Tax Advantages of ETFs There are several advantages to purchasing an Exchange Traded Fund over a mutual fund, a significant advantage is the tax savings; ETFs are more tax efficient than mutual funds, only one of the reasons they’ve been gaining market share. Most mutual funds distribute 100 percent of income and capital gains each…read more »

The Pitfalls of Buying Target-Date Funds What exactly is a “Target-date Fund”? Typically a fund that base its objectives on the age of the investor. The younger the investor the more focus on growth and less on income and asset protection. As the investor becomes older, the goals and objectives change to reflex the current…read more »

Pitfalls of a Reverse Mortgage Be careful before signing any contacts when considering a reverse mortgage. Make sure you fully understand the pros and cons before signing. What exactly is a “Reverse Mortgage”? A reverse mortgage allow home owners age 62 and older to borrow against the value of their homes without any repayment being…read more »

Three Important Retirement Investment Concepts There are only three things you need to think about to earn an extra six figures in your retirement plan… 1.  Asset Allocation 2.  Low Fees 3.  Index Funds Asset allocation means how you divide up your capital among several categories of assets. By taking a broad view of the possible asset classes…read more »

Estate Planning Tips Listed below are estate planning tips for individuals with larger than normal estate valuations. 1. Exercise Swap Powers – make sure there are adequate lines of credit to finance the swap 2. Watch for Waning Capacity – many individuals lose mental capacity as they age, so the sooner you begin estate planning…read more »

10 Steps to Becoming a Successful Investor Action Alerts PLUS: Jim Cramer & Jack Mohr from Katie Miller on Vimeo. Start Your 14 Day FREE Trial to Action Alerts PLUS Today & Get Email Alerts For Every Buy Or Sell Cramer Makes, Trade Along with Jim Cramer Now. 1. Pay Yourself First – Invest regularly…read more »

Mistakes to Avoid When Taking Social Security It seems recently that every other article I read is concerning Social Security benefits, when to take them and what options are available. The problem arises when seeking help directly from the Social Security Administration; simply put a majority of Social Security workers are not adequately trained on…read more »

Avoiding IRA Rollover Problems With the exception of Roth IRA conversions which are exempt from the once per year IRA Rollover rule, a taxpayer needs to be careful and follow the new IRS rules set in motion recently pertaining to rollovers. There are two ways to move IRA money to another IRA that being directly…read more »

Estate Planning – using Trusts In addition to having a Will, depending on your financial situation you might want to consider using trusts in your estate planning strategies. There are numerous types of “trusts” which can range from quite simple to very complex and hard to implement. Number one rule if the trust is to…read more »

How to Hire a Financial Planner When considering hiring a financial planner, what should you consider, an established planner that has been in practice many years or a new planner? There are advantages and disadvantages to hiring a new or experienced financial planner. First consideration should be are they a “fee-only financial planner” or do…read more »