Most of us in the financial services or advisory professions are generally aware of the impact of the “Fiduciary Rule”. But few, including myself, has any in-depth understanding of the scope of its impact. This well-written explanation of the fiduciary rule comes from a training material for financial service professionals. I added the emphasis. “In […]
list of cautionary considerations about limited partnership investments
Americans have been clear and consistent in their opinions that corporations and wealthy people do not pay their fair share of the tax burden. We’ve known and accepted this as reality for most of our lives with little or no government action to make the system more fair. This public opinion has been largely unaffected by […]
One hundred trillion dollars. That’s the total net worth of all Americans in 2017*. It’s a staggering number. For practical discussion purposes, we might say that figure is the net worth of rich Americans. The top 160,000 households (one tenth of one percent) control a quarter of this wealth. About half of all this U.S. wealth […]
I used to make a living as a Registered Investment Adviser and worked with Vanguard Group and other investment management firms. Now I provide generic standardized advice on investments when appropriate in the course of other accounting and financial planning services. My work now does not require a separate government registration as an investment adviser. Why […]
“It’s still the economy, stupid” My fundamental forecasting premise is that the current federal administration’s fate and effectiveness in this divided country ultimately lies in the direction of the economy. Given the basic current macroeconomic factors: high stock market low interest rates high level of entitlements, and the low level of unemployment, I conclude that current […]
Update on February 8, 2017: District Court in Texas upheld the fiduciary rule in this 81 page ruling in a case brought by the financial services industry groups. The court ruling seems to praise the new rule. Except in the unlikely event of very fast action by the Department of Labor it appears that the fiduciary […]
limitations and suitability issues for those considering the use of a 412(i) anniuty pension plan
The rate of individual home ownership is stuck at the lowest point in our lifetime. The trend will be further aggravated in 2017 as interest rates rise, real estate tax incentives diminish, and disposable income falls for the lower half of American households. Yet it remains unclear whether the homeownership issue indicates a serious underlying economic problem or a […]
If history is our guide, then the stock market is due for a major drop in the near future. We know that the history of the market has been periods of rising prices followed by periods of falling prices. This current rising market extends longer than most. The bond market looks even more ominous. If […]