Easily Reach Your Retirement Goals

Retiring in style takes good planning and discipline, combined with taking action today to create the tomorrow you envision.

Easily Reach Your Retirement Goals by Following Our 10 Personal Finance Axioms - AAII: "What's the key to making good personal finance and investment choices? It isn't necessary to understand the inner workings of the securities markets or the mathematical economies underlying investment theory." Read more of this guest article.

The No.1 Reason Why Couples Fight

The No.1 Reason Why Couples Fight: "Sex and money consistently rank among the top two reasons why couples fight. In both cases, one member of the group just can't seem to get enough of what he or she views as a scarce commodity. However, arguments about money, according to nearly every survey on the topic, generally win out as the top issue. In fact, according to a booklet entitled 'Making Marriage Last', which is published by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, problems relating to financial matters are a major reason why marriages break down." Read more of this guest article.

Three Simple Steps To Building Wealth

Three Simple Steps To Building Wealth: "Building wealth - it's a topic that sparks heated debate, promotes quirky 'get rich quick' schemes and drives people to pursue transactions they might otherwise never consider. 'Three Simple Steps To Building Wealth' may seem like a misleading title, but it isn't. While these steps are simple to understand, they're not easy to follow." Read more of this guest article.

Economics 101 for Investors

Economics 101 for Investors - Vanguard: "The direction of the economy certainly matters. It affects the financial markets as well as how safe your job is, how your income may grow, what goods and services will cost you, and how much interest you'll pay to borrow. It's undeniably helpful to know some basics about the economy.

As an investor, however, you probably need to consider only one economic question: Do you think the economy will grow over time, as it has in the past? Investing, especially in stocks, is an act of faith in the ability of market economies to grow over the long haul thanks to the effort and creativity of people. If you believe the sweat and ingenuity of individuals will lead to long-term growth, you don't need to give lots of thought to short-term moves in the economy." Read more of this guest article.

Reach for the Investment Book that Pays a Lifetime of Dividends

Reach for the Investment Book that Pays a Lifetime of Dividends - GoArticles.com: "The New Design Chair Company may not make today's investors turn on their heels and take notice. But, throughout it's storied existence, its done what few companies could do: introduce the basics of investing to generations of investors.

For nearly 30 years, readers have followed New Design from its humble beginnings, through the attraction of venture capital, and eventually to the breakthrough of going public. And, the details of that journey are just the first few pages of the Jeffrey B. Little and Lucien Rhodes classic, Understanding Wall Street." Read more of this article.

Introduction To Social Security

Introduction To Social Security: "Social Security is a federal benefits program the United States developed in 1935. While the program encompasses disability income, veterans' pensions, public housing and even the food stamp program, it is most commonly associated with retirement benefits. However, if you still have many working years ahead of you, you may not be able to depend on these benefits as a source of income." Read more of this guest article.

How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?

Right after coming to grips with the need for life insurance, you've got another question that is sometimes hard to answer: How much life insurance do you really need?

How to assess your life insurance needs - MSN Money: "Figuring out how much life insurance you need shouldn't be a guessing game. You can assess your needs -- and the needs of your loved ones -- and make a calculated assessment." Read more of this guest article.

Term vs. Whole Life ...That is the Question

You've probably heard the mantra: "Buy term and invest the rest." For many, these are hallowed words - more true than the oldest cliche. But, is it true? Are there better options for your situation? Keep in mind,...

The raging debate over term vs. whole life - MSN Money: "... the wrong kind of life insurance can do more damage to your financial plans than just about any other financial product today. So, the first and most important decision you must make when buying life insurance is: term, permanent or a combination of both?" Read more of this guest article.

10 Nasty Money Habits to Kick

Discipline, discipline, discipline. Your financial habits can, and will, make or break you.

10 nasty money habits to kick - MSN Money: "Remember the movie 'Groundhog Day,' the one where Bill Murray kept reliving the same day? Some people live their financial lives like that, making the same mistakes over and over. But you don't have to be one of them. To help you avoid being a repeat offender, here are 10 of the common money errors that many of us make repeatedly, along with the real-world cost of each and a better way to handle each situation." Read more of this guest article.

Get to Know ETFs

ETFs are the new kids on the investing block, but they've already become among the most popular. They provide investors with diversity, low cost, and flexibility.

ETFConnect - Education Center - Index ETFs - Know Your Funds: "An index ETF is an investment structure that pools the assets of its investors and uses public indexes to invest the money to meet clearly identified objectives, such as current income or capital appreciation. Index ETFs are essentially passive index funds, similar to traditional index mutual funds, that allow investors to trade a portfolio of securities in a single transaction." Read more of this guest article.

Control Yourself and Become a Better Investor

Unfortunately, when I worked for one of the biggest online brokers (who shall remain nameless), I got to see the myriad ways individual investors lose money. Sad part is, while most won't acknowledge it, individual investors are almost hard-wired to fail in the stock market. Why? Read on,...

