Oh Behave!

Oh Behave!

On a recent vacation to New Zealand, my Kiwi friend Martin told me about his father, Frank, an elderly man who, over his lifetime, owned 26 pieces of real estate. I figured Frank would be sitting pretty now, either living off 1) the income and principal of a huge investment portfolio that holds
Pay Now, Care Later

Pay Now, Care Later

Chutes and Ladders was always one of my favorite childhood board games. Even if you had a devastating setback, you could at least enjoy the fun little slide, and then quickly find a ladder and climb back up. If there was a financial planning board game (so fun!) the slide would be your future ...
This Just In on Your 401(k)

This Just In on Your 401(k)

In a previous post (Occupy 401k), I discussed why you should be more angry about hidden 401(k) fees than a $5 monthly ATM fee. Well, check your 3rd quarter 401(k) statement, and you might find some new treats in it. The Dept of Labor finally stepped it up, and 401(k) plans are now having to ...
Occupy 401(k) Plan

Occupy 401(k) Plan

The "occupy" crowd led a revolt against against Bank of America over a $5 debit card fee (I know, it wasn't just about the $5), and BofA changed their minds. Netflix lost about 1 million subscribers when they raised their prices by 60% on one of their programs. A few months later, their ...
No kids, no pension, no social security, oh my!

No kids, no pension, no social security, oh my!

The advice I was giving to my 48-year-old client (let's call him Joe) about the dangers of having half of his total investment portfolio in one stock was starting to feel like nagging. Joe had every intention of selling once it reached his desired price point.  If he could get a big pop on this