Following is a letter I just sent to my senator when he let me know he did not support the Department of Labor’s expansion of the fiduciary standard to Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). The comment period ends September 24th. Please consider going to www.saveourretirement.com and signing the petition if you agree with me. Dear Senator…

Anyone can call himself (or herself) a financial planner. The term isn’t a license, and many people in the financial services industry call themselves financial planners, financial advisers, financial consultants, and a myriad of other names. How do you know who to trust? The honest answer is that you can’t be sure, but you can…

Thanks to Eleanor Blayney, @EleanorBlayney, for this clever article! Even though she published it a couple of years ago, it’s still one of my favorites. Find information about financial planning at www.letsmakeaplan.org.  From CFP Board’s Consumer Advocate, Eleanor Blayney, CFP(r) http://www.cfp.net/news-events/newsletters/April-2013#Story1 Dr. Seuss and Financial Literacy Can you remember learning to read? For anyone under…

Here are some ideas taken from a talk I gave about the finances of planning your family vacation. Remember that you don’t want to still be paying for it at the holidays! Plan Early Less expensive tickets, rooms, rental cars Make a list so you don’t forget items Trip anticipation valuable part of vacation benefit

Here is an article provided by the Financial Planning Association!  Are There Any Disadvantages Associated with Paying off a Mortgage Early? The disadvantages, if any, may stem from the financial trade-offs that a mortgage holder needs to make when paying off the mortgage. Paying it off typically requires a cash outlay equal to the amount of…

With identity theft so common, I recently spoke briefly at an event for seniors to talk about ways to protect yourself. Here are the thoughts I shared!

Here is another article from the Financial Planning Association. Preferred Stock: A Hybrid Investment With interest rates on government bonds and highly rated corporate bonds barely keeping up with inflation, investors are searching far and wide for better returns. One alternative is preferred stock.1 Preferred stock is often called a stock-bond hybrid. While technically an…

On June 3, 2015, I spoke at the Senior Options Seminar held at McFarlin United Methodist Church. I would like to share some of my key points with you here.

Each month, the Financial Planning Association provides very nice, short articles on a financial planning topic. I thought you might enjoy reading this! You and Your Business: Choosing the Right Form of Ownership The form of ownership you choose for your company can have lasting legal, financial, and tax implications. Here’s a review of some…