Six Powerful Ways to Fail With Stocks - InvestorGuide University: "Get excited about the next 'new thing', and then load up on companies who are the early entrants for that theme. This is a trap because it appeals to the common sense of most people. Yet there is little evidence that it works, or that it is consistent with the nurturing of an investor's healthy mentality. The public doesn't know this, but the 'promoters' do, and they are ready to exploit you - a person - even as they are telling you to exploit an 'opportunity.'" Read more of this guest article.

What Are REITs?

Real estate investments can come in many forms. A REIT is just one of them.

What Are REITs?: "A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a real estate company that offers common shares to the public. In this way, a REIT stock is similar to any other stock that represents ownership in an operating business. But a REIT has two unique features: its primary business is managing groups of income-producing properties and it must distribute most of its profits as dividends." Read more of this guest article.

Asset Allocation is Investing Priority #1

How important is asset allocation? Once the portfolio allocation decision is made, the major determinant of failure of success is locked in. To learn more, read on.

Vanguard - Stock, bond, cash investments: "How to allocate your assets among stock, bond, and cash investments is the most important investment decision you can make. It largely determines how well your portfolio will perform in the long run—and may even play a part in how easily you sleep at night!" Read more of this guest article.

Do You Need a Written Financial Plan?

The bottom line is, people that do not have a formal written financial plan actually have an informal financial plan. This informal financial plan is their historical pattern of financial decision making and financial behavior. When woven together, this historical pattern of financial decision making and financial behavior may be as difficult to change as any other habit. Read more of this article.

The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need

This is a modern day classic personal finance book. Sure, when the book was first published in 1978, he didn't anticipate ETF's, ETN's, or structured products, nor did he foresee day trading or the FOREX craze. Still, through it's many revisions, it's remained true to giving great basic advice to the nth degree. And, the best news is, the basics haven't changed, nor, short of the apocalypse, will they. Read more of this review.

Economics 101 for Investors

When you hear economic news on the telly these days, perk up. As an investor, the message is for you.

Vanguard - Economics 101 for investors: "The direction of the economy certainly matters. It affects the financial markets as well as how safe your job is, how your income may grow, what goods and services will cost you, and how much interest you'll pay to borrow. It's undeniably helpful to know some basics about the economy." Read more of this guest article.

Employee Retirement Benefits Explained

Think you know your retirement plan? Think again.

Employee Retirement Benefits Explained - Kiplinger.com: "Working for a company with a retirement plan does not necessarily mean that you are a member of the plan, or that you will actually get retirement benefits, or that the benefits will be as much as you think. It's important to know what you've got." Read more of this guest article.

Investing in Bonds

I'm always on the look-out for great sources of investment information online. One I've just come across is: Investing in Bonds (www.investinginbonds.com).

While bonds may not be the sexy sister of investment choices, they can make a profound difference in anyone's portfolio.

Types of Bonds: "Depending on your goals, your tax situation and your risk tolerance, you can choose from municipal, government, corporate, mortgage-backed or asset-backed securities and international bonds. Within each broad bond market sector you will find securities with different issuers, credit ratings, coupon rates, maturities, yields and other features. Each one offers its own balance of risk and reward." Read more of this guest article.

What is Investing?

Every now and then I have to explain to prospects or clients that I don't run Gary's Casino. Lucrative as it may be for "the house" to shuttle excited "investors" in and out stocks of dubious value and high risk, for most "investors" this path is often a sucker's game.

Make no mistake, there is a huge difference between investing and speculation. There's an even bigger difference between investing and gambling.

What is Investing? - InvestorGuide University: "The idea behind investing is that money is put to use in such a way that it is likely to turn into more money. This could happen because someone is willing to pay interest to use the money or because the value of whatever security the money was used to buy increases during the period of ownership. Destinations for invested money include savings accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds and numerous other investment options." Read more of this guest article.

Get Ready for College

Just over the horizon looms the shadow of concern for many parents: college. When your child is ready, will you be ready?

College saving basics - including Section 529 college savings programs and Coverdell education savings accounts: "Numerous surveys and studies have been published describing how parents prepare for future college costs. You probably don’t need a survey to tell you what you already know:

* Kids grow too fast.
* College is expensive.
* The time to start saving and planning is now.

Your child’s college tuition could be one of the largest expenditures you ever make. And, if you have more than one child, the financial commitment is even greater." Read more of this guest article.

The Financial Markets

Vanguard - The financial markets: "If you watch television news, you’re probably familiar with chaotic scenes of traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the ceremonial ringing of the opening and closing bell. While that venerable institution is an icon of the investing community, it's only one of a number of exchanges in the United States and around the world." Read more of this guest article.

