If you are the average American, the answer is simple. Not enough. Why is this? Well, with many Americans living paycheck to paycheck, it’s hard to put money away. This is a common answer, but it’s not the whole story. Many wealthy families are also significantly behind in their retirement saving. So what gives? Are […]
How Much Have You Saved For Retirement? Read More »
If you had asked me this question last week, I would have answered emphatically NO! This week, I have a better appreciation. Here’s why. My Story If you’ve read my posts, you know that finance is a hobby for me. I’ve taught classes, I read about companies on my own for fun (seriously). I like
Do I Need A Financial Advisor? Read More »
I can’t count the number of posts where I’ve professed my love for the S&P 500. The S&P 500 is an index created and maintained by Standard and Poor. It is a list of the 500 largest US publicly traded companies, along with their weight in the index. Weight is determined by the size (market
The S&P 500 Isn’t the Only Game In Town Read More »
While we all celebrate our first Fed rate cut, and enjoy a robust stock market rally, don’t forget about plain old boring cash. Savings Account Interest When I was a kid, I would deposit my paper route money in my passbook savings account and I could depend on it growing at 5.25% each year. Pretty
It’s Time To Start Thinking About Cash Read More »
A while back, I posted about covered call options. I mainly invest in stocks, bonds and mutual funds, but I use a small portion of my equity allocation to invest in covered call options. Covered calls can provide immediate income, but at the risk of long-term gains. Risk of Long-Term Gains We’ll go through some
The Pros and Cons of Covered Call Options Read More »
In an earlier post on Mutual Funds and ETFs, we talked about mutual funds and ETFs, how they work, the fees they charge and how we get our money out after investing. Mutual Funds and ETFs are baskets of securities, but it is important for investors to know a little bit about how they manage
I Bought a Mutual Fund. What Do I Own? Read More »
Two of my lunch buddies have recently gone through the harrowing experience of signing up for Medicare. Medicare is a nice benefit, but there are some important things to know before signing up. We’ll go through some key terms and decision points. Health Insurance Annual health insurance enrollment has always been a stressful time for
Navigating Medicare Read More »
I hate catchy titles like this, but I wanted to put together a post that captured the simple things that all of us can do that will greatly improve our financial situation over time. I emphasize over time because time is the key. Read more here. The post starts with a woman named Sylvia who
Your Ticket to Financial Freedom Read More »
Checking, Savings, High Yield, Money Market, Treasuries…so many choices, which one is right? In today’s post we’ll talk about the different options for low to no risk places to put our cash. And spoiler alert…no one product is the right one. You’ll likely have a mix of several products to maximize your income while preserving
What Do I Do With My Cash? Read More »
Today as I walked Rosco, I started thinking about inflation and the best ways to keep our money safe while keeping up with inflation. As much as it stinks to go to the grocery store and either pay more, or come home with fewer bags (and forget about bacon – ouch!), what really hurts is
How to Buy Treasury Bonds Read More »