Conventional wisdom says that what goes up, must come down. But even if you view market volatility as a normal occurrence, it can be tough to handle when it’s your money at stake. Though there’s no foolproof way to handle the ups and downs of the stock market, the following common sense tips can help. […]
Handling Market Volatility Read More »
The Markets (as of market close February 22, 2019) The benchmark indexes listed here posted modest gains last week, led by the small caps of the Russell 2000. With another weekly gain, the Dow has enjoyed its longest streak in almost 25 years. Volatility was moderate last week as the Cboe Volatility Index® hit its
MARKET WATCH : FEBRUARY 25, 2019 Read More »
The Markets (as of market close February 8, 2019) Most of the benchmark indexes listed here posted gains for the seventh consecutive week. Only the Global Dow lagged behind. Utilities and information technology shares performed well last week, while oil and energy shares did not fare quite so favorably. International trade once again was in
MARKET WATCH: FEBRUARY 11, 2019 Read More »
The Markets (as of market close January 25, 2019) Last week did not start off well in the market. However, stocks rebounded on Friday, recouping much of the value lost earlier in the week. Nevertheless, stocks ended last week relatively flat. Of the benchmark indexes listed here, only the S&P 500 lost value. Otherwise, the
MARKET WATCH: JANUARY 28, 2019 Read More »
Forget stocks, bonds, ETFs and non-traded real estate investment trusts. The new flavor of the month these days for those hawking retirement products is something called a fixed index annuity or FlA. Consider: Sales of FIAs rose 14% to $38.7 billion in 2013 and another 24% to $48 billion in 2014, or about 21% of
Retirement: Pros and cons of fixed-index annuities Read More »
Which financial adviser would you pick to give you advice on retirement: a planner with extensive training as a generalist or someone who claims special expertise in retirement issues? If you said the latter, you could be set- ting yourself up for a scam-or at least sketchy advice. Planners eager to mine the rich vein
Be Wary of “Senior” Experts Read More »
Regulators homing in on whether insurers are presenting a picture of performance that’s too rosy Financial advisers working with indexed universal life insurance are finding themselves in the middle of a heated battle between state regulators and the life insurance industry. In an otherwise sleepy corner of the product market, indexed universal life insurance has
Indexed Universal Life Insurance Faces Fresh Scrutiny Read More »
The card that landed in mailboxes throughout central Illinois in early 2008 promoted “the most informative retirement workshop you’ve ever attended.” Pinnacle Investment Advisers, which had four offices in the area, was offering discussions of Medicaid planning, IRAs, and tax-efficient income over lunch or dinner. Bios of Pinnacle owners Susan and Tom Cooper mention their
Indexed Annuities are a Safety Trap Read More »