The ABCs Of Mutual Fund Classes

Recent B-Share scandals highlighted one simple fact for mutual fund investors: There's more than meets the eye with respect to mutual fund share classes.

The ABCs Of Mutual Fund Classes: "Although mutual fund companies can have as many as seven or more classes of shares for a particular fund, there are three main types of mutual fund classes that are most popular: A, B and C (also known as A-Shares, B-Shares and C-Shares). Each of these classes has various benefits and consequences." Read more of this guest article.

Get Out of the Red and Into the Black

Bottom line: no matter where how deep in debt you are, there is a way out if you keep your head and keep moving forward. And, "How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt & Live Prosperously," by Jerrold Mundis can help you do it, if you follow his three cardinal rules: 1) don't debt one day at a time, 2) Keep a spending record scrupulously, and 3) adhere closely to your spending plan. Read more of this article.

A Brief History Of The Mutual Fund

The ubiquitous mutual fund has been around longer than most people know. With thousands of funds available, take a closer look at where they've come from and where they may go.

A Brief History Of The Mutual Fund: "Mutual funds really captured the public's attention in the 1980s and '90s when mutual fund investment hit record highs and investors saw incredible returns. However, the idea of pooling assets for investment purposes has been around for a long time. Here we look at the evolution of this investment vehicle, from its beginnings in the Netherlands in the eighteenth century to its present status as a growing, international industry with fund holdings accounting for trillions of dollars in the United States alone." Read more of this guest article.

Don't Overlook Estate Planning

Estate planning is an often overlooked aspect of our financial lives. Though most still don't have wills, estate planning is so much more. Just to get you thinking:

3 legal papers you shouldn't live without - MSN Money: "Who would be authorized to pay your bills or wrangle with insurance companies about your care? Who would decide whether to sue that driver who hit you -- or shut off the respirator that's keeping you going? The state will eventually find someone to fill these roles, after a potentially costly and time-consuming court hearing. But it might not be the person you would want. So at a time when you're most vulnerable, life-and-death decisions could be made for you by a stranger -- or an estranged, distant or greedy relative." Read more of this guest article.

What are Cash Investments?

When financial professionals talk about cash, they may mean several things - depending on the context. You can be sure of one thing, they aren't talking about the stuff we carry around in Hip National Bank.

Vanguard - Stock, bond, cash investments - What are cash investments?: "Cash investments—very short-term debt securities that pay a modest return but maintain the value of the investor’s principal—are appropriate for any of those financial goals. For individual investors, the most common types of cash investments are money market funds, bank savings accounts, short-term certificates of deposit (CDs), and U.S. Treasury bills. Only money market funds and savings accounts offer real liquidity, the ability to easily withdraw cash immediately without penalty." Read more of this guest article.

Advantages Of Bonds

Bonds have gotten the short shrift for far too long. No, they aren't sexy or cool. But, they may have a place in your portfolio. Find out why.

Advantages Of Bonds: "Have you ever heard co-workers talking around the water cooler about a hot tip on a bond? We didn't think so. Tracking bonds can be about as thrilling as watching a chess match, whereas watching stocks can have some investors as excited as NFL fans during the Superbowl. But don't let the hype (or lack thereof) mislead you. Both stocks and bonds have their pros and cons, and in this article we will explain the advantages of bonds and why you might want to include them in your portfolio." Read more of this guest article.

A CD Strategy Worth a Look

Okay, you've got your emergency/opportunity fund set up - NOW WHAT? You could hold these funds in a savings account, checking account, or money market account. But, how about getting some additional income utilizing CD ladders?

Step Up Your Income With A CD Ladder: "Certificates of deposit (CDs) are very popular among individual investors. They are similar to bonds, but they have a few distinct advantages over that fixed-income instrument. CDs have only one structural difference to a normal bond, which is that interest is paid at maturity as opposed to periodically throughout the life of the investment. But there are other differences to keep in mind, including that interest on CDs is fully taxable and CDs are available only through banks and therefore carry FDIC insurance. A popular use of CDs is through the practice of creating 'laddered' CD portfolios, which provide a highly customized and safe way to produce cash flows." Read more of this guest article.

Getting Started on the RIGHT Foot.

As a professional in the field, I'm sure you're not surprised that I am a big believer in getting good financial advice. Well, ... and giving it, too!!

Wherever you are, wherever you've been, don't fret. Good advice is available. It's on television, it's in magazines, it's on the internet, and it's available through a variety of advisors. In fact, there's so much, it can be hard to makes heads or tails of it. In this blog, with regular entries, articles, guest articles, Q & A sessions, and more, we'll tame the tiger. We'll help our readers make sense of the tons of financial information available. In short, we'll give good advice. So, enjoy and read away.

