As a country, nation and even globally, we are in the middle of one of the biggest financial crisis since the great depression. The folks in Washington can’t seem to balance our budget. As each year passes, our national debt that is now in the trillions of dollars keeps increasing. Investors have suffered yet another major setback in their financial … Read More
Winning by Losing: The Lost Art of Failure
This week I read a story entitled… “After FCAT Scores Plunge, State Quickly Lowers the Passing Grade” The particular state, test, nor circumstances in the story were relevant to the all too familiar point that popped into my head. In this instance, the state may very well have had their reasons for doing so. Individual student aptitude, after all, is … Read More
Fire Your Financial Advisor
That’s right I said it…Fire Your Advisor! If you have one, pick up the phone right now and do a Donald Trump on him or her and let that person know “They’re Fired!” And if they ask you why, tell them Ike, The Financial Independence Coach told you to do so. That’s right I’ll take the blame for you. And … Read More
Planning For Independence
I would like for you to view “retirement” as the dirty “R” Word. I know a lot of those in the financial services industry help clients plan for retirement but all of them are missing the boat. You should not be planning for retirement but instead should be planning for financial independence.
Becoming Debt Free
Ever feel the weight of the world coming down on you? That’s the way anyone feels when they are buried under the rubble of what I call “bad debt.” So what is bad debt? Bad debt is any consumer debt that does nothing to increase your financial position but instead further deteriorates your financial position.
Estimating Your Retirement Income
Most people have three possible sources of retirement income: (1) Social Security, (2) pension payments, and (3) savings and investments. The income that will have to be provided through savings and investments (which you can plan for) can be determined only after you have estimated the income you can expect from Social Security and from any pension plans (over which … Read More
Your Retirement Plan
How To Get Started The number of people who are financially unprepared for retirement is staggering. One study revealed that more than half of the adults in the U.S. were planning to depend solely on Social Security for retirement income. Another study indicated that the great majority of Americans do not save nearly enough money. This Financial Guide provides you … Read More
The Efficient Frontier
The “efficient frontier” concept is a key to investment success. A graph demonstrating the efficient frontier is shown below. Any expected return (left side of graph) carries with it an expected risk (bottom of graph). This risk-reward relationship varies from individual to individual. Conservative investors cannot tolerate more than a low level of risk, and are willing to accept a … Read More
What Is Right For You?
It’s important to be informed about asset allocation so as to avoid the “cookie cutter” approach that many investors end up accepting. Many of the asset allocations performed today take this “one size fits all” approach. There are all sorts of investment recommendations continually flowing from the financial press. The key question is: Are they suitable for you? Regardless of … Read More
How Are Asset Allocation Models Built?
Simply stated, financial advisors build asset allocation models by (1) taking historic market data on classes of securities, individual securities, interest rates and various market conditions; (2) applying projections of future economic conditions and other relevant factors; (3) analyzing, comparing and weighting the data with computer programs; and (4) further analyzing the data to create model portfolios.
