On the evening of April 23, 2013, Dan and I watched at a Bed and Breakfast in Philadelphia the much-anticipated PBS Frontline “The Retirement Gamble”. We were in Philadelphia because we gave our presentation about our just released book, Late Bloomer Millionaires, to 100 Vanguard employees. We were part of Vanguard’s diversity outreach to hire LGBT employees. It was a very exiting time!
The first 100 Retirement Investment Workshop participants will get a complimentary paperback copy of Fighting Powerful Interests! (You can also get my free book right now on this blog as an eBook).
To register for the Saturday, April 16th workshop at UTLA headquarters, call Evy Vaughn, UTLA Conference Secretary (213) 487 5560 or register online by clicking “Learn More” below.
Today’s post is a follow-up to my previous post about my 2015 portfolio return. In the first weeks of 2016 the stock market had its worst beginning of the new year ever. That is a strong and historic statement. Is there anything we should be doing different? As long as you have a low-cost, diversified plan across all major asset classes and that the stock bond split is appropriate for your age and willingness to take risk, there is no reason to change your plan or to capitulate. In fact, it is not good to change your plan to a less risky portfolio while a crash is underway. Check out my portfolio during this current crash.
Today’s blog is not about competition, heaven forbid! I am not a financial adviser. I show how I evaluated my portfolio so that it is following the overall stock and bond market index returns. Our goal is to earn the market averages, not exceed them. I invite you to share your portfolio return so everyone learns.
Before I report on my takeaways from this year’s conference, I want to discuss the background of NAGDCA and what this wonderful professional organization does for us. Our Los Angeles Unified School District “Retirement Investment Advisory Committee” members may not realize how important NAGDCA is in supporting and assisting us with our ultimate goal of reforming the 403(b) into a fiduciary powerhouse. Public K-12 403(b)s have never been a fiduciary. Thus, LAUSD took advantage of showing the world by providing a fiduciary example with our Award Winning 457(b). Sandy and I thank the committee for voting to pay for our expenses in each of the last four years. We thank Benefits Administration for paying the annual NAGDCA governmental membership fees. Without LAUSD’s institutional membership, Sandy and I could not attend. Finally, we thank this great organization for doing the right thing for all public sector employees.
Introducing “Stan the Annuity Man”
Dan and I like what this man says about annuities!
Because of our negative experiences with surrender fees, putry returns, misleading and conflict of interest sales pitches from insurance agents, we have been critical of large insurance company annuities. Stan the Annuity Man says the same thing that we have been preaching for years.
When it comes to stock market investing and financial advisors, trust is a big deal. Many articles have been written about trust by the financial profession. This article takes on this complex issue from a consumer’s point of view.
For a decade, I have listened to Paul Merriman’s podcasts. His list of financial topics spans every conceivable idea and common sense investing strategy. His understanding of the investing process and constructing a simple or complex portfolio is top notch. In this post, I recommend that you listen to one of his podcasts. Here’s why. …
What a month! In the wake of the broad equity stock markets blowing up, Dan and I are excited to present our new website. After 2.5 years, it was time to upgrade our web presence from a blog to a website. All of our past articles are still available.
Financial insecurity is a reality for many Americans. 56% of people say they look favorably on their finances, yet 57% feel they are unprepared for a financial emergency. 50% would claim to be financially secure.