Blog — #investing RSS

I’m not much of a golfer, but, ironically, I enjoy watching the sport on Sunday afternoons. Maybe it’s my understanding of how difficult the game is that causes me to enjoy a relaxing afternoon watching the professionals. Golf can actually be easy for some people, some of the time. They hit the ball so crisply,...

If you are eligible for Social Security retirement income (SSI) benefits, you have some choices to make. If you’re hazy on this subject, read on; it could be worth a few hundred thousand dollars in additional lifetime income. For the purposes of this “introduction” to the SSI claiming decision, understand that this is an overview,...

Too many people downplay the importance and value of Social Security retirement income (SSI) or take a casual approach to electing their distributions. Let me be clear that SSI might be the best pension ever created (that’s my opinion, not my employer’s). Here’s why. One can claim SSI at retirement age, early at 62 or...

Making regular monthly contributions of a fixed amount into a retirement plan over a working career can make even an average-performing investment look good. The investment strategy known as “dollar-cost averaging” effectively forces investors to buy more shares when prices are down, potentially a very profitable practice during your accumulation years. Dollar-cost averaging is not...

Today, our society benefits and suffers from an information surplus. Some information is valuable and helpful; some information is harmful. A young farming couple came to see me (I think of age 55 as young!) for guidance on how to improve their financial situation. They had taken my retirement planning class at the local community...