The BAM ALLIANCE, 8/4/2020 On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. Since then, the U.S. Treasury Department has issued guidance to clarify and, in some cases, expand the provisions of the CARES Act dealing with retirement accounts and the relief offered to retirement account owners…
Sheldon McFarland, VP, Portfolio Strategy and Research, 8/4/2020 What do you get when you assemble a dozen or so of nuclear science’s greatest minds, give them access to the world’s first electronic general-purpose digital computer, and spend $2 billion during the height of World War II? An atomic bomb of course, and a sophisticated simulation…
Jeffrey Levine, CPA/PFS, CFP®, AIF®, CWS®, 8/4/2020 For many, correctly answering the question, “When should I begin to take my Social Security benefits?” is a critical step toward making sure their retirement income and savings last at least as long as they do. For others, who perhaps are lucky enough to have accumulated a more…
For those retiring soon, there are several options to consider when deciding how to handle assets saved in company-sponsored retirement plans.
Overview: The following are some key investing principles that investors should know. The Importance of Education It is our desire and intent to educate clients about how capital markets work and to provide them with the information necessary for their financial well-being. The advice to invest in passively managed funds is significantly different from most…
Overview: Stay the course. We repeat that advice again and again. It is a message we would not repeat if we did not truly believe it was in your best interests. The following discusses why our message is the same regardless of market conditions. Our advice has always been — and will always be —…
Overview: The following rules can help investors build and adhere to a well-designed investment plan. The following investing guidelines may be instrumental in giving investors the best chance of achieving their financial goals. Constructing an Investment Plan Recognize that the ability, willingness and need to take risk is different for everyone. Plans fail because investors…
Overview: Author Carl Richards, director of investor education for the BAM ALLIANCE, shares his views on New Year’s resolutions. The New Year’s holiday is a great time to reflect on what’s really important to us. Spending time with family and friends can help us get focused on where we’re at right now and where we…
Overview: Each year, author Larry Swedroe, director of research for the BAM ALLIANCE, takes a look back at the investing lessons the markets provided in the past year. Introduction Over the majority of 2012, our collective attention was focused on several events: Our continuing fiscal deficits and our ability to continue to fund them What…
Overview: Enrolling in Medicare can be overwhelming. The following looks at enrollment periods for different coverage options. Medicare health insurance is a dense topic. Each of the various options have specific coverage and enrollment periods. To select the best coverage for you, it helps to have a better understanding of the program. This knowledge can…
It can be tempting to begin taking Social Security benefits the moment you are eligible. The following discusses some reasons why you may want to delay taking your benefits. You’re ready to retire and have paid a lot into the Social Security system. But now that you’re finally eligible for benefits, you might be hearing…
This article looks at six myths surrounding hedge funds and some of the reasons why many high net worth investors continue to invest in hedge funds despite growing academic evidence and reports by more than a few in the financial media that hedge funds are “mad, bad and dangerous.”1 The evolving body of information about…
Investors around the country and around the world may have experienced some panic when the scandal involving Bernard Madoff — described as a $50 billion Ponzi scheme — became known. Some investors may be wondering if their assets may fall prey to the same kind of situation. The following discusses why investors in mutual funds…
Several academic studies have shown hedge funds to be poor investment choices for prudent investors. Now, several scandals have added to the evidence on this being a poor asset choice. The investing world was rocked with the news of another hedge fund scandal, as Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam was arrested with five others in…
One of the risks of investing in hedge funds involves tying up large amounts of assets in a single investment vehicle. The advent of funds of hedge funds supposedly provided advisors with a means of diversifying the risks of investing in hedge funds. Have investors been rewarded? The following article summarizes a study showing that…
