Investor

07/23/10 - Lease Or Buy?

As housing prices have dropped significantly over the past two years, it may be time to reassess your living situation.  Since there are many...read more

06/18/10 - Golden Rules to Keep Your Gold!

Not a week passes without a new Ponzi scheme or scam emerging. The numbers are staggering. Bernie Madoff set the gold standard with losses...read more

05/03/10 - Teens and Credit

Like all important life lessons, teaching your children to be financially savvy should be taught early on.  Giving them an allowance is usually...read more

04/01/10 - Is Dollar Doom Overhyped?

There have been a lot of discussions over the last several years regarding the dollar’s place as the number-one reserve currency in the world...read more

02/26/10 - "The IRS Helps PBGC Recipients Pay for Healthcare"

Here is a headline you don’t expect to hear…”The IRS is helping certain individuals by paying up to 80% of their healthcare premiums in...read more

02/26/10 - Three Great Reasons for Account Consolidation

Longtime investors know that it is easy to accumulate different investments spread out across a number of different accounts held at a varied...read more

02/26/10 - Reform Helps Credit Card Holders

How did something so obviously wrong take so long to correct?  Recently established reform passed by lawmakers will protect credit card holders...read more

12/11/09 - 2010: Getting Back to Basics

The majority of us has experienced or knows someone who has suffered through tough economic times that culminated in the fall of 2008.  Job...read more

12/11/09 - Currency's Effect on International Returns?

string(124) "Smarty error: [in evaluated template line 1]: syntax error: unrecognized tag 'literal' (Smarty_Compiler.class.php, line 590)" The falling dollar has been at the forefront of the financial press since the market bottomed out in March and the dollar started...read more

11/20/09 - Are You Protected If Your Insurance Company Goes Belly-Up?

Problem with a bad bank? The FDIC has your back! Had a brokerage account with Bernie Madoff? SIPC has you covered!  Your life insurance company...read more

10/16/09 - Can't Get A Loan? Turn To Your Neighbor

When bank lending slows, as occurred in 2008 and 2009, some people have trouble accessing the credit markets. But that doesn't mean they stop...read more

09/18/09 - Long Term Care Insurance: It's Not Just About You

According to the Clearinghouse for Long-Term Care Information, approximately 70% of individuals over 65 years of age will need long term care at...read more

07/06/09 - Preparing Financially for Disaster

By: The Financial Planning Association Disasters - be it hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, or wildfires - are sadly an inevitable...read more

07/06/09 - Protecting Your Assets In Case Of Disaster Part II

Disability policies, like life insurance, come in many varieties. Which type you own will have a dramatic impact on your ability to collect the...read more

07/06/09 - Protecting Your Income In Case of Disaster Part I

Would you be able to survive if your income suddenly disappeared? If you've planned correctly, your emergency reserve might sustain you for three...read more

03/08/09 - Treasury's New Plan to Stem Foreclosures - Making Home Affordable Program

Government working for you...?  Hard to believe these days, but the government might have actually gotten something right.  The Treasury's new...read more

01/05/09 - 2008: Lessons Learned

Few will argue that 2008 was an eventful year not too soon forgotten. From presidential elections to corporate bailouts to plummeting home and...read more

12/01/08 - Updated Info: Understanding the Letters That Protect Your Money

I find it difficult to write an update to my previous article while the massive thuds from current events are dropping all around us. The variety...read more

06/24/08 - The Mortgage Market is Broken

Individuals and families have found out how important it is to pick the right financing option for their primary residence. The sub-prime mortgage...read more

05/07/08 - How Professional Advisors Protect Your Privacy

In a recent newsletter article, I wrote about the importance of protecting yourself against identity theft.  But what happens when you personally...read more

03/26/08 - Protecting Against Identity Theft

Everywhere you turn these days you hear stories of identity theft. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that approximately 9 million Americans...read more

09/07/07 - Reverse Mortgages: Approach with Caution!

If you are a homeowner approaching retirement with little savings, you may have at some point considered a reverse mortgage to supplement your...read more

07/31/07 - Cleaning Up Credit Card Debt

Many people use credit cards responsibly. They buy no more than they can afford and pay off the entire balance each month. Properly used they are...read more

05/23/07 - Monte Carlo Simulations: Jackpot or Russian Roulette?

More and more financial advisors are using Monte Carlo simulations to help advise their clients regarding contribution and withdrawal rates before...read more

04/16/07 - Investing In Your Values

I'm very sympathetic to folks who would like to invest in their values.  But, I'm not sure how to turn that into anything close to an optimal...read more

04/05/07 - Understanding Investment Measurements

Measuring investment return is slightly less straight forward than it might appear at first glance. But, it's not rocket science. Some very simple...read more

03/30/07 - The Price of Your Vice

We all have one, that one thing that we love to spend money on. Some would call it a vice. To us, it's sheer delight. Whether it's your a.m. java...read more

03/12/07 - Return, Risk and Probability of Success

Why manage risk? Investors focus with a laser-like intensity on a single factor of investment success: rate of return.  It's simple to...read more

12/19/06 - How Health Savings Accounts Impact Your Retirement

With healthcare costs spiraling out of control, many Americans are finding health coverage to be a growing concern.  Many cannot afford health...read more

12/04/06 - Cheers to a Debt-Free Holiday Season!

My holiday present came early this year. Just this week, I received an unsolicited credit card offer from a credit card company. Even though I...read more

08/14/06 - How To Avoid A Medical Financial Disaster

The inability to pay mounting medical bills was the main cause for filing nearly half of all personal bankruptcies in 2005, according to a study...read more

07/24/06 - Go Easy on Home Equity Loans

Homeowners are unlocking the equity built up in their homes like never before. But before opening the home-equity loan door, be certain you...read more

06/02/06 - Hail to the Prenup!

