Play To Win … 2nd or 3rd Place Isn’t An Option!
Want to be the life of the party? Share a story of how you, your child or your favorite team came from behind to win the game and you'll have the entire room's attention. Why is that? It's really simple. Deep down inside of us, we all love to win. If you don't believe...
Politicians: Just Like Us or Totally Different?
If you think about it, there are many people who make a career and a very good one might I add out of being a politician. However, where does one actually learn to be a politician? I mean I know there are political science majors out there but I can't remember how...
Financial Guru or Political Pundit….You Decide!
If you've ever listened to a financial guru, financial expert or other authoritative figure in the financial services industry, at some point you've probably gotten to hear them talk about politics in some shape, form or fashion. Why is that? Are financial experts "in...
What’s Your Wealth Building Formula?
Before getting into the basic wealth building formula most people use, I'd like to explain a bit about how banks and similar financial institutions work. Let’s assume for a moment that you are a business owner and I’m the bank. For every $1 you earn in your business,...
Put An End To The Financial Insanity
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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 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...