The Best Financial Advice Ever - MSN Money: "Someone, somewhere along the way passed along a nugget of financial wisdom that you took to heart. Maybe you absorbed the messages over time from some role model, such as a parent or grandparent. Or perhaps you just heard the right thing at the right time from a friend, an adviser or even a total stranger. If you're not doing well financially, maybe you're finally ready to hear some advice that could make all the difference." Read more of this guest article.

Making Sense of Financial Designations

Investment designations have long cause much of confusion in the marketplace, because, alone, they do not communicate what they stand for, what it takes to obtain them, or what competencies they build in the professionals that hold them.

The Alphabet Soup Of Financial Certifications: "If you have trouble telling the difference between a CFA, CFP®, CIC, ChFC or any of the other financial certifications, you're not alone. How do you sift through this alphabet soup to find the best financial professional for you? Here we look at the nine most popular designations with a brief explanation of the education and expertise each designation signifies and the kind of work done by the professionals holding them:" Read more of this guest article.

Learn the Lingo

CNBC can definitely make your head spin,... if you're not ready. Talk of "reverse IPOs", "bull spreads", or "ex-dividend dates" may prompt you to switch the station and leave the gobblyguk to somebody else.

Think of it this way. If you instantly transported yourself to Portugal this Saturday, you'd have trouble understanding a six year old, let alone ordering lunch. The bottom line is the Portuguese speak a different language than you probably do. And, so do financially savvy investors.

Fortunately, the solution is simple. Learn the lingo. From wall street dictionaries to financial glossaries, resources exist to help you get a grip on the lingo. Once you do, you just may actually enjoy watching CNBC.

The One Personal Finance Book You Shouldn't Be Without

Walk into any better bookstore, make a beeline to the personal finance and investment section, pick up any of over two or three dozen books, rip off the cover and boil it down it's main points, and you'd be left with one book: The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason. Name authors you will – Suze Orman, Ric Edelman, David Bach, Dave Ramsey – none, and I mean none, have improved on the simple and timeless principles laid out in these pages. Read more of this review.

Follow The Money

Truth be told, I'm not sure the issue of how their advisor's may be compensated even dawns on many prospects or clients. But, trust me, it is one of the key issues financial services prospects and clients must understand when seeking financial advice. Understanding this issue sheds light on your advisor's motivation, recommendations, and your ongoing relationship. Read more of this article.

Make Black Enterprise a "Must Read"

I hate to say, coming up, I pretty much ignored Black Enterprise Magazine. Yeah, I knew it was there and knew, that since 1970, they've provided quality information for African Americans. I have to say the last few years, though, they've stepped it up. So much so, that I'd say it's must reading for African Americans interested in business and personal finance. Their Black Wealth Initiative, as well as their expanding media presence, is a welcome addition to the discourse for financial empowerment.

To make a long story short, my praise for BE runs deep. Check it out for yourself. I think you'll come away impressed, as well.

Build This Habit and Watch It Build You - FINANCIALLY

Industry pros, magazines, and financial television shows trip over themselves highlighting the bold and new over the tried and true. But, one of the most powerful things that anyone can do to improve their finances and increase their financial savvy is also one of the oldest, most widely known and simplest financial disciplines. Read more of this article.

ABC - "Always Be Cautious"

Every now and then, I feel compelled to pop in my Boiler Room DVD. Yeah, it's entertaining. But, for me, it's a reminder of the kind of folks who, sadly, have yet to disappear in this industry.

How do I know? I've seen "so-called" advisors talk so fast it'd make your head spin for days. These were the "advisors" who would scream through telephone lines, lie through their teeth, brow-beat clients, misrepresent expected returns, and generally do just about anything to make a buck. If they could sell their own grandmothers up the river without a paddle, granny would be out of SOL.

Take it from me, it's unfortunate that the securities world can still get really ugly really fast if you fall for the wrong pitch.

So, if you've never seen Boiler Room, do yourself a favor and read this fantastic review, get the flick, watch it, and consider it part of your education.

The Right Financial Advisor for You

Financial Advisors come from varied backgrounds, wear different hats and offer vastly different services. So, that begs the question, “What makes an advisor from Merrill Lynch, or UBS, or MetLife, or another firm, big or small, different from any other?” Read more of this article.

Finding a Good Financial Advisor Starts with TRUST

Finding a good financial advisor can be one of the toughest, yet most important, steps to getting your finances in order. It starts and ends with trust. Looking for an advisor who is a fiduciary can make the task easier.

Can you trust your financial adviser? - MSN Money: "'The best advisers, the ones who offer service rather than sales pitches, want to make a distinction between them and the product pushers,' Veres said. 'So they tend to embrace a standard which says that the consumer's interests come first, knowing that a salesperson pretending to be an impartial adviser won't follow them into territory where he's likely to get sued for his normal behavior.'"
Read more of this guest article.