There is no better way to kill the romance than by asking your better half to sign off his/her rights to your assets. After all, the general...read more

05/16/06 - Mortgage or No Mortgage? That is the question...

Should you or should you not pay off your mortgage at retirement? Sounds like a no-brainer: pay it off! Living without debt at retirement...read more

05/16/06 - Five Key Cost Factors To Consider When Buying Long Term Care Insurance

Buying a long-term care insurance policy is a complicated process involving many decisions about which features are right for you and what price...read more

04/28/06 - A Better Model for Divorce

Can there be dignity in divorce? If you’ve survived your own divorce or have ever seen the movie “War of the Roses” you know that divorce...read more

02/17/06 - Financial Planning Considerations for Unmarried Couples

Unmarried couples are pervasive in our society; they are as vast as widows, never married individuals living together, divorcees, and same-sex...read more

10/17/05 - Financial Knowledge for Divorcing Couples Part II

Let's Talk Money In my last article we discussed some initial steps that divorcing couples should do to organize their financial information....read more

09/01/05 - Financial Knowledge for Divorcing Couples: Where Do You Start?

Divorce can be a messy, lengthy and pricey process. Unwinding a marital union is never as easy as coming together. The impact on the family, both...read more

08/02/05 - Interest Only Loans - Are They Right For You?

On my commute to work one morning, I noticed an almost illegible sign at the front of a house.  The sign turned out to be a "For Sale" sign and I...read more

06/08/05 - Tips for Financially Helping Your Children

...Even When They Are Adults You can help your children financially in many ways, even after they are well into their adult years'and most of...read more

04/18/05 - Protecting Yourself Against Identity Theft

Picture this&you go to work one morning and find that $50,000 is missing from your bank account, two credit card companies (that you never...read more

04/18/05 - Do You Know What Your CPI is?

The federal government announced in mid-January that consumer prices, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, rose 3.3 percent in 2004 the...read more

03/28/05 - Who Can You Trust?

After all the scandals at Enron, WorldCom, Global Crossing, Adelphia Communications, and Tyco International (to name a few), where can you safely...read more

11/18/04 - Surviving The Test of Time

How do you define a successful investment portfolio?  For some people it's a steady 10% return, for a few it may be 8%, while others may say "I'm...read more

10/05/04 - Financial Responsibility Among Married Couples

Although most of us prefer to avoid the subject of finances altogether, it's not a topic that should be taken lightly, especially when you have a...read more

09/13/04 - Liabilities: Not Just A Number On The Balance Sheet

Individuals and families are leaving thousands of dollars a year on the table by not effectively managing their liabilities. Most individuals tend...read more

08/17/04 - The Price Is High... Bob

Exploring Long Term Care As each day passes, one thing in life is for sure - you're getting older.  Life expectancies are on the rise and...read more

05/17/04 - Insuring A New Marriage

Reevaluating insurance coverage isnt uppermost on the minds of most newlyweds, and it wont ensure a long and happy marriage. But the right...read more

04/21/04 - New Cure for Health Care Rising Costs Part I

Sky Rocketing Health Care Costs are a serious threat to Americans financial well being.  The cost and percentage increase of insurance and...read more

02/24/04 - Leasing vs. Buying: Which Is Better?

Hate buying a car? Join the club! The drama of haggling over prices with the dealer is a nightmare in itself. But the worst of the battles occurs...read more

11/25/03 - Thinking About Borrowing From Your 401K?

Think Again! If you're thinking of tapping into your 401k Plan to pay debts, buy a car, pay for a wedding or go on vacation? Think again! ...read more

11/18/03 - When to Refinance

With mortgage rates at their lowest percentages since the late 1950-s, many homeowners have found a new motivation to take a closer look at their...read more

11/18/03 - Successfully Managing Money in a Relationship

Conflicts over money are one of the leading causes of friction and divorce in a marriage. Here are some suggestions for successfully managing...read more

11/04/03 - Mortgage Mistakes to Avoid

Do you remember that good feeling that you get right after buying a new car?  You just left the dealership, you negotiated the sales price with...read more

10/21/03 - Financial Planning for Life's Surprises

Lifes full of financial surprises and many of them we can see coming.  Many people prepare if not always adequately for lifes unexpected...read more

05/13/02 - Business Interruption Insurance

Tens of thousands of New York City area businesses and many beyond the area suffered loss of income due to direct or indirect damage from the...read more

04/16/02 - Should You Prepay Your Mortgage in a Down Market?

Disenchanted with stock and bond returns, some homeowners are diverting their investment money into their home mortgage. But many financial...read more

04/16/02 - At What Age Should You Buy Long Term Care Insurance?

At what age should you buy long-term care insurance? Often the advice is, the earlier the better. Its not uncommon to see insurance carriers and...read more

09/24/01 - Use Reverse Mortgages with Caution

Many older house-rich, cash-poor Americans may want to consider reverse mortgages as a source of supplemental cash, but they should tap into this...read more

08/03/01 - Vacation Exchange Rate Arbitrage

Our European cousins are born with a finely honed sense for currency values. They instinctively know where their currency is strong, and flock...read more

08/03/01 - Choosing the Right Type of Real Estate Agent

Buying a home is one of the biggest financial and emotional decisions a person makes. Thats why its critical to pick the right type of real estate...read more

08/03/01 - Knowing Your Net Worth is Key to Managing Your Money

Grab a pen and a piece of paper and jot down off the top of your head your household net worth. Net worth, in case you are not exactly sure, is...read more

08/03/01 - Planning for Financial Hard Times

---A shaky stock market, job layoffs and a weakening economy are raising financial fears among many households that only a year ago were flowing...read more