Retirement “facts” that may be fiction

There are enough books and other forms of guidance about retirement that one would expect to find all the advice necessary to secure a comfortable retirement. But not all of the advice and strategies necessarily will meet your needs. What’s more, there may be “facts” about retirement and retirement planning that have been conventional wisdom […]

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The Highest Standard Under the Law

Some financial service providers are struggling to comply with the Department of Labor’s new Fiduciary Rule. The rule requires any financial services professional who provides retirement planning advice to raise their standard of operation to one of a fiduciary. The introduction of the rule created a good deal of turmoil among many in the traditional […]

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What is a “fiduciary”?

You might get investment advice from any of the following sources: a financial planner a financial consultant a financial advisor an investment advisor an investment representative a stock broker a wealth manager an insurance agent a relative a bank trust officer Which of these sources will owe a fiduciary duty to his or her clients? […]

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Popularity Contests

Owning shares of stock is being part owner of a business. As part owner of a publicly traded corporation, your share of the company may be a tiny fraction of the whole but you are nevertheless part owner of the assets, revenues and earnings of the company. You own a portion of everything the corporation […]

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Debts and death

DEAR TRUST OFFICER: What happens to my debts when I die? —STILL PAYING THE MORTGAGE DEAR STILL: According to a study by the credit bureau Experion, released in December 2016, some 73% of consumers have debts when they die, including mortgage debt. Some 68% have credit card debt; 37% have mortgage debt; 25% have car […]

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Corrections are Opportunities

Stocks, as measured by the S&P 500, would have been higher again last week if it had not been for the large cap tech stocks, this year’s market rally leaders. After year-to-date gains of 20% to 30%, the group took a breather Friday finishing with one day declines of three to four percent. Rather than […]

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The Problem of Faithless Trustees

There’s been quite a bit of press coverage of “fiduciary duties” when it comes to professionals giving financial advice. Bank trust departments and trust companies always have been held to the fiduciary standard, and are proud of it. Unfortunately, there are some documented cases when individuals with such duties simply ignored them. Special needs Lawrence […]

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Market Facts vs. Personal Facts

Investment decisions require more than gut feeling responses to current news. Typically, after a long decline in stock prices, a good deal of risk has been removed from the market, yet investors perceive the risk has increased. Conversely, when stock prices are high and rising, investors perceive the risks of investing to be much lower […]

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Triple record

Dear Trust Officer: I heard that the stock market has been setting new highs. Does that mean now is a good time to invest in stocks? — New at investing Dear New:  On one hand, by example, last August all three of the major stock market indices (DJIA, S&P 500, and NASDAQ) set records on the […]

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