What’s on our mind
Have you checked out your Spotify Wrapped? How about the same for your finances?
Have you checked out your year-end Spotify Wrapped? How about doing the same for your budget?
Unhappy with your 403(b) and want to move? It may cost you because annuities force you to surrender.
About 76% of assets in 403(b) plans are in annuity-based products. Almost all of those annuities contain surrender charges. So, before investing in one of these annuities it pays to understand how these charges work and what it means for you.
You think the defense of the Detroit Lions is bad? Most people’s personal defense is even worse.
According to the Life Insurance and Market Research Association, only 57% of American adults currently have life insurance! That is down two percentage points from 2018 and a full six points from five years ago. Of those who have life insurance, 32% only own group coverage through their employer or some sort of work. LIMRA estimates that group coverage usually leaves a coverage gap of an average of $225,000.
Why the F-Fund is the Rodney Dangerfield of the TSP
Would you know that the least popular fund in the Thrift Savings Plan is also the best performing fund in the last year? Over the last 12 months, the F-Fund has a 10.32% return compared to the G-Fund at 2.57%. But that’s also higher than the C-Fund (which tracks the...
Thankfully the Tigers season is over. But it was a good reminder of recency bias.
Postseason baseball is upon us, but not here in Detroit. However, back in April some fans and pundits thought it was a distinct possibility. Cue, recency bias. A flaw seen in both many fanatical diehards and financial decisions.
FERS and CSRS Pensioners receive a 1.6 % COLA for 2020. No one is applauding.
Based on the Social Securities recent press release*, it’s anticipated that FERS and CSRS retirees will only receive a 1.6% raise on their pensions for 2020. While that was less than the 2.8% COLA from 2019, it’s still one of the larger ‘raises’ in the past decade....
Attention Financial Advisers: We are hiring!
So… you started you financial planning career and things aren't going as well as you had hoped? Believe me, we've been there. The financial services industry is notorious for promising effective training, sales/marketing support and mentorship but few deliver on those...
Behind the curve. Giving the TSP a “B” grade on the new withdrawal rules
n September 15th, the TSP rolled out their much-anticipated new distributions rules and regulations required by the TSP Modernization act of 2017. With the approval of this law, it finally brought thousands of retired TSP participants relief from the previous stringent withdrawal restrictions.
Tsk, Tsk, Tsk… why we all need Behavioral Financial Advice
Why a BFA? You may notice at the end of our business cards a three-letter designation, BFA. While we greatly appreciate jazz and modernist painters in our office, it certainly does not refer to a ‘bachelor of fine arts.’ Instead, it refers to the fact that our...
Are Volatile Stock Markets Good for Investors?
When the ups and downs of stock markets leave you stressed and wondering whether stocks really will help you pursue your long-term financial goals, there are two things to remember: Historically, over long periods, stocks have tended to move higher. For instance, at...
Halftime 2019 Summary: What to do next?
“Investors panic as the S&P 500 crashes to a year to date return of +14.5% in 2019 -Ben Carlson (Twitter, 8/5/2019) We don’t have to be smarter than the rest. We have to be more disciplined that the rest.” ----Warren Buffett We have a saying in my house. And it’s...
The Bulls are Running: July 15th Market Commentary
Last week, the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index set a new record, closing above 3,000 for the first time. Other major U.S. stock indices also finished at record highs, reported Barron’s. Company fundamentals, investor sentiment, and geopolitics all have the power to...