If you live in Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Washington or Puerto Rico, you live in a community property state, where community property laws are in effect. These laws govern your personal property and debts. It’s important you understand them even if you have no plans to divorce. That’s because […]
Four Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Term Life Insurance
When buying term life insurance, there are at least four mistakes to avoid, and doing so will ultimately save you both time and money. Since life insurance policies are a “done deal” once they are issued, you want to be sure that you avoid these mistakes at the time of application. What are the mistakes? […]
Becoming a Stay-at-Home Mom or Dad — and Affording It
If you are considering becoming a stay-at-home mom or dad, one big issue you have to deal with is a loss of income. Here’s a question I received the other day from Mark: I’m a 25 year old young professional, who is currently renting. If I had to guess, I will probably rent until I […]
How To Measure Risk In Stock Market Investments
One of the best ways to track and measure your risk in stock market investments is to follow the P-E (price to earnings) ratio of both the overall market and (if you buy individual stocks) the P-E for those stocks as well. This is one great way to start making better investment decisions. What is […]
What Not To Expect In 2014
2013 was a great year for equity investors no matter how you look at it. Returns were exciting – in a good way. And most U.S. indices hit new highs. In fact, 2013 was the best calendar year since 1997 for investors. Foreign and emerging markets did fair but not nearly as well as domestic […]
Roth 401k vs Roth IRA. What Works Best?
If you are socking money into your 401k at work you get an “A” in Retirement Planning 101. Congratulations. You are ready for Retirement Planning 201. That’s where the Roth 401k and Roth IRA come in. Refresh Yourself When you contribute to your traditional 401k you become “The Man”. That’s because everything starts working for […]