August 2012 Newsletter: Is Long Term Care Insurance Worth It?
What is Long Term Care Insurance? Does it make sense for my situation? What are the alternatives? Long Term Care Insurance reimburses for expenses associated with at‐home or facility treatments for patients who are impaired and can’t perform at least two of the daily activities of living; such as bathing, dressing and eating. We normally recommend that all clients consider the purchase of long‐term care insurance when they reach the age of 50. Like medical coverage, insurers can deny coverage based on pre‐existing conditions so it makes sense to consider it while one is relatively young and...
Read MoreMarket Summary- Q2 2012
Australia’s champion racehorse Black Caviar is unbeaten over twenty-two races. Think of her as a growth stock with four legs. With a brilliant bloodline and a huge fan base—she even has her own Facebook page—Black Caviar is turning into the most popular racehorse since the legendary Phar Lap.The five-year-old mare prevailed in Britain’s premier racing event at Royal Ascot late last month. But unless you own part of Black Caviar, you’re unlikely to make much money from placing a bet on her fortunes. “The Wonder from Downunder,” as she is known, pays close to...
Read MoreJuly 2012 Newsletter: Are You Worried About Europe and the Impending Fiscal Cliff?
“I increasingly think Europe and the impending fiscal cliff are likely to lead to a new recession and a further decline in the market.” -Comment from an MFA client- Some wonder if a “buy-and-hold” philosophy is appropriate given all the predictions that stocks are going to decline sometime this year due to bloated government debt in Europe [and the US], the fiscal cliff [expiration of the Bush-era income tax cuts] and every other issue that causes economic concern. With the continual repositioning of stocks within the funds we buy on your behalf, as well as our monitoring and rebalancing,...
Read MoreJune 2012 Newsletter: Have we lost faith in the Future? Nobody “believes” in stocks anymore.
We heard the same basic lament at the FPA (Financial Planning Association) NorCal Conference we attended recently that we have been hearing from some clients for a few months now. Investors everywhere, it might seem are suffering from what might be called a loss of hope. We are grateful to Bob Veres, a financial writer we read and respect, for his thoughts in framing this message. A growing number of investors seem to believe that the world is coming apart, and therefore have no enthusiasm in investing in anything that depends on an optimistic view of the future. The specifics vary. It may...
Read MoreMay 2012 Newsletter: Brokerizing Financial Advice
Would you believe that in the aftermath of the financial crisis legislation has been proposed that will result in LESS consumer protection in finance? “Brokerizing” Financial Advice Under normal circumstances, we do not burden our clients with the details of the regulatory issues we deal with on a daily basis. Periodically, we send you required notifications such as our privacy policy and updated regulatory forms. Our focus is on communicating about your financial well-being. But recently, legislation has been proposed in Congress that we feel could adversely impact investors in general and...
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