It is not uncommon for a client to say something like this, “Investment X has gained a lot lately. Why don’t we invest more in it?” Or, “Why do we keep holding money market funds and short-term bonds when the yield is so low?” The answer to these questions is related to the experience written about in an Associated Press release published… Read more →
Category: Investing
RMDs, COLAs, and a Question.
If you have an IRA account held at Schwab, and if you had your 70th birthday prior to July 1st of this year then you should probably begin taking your Required Minimum Distributions before the end of this year. Technically, IRS rules say that if you’ve only just turned 70 1/2 you don’t have to begin until next year, but… Read more →
Security, Securities and More.
Asset management clients of Financial Planning Associates, Inc. please note that your 3rd quarter preliminary reports have been posted to your secure folder. Our clients lost some value during the quarter, typically 5% to 7%. Because securities have been “on sale” we have been purchasing assets in those accounts where it is appropriate. In the longer term we believe this will… Read more →
Volatile Markets, Sarah, and Inflation.
Many of our clients will have noticed that some of their accounts have been accumulating cash during recent months, and that some of that cash has been used to purchase shares of securities during the past couple of weeks. This is according to plan. Normally, our clients hold securities which make periodic distributions of cash. Those distributions are not automatically… Read more →
Are You In a Personal Lifestyle Bubble?
Years ago when I first began doing cash flow analysis and planning with my clients I observed that we have a tendency to increase our outflows as our income increases. During the first annual review with one particular client the conversation went something like this: Me: It looks like your spending equals your income. You’re not spending more than you have,… Read more →