Women Retire Too
"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity." --Amelia Earhart (American aviator pioneer) Consider this stunning discovery by the Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement: some 80 percent of men die married but 80 percent of women die single. This, and other relevant revelations on women and finance and retirement, signals that women must command their own money management.
Are You “Unretired”? How the Pandemic Has Impacted Older Workers
"The thing is, if you’re 55 years old, you might be in the workplace for another ten, fifteen, even twenty years." --Cal Halvorsen (Assistant Professor and Affiliate, Center on Aging & Work at Boston College)
Will We See $70 Trillion in Generational Wealth Transfer, as Predicted?
I was invited recently to an online seminar with this title: “Preparing for the Great Generational Wealth Transfer.”
As a financial professional—with experience as a private wealth advisor—I found the subject matter to be particularly intriguing.
Why Bonds Are Important Even if You Don’t Own Them
"I used to think that if there was reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the president or the pope or a .400 baseball hitter. But now I want to come back as the bond market and intimidate everybody.”
– James Carville, political consultant and presidential adviser (1993)
Cybersecurity: Self-Awareness for Your Self-Protection
While the film “Catch Me If You Can” (2002) took some liberties with his life story, Frank Abagnale Jr. did pose as an airline pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent -- and other roles as a wily impostor -- all between the ages of 15 to 21. Later, he served a prison sentence for cashing $2.5 million in forged checks in 27 countries during his criminal years. But Abagnale left the dark side.
What’s Your Risk Number? Why It’s Important To Know
In life, you make choices about risk, including how much risk to take doing everyday things -- speeding down a highway because you are running late, climbing a ladder to clear out gutters, binging on junk food because it feels good. Emotions largely govern whether you act upon or avoid altogether the risk at hand. That decision is a qualitative one but there is a quantitative aspect, too, as you process the risk/reward quotient. Some risks are bigger than others. But there is a tangible result by acting or not. The same may be said about risk in retirement planning. You can and should discern, understand, and manage the risks in your portfolio. And you might profit from risk.
What’s Your ESP on ESG?
As President Biden’s administration takes shape, it is likely that -- as global climate disruption and other environmental issues take center stage -- you will hear more and more about Environmental, Social, and Governance investing or “ESG.” ESG is a form of so-called responsible investing that integrates largely non-financial factors into investment decision-making, with the hope that it will lead to better investment outcomes as well as “saving the planet.” While ESG is emerging from the fringes of the investment ecosystem, there is widespread debate about it being financially sound. Still, ESG is the hottest trend in investing today.
You Know Robin Hood Folklore. Do You Know Robinhood Financial?
Uber disrupted the taxi industry. Then, Airbnb disrupted the lodging industry. Now, Robinhood is disrupting the financial industry.
Whatever Happened to Facebook’s Audacious Crypto Plans?
Last summer, as Americans were preparing for beach and barbeque -- when the world seemed more or less normal -- Facebook was preparing for a kind of disruption and dominion of its own doing. The social media giant intended to remake a marketplace that few Americans had little understanding of: cryptocurrencies. As the last year has proven, Facebook too had little understanding of the murky commerce of cyber finance. It has scaled back its ambitions.
Financial Virus: Will Negative Rates Spread to America?
Last fall, as markets were reaching Everest heights, President Donald Trump began calling for below-zero interest rates in the United States, a phenomenon that has beset many European countries and Japan, to little positive effect. While appealing on the surface, supporters of such an interest rate environment should temper their enthusiasm and take caution: Be careful what you ask for.
What the SECURE Act Means to Retirement Planning
Much to the surprise of many government officials and retirement experts, after languishing in the summer heat for months in a near-death spiral unrelated to retirement policy, Congress passed, and President Trump signed into law last December the SECURE Act. The new law is more than a new law. It is the most consequential statement made on retirement policy -- hence, planning -- in a generation. If you are in retirement or about to retire, it will likely affect you. And that is a good thing.
With Capitalism Under Assault, Business Leaders Reimagine Role of The Corporation
The American corporation was the logical extension of the Industrial Revolution. By the mid-20th Century the modern corporation was a formidable symbol and sanctuary of America’s economic power. It was also a foundation of social stability and increasing affluence for the American worker -- lifetime security along with generous benefits, and a means for intergenerational transmission of prosperity. For decades this grand experiment was a spectacular success. But now the model is fractured. Read Jim Freeman’s insightful piece on the transformation of the American corporation, as business leaders rethink the role of large companies in an age marked by disruption. Of everything.