions, and various variable annuity products. Enjoy! Where Did Baby Boomers Go Wrong? This Generation Isn’t Financially Prepared For Retirement – MarketWatch Should Retires Have Life Insurance? –  The Wall Street Journal Be Wary Of Annuities Inside Your…

Do You Invest Like the Cool Kids?

Indifference turns the highest power into no power. Seneca, the ancient philosopher got it exactly right when he said, “The highest power is no power, if you desire nothing.” Too many people are servants to the bells and whistles of the devastating distractions of their electronic devices. Others nauseatingly suck up to their egotistical bosses in…

Good God, Sir, What About My Portfolio?

In honor of the Battle of Gettysburg and Pickett’s infamous charge July 3, 1863, I thought I should repost this. Happy July 4th to everyone! Investors must avoid devastating and permanent loss to their portfolios. The lessons of history warn of the consequences of “betting it all.” During the Battle of Gettysburg in the steaming…

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

Good Morning. 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! Connecticut Governor Signs Bill To Improve 403(b) Plan Fee Transparency – InvestmentNews Unexpected Problems Can Hurt Your Retirement – Kiplinger Micro Plan Sues Nationwide Over Asset-Based Fees – planadviser Retiring Early? The Rule…

Even A CFA® Can’t Make Sense of Teachers’ 403(b)s

“Make intimidating things painless. Make complicated things simple. Make boring things exciting.” – Morgan Housel This brilliantly describes the attributes of great businesses. The woeful world of public school teachers’ 403(b) retirement plans strikes out on all three of these concepts. It is unfathomable that a new kindergarten teacher will have mind-numbing terms like this thrown at her…

Investors Are Always Compensated for Their Behavior

“The dice of God are always loaded.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson Investors experience no gain without loss; and no loss without gain. Finance is not immune from the universal laws of nature. For instance, a wealthy person may enjoy caviar but cannot digest it. A poor person may be in perfect health with a ravenous…