When you get to within five-to-ten years of when you expect to retire, the planning usually gets more serious. So far, you’ve probably thought about how much money to save every year, but now you need to think about lots of other issues that will guide you to a better estimate of how much you need to accumulate.
We often let things go, even to our detriment, to avoid offending someone. This fear of offending can keep you in a bad relationship, keep you from making progress in your career or keep you from making sound financial and investment decisions.
Mark Twain once wrote, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ‘Tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
Ever since December 3, 2018, when the yield curve inverted (with the yield of 2.83 percent on the five-year Treasury note one basis point lower than the yield of 2.84 percent on the three-year Treasury note), I have been receiving calls and emails from investors worried about the impact of an inverted yield curve. The reason they are anxious is the much-publicized relationship between inversions and recessions — inverted yield curves have predicted all nine U.S. recessions since 1955.
Marriage, it turns out, is even more than hefty emotional commitment, a blending of families, and the awesome chance to add another crazy aunt or uncle to your family tree. Specifically, when you are married, you become a single economic unit. Your partner’s successes are your successes; similarly, your partner’s debt or any fallout from a bad financial decision lands on your plate as well. Given what can be at stake financially, don’t let that all-important conversation about money get forgotten or postponed amid the excitement of your upcoming nuptials.
At the start of 2019, I compiled a list of predictions that so-called financial gurus had made for the upcoming year, along with some items I heard frequently from investors, for a consensus on the year’s “sure things.” The turn of the calendar means it is now time for our second quarter review. As is my practice, I will give a score of +1 for a forecast that came true, a score of -1 for one that was wrong, and a 0 for one that was basically a tie.
Been there, done that. You’ve visited the tropics, the mountains, the lake. You’ve sailed on a cruise and made the pilgrimage to Disney, perhaps each twice or more. Most were fun, restful—maybe even restorative or memorable.
When a new client comes to our office for the first time, we typically start by asking “How can we help?” Starting a relationship with a financial planner is almost always precipitated by something happening in the client’s life—they want to retire soon, they just received an inheritance, they just learned they are seriously ill, they are dealing with the complexities of life with kids, parents, a house, jobs.
I’ve been getting lots of questions about the benefits of international diversification. The questions are variations of “Why do I want to own these poorly performing investments that also create currency risk?”
When the subject of Social Security comes up during retirement planning conversations, both younger and older investors often greet it with a healthy dose of cynicism. Such discussions tend to include comments like, “Oh yeah, sure. If there’s even anything left for me” or “Isn’t Social Security going bankrupt?” Sometimes I hear a more draconian stance, like, “I just plan on it not being around when I’m retired.” This last viewpoint actually is quite common. According to a study by AARP, 65% of adults are not confident about Social Security’s future.
Recently, the “I want to retire” mantra seems to be an ever more common theme. I am even hearing a greater number of people in their early 50s, with successful careers and some with high-paying positions, say they want to retire.
Adding a family member is an exciting time. Decorating the nursery, picking out names, going to baby showers, and attending parenting classes all prepare you for your baby’s arrival home. But with the joy of a new family member comes additional responsibility. A whole lot of it. After all, your child is 100% dependent on you for all his or her needs.
