MoneyLetter Blog
The latest insights on the economy and the markets, investment strategies, and retirement
How to Get Started Writing a Financial Plan
As a MoneyLetter reader, we trust you recognize the importance of spending time organizing and planning your financial future. To help enhance your planning acumen, this article is about how to apply some of our financial planning process to your life. We believe that...
Savings Alternative: Is a MYGA Right For You?
If you are concerned about the volatility in the stock market, but at the same time are concerned about what effect rising interest rates will have on the bond market, maybe you are looking for alternatives. Money markets and even CDs may not have attractive crediting...
Demystifying Solar Investing, Tax Mitigation, and Growth Potential
It’s that time of the year. Leaves are falling, snow is on the mountain tops, and tax filling extension season (10/15) has passed just as investors and taxpayers have healed from last year’s tax bill. As planning begins for tax mitigation for the upcoming 2022 filing,...
10 Proactive Steps to Ensure a Timely Closing
Get ready for listings and start taking proactive steps. Here are some tips to consider when advising sellers listing a home for sale. Do a title examination. A high percentage of properties being sold have title issues, ranging from minor defects that can be...
Declining Affordability Puts the American Dream Out of Reach
It has never been more challenging for first-time home buyers to enter the real estate market. With the Fed tightening credit conditions -- pushing mortgage rates close to 7% as we go to press – stubbornly high prices mean that 70% of Americans cannot afford to buy a...
A Fixed Annuity Might Make Sense for You
By William “Bill” O’Neill, AIF® An annuity is an insurance-based financial product that accepts funds and then typically pays them back later in a stream of payments or lump sum. It can help protect against outliving your money by providing guaranteed payments...
Approaching or In Retirement? Assess Risks and Make a Plan
By William “Bill” O’Neill, AIF® I speak with investors every day. And even though most of them have been around the block a time or two, market conditions like we have today are frustrating. Perhaps you feel the same way. You might have been aiming to save a certain...
Balanced Funds Provide Portfolio Diversification
Balanced Funds Provide Portfolio Diversification A balanced fund is a type of hybrid fund which invests in two or more asset classes. Generally, balanced funds stick to a relatively fixed proportion of stocks and bonds but may also have a money fund component. Their...
The “Dual Narrative” of Retirement
By John D. Gentry, CFP®, CEBS®, AIF®, C(k)P® From the retirement plan consultant’s perspective, there are two key constituents in our business: the organizations that sponsor retirement programs and the people that participate in them. Mostly, the various objectives...
The 10 Best Mutual Funds & ETFs to Buy Right Now
How does an individual investor make money during these trying economic times? Which investments are “in tune” with current conditions, and which are yesterday’s shooting stars? What investments should I make now to take advantage of profit opportunities? “The 10 Best...
IRA Planning with the SECURE Act
By Kent A. Fitzpatrick, AIFA, GFS In the January 2022 issue, we wrote about the anniversary of the SECURE Act and some planning ideas related to IRAs (Individual Retirement Accounts). As we shared in a recent MoneyLetter Friends “Moments” post, the House of...
Is a Roth IRA a Good Fit for You?
This information above is printed with permission of Vanguard Funds (877-662-7447). It is part of a larger article, which includes a handy side-by-side comparison of Roth vs. Traditional IRAs. For the complete article – including the comparison table – visit your...
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