Turning once again to William Shakespeare for the title of an article, I’d like to consider some ways that commonly understood words might be used for uncommon purposes.
Members of “The Greatest Generation” knew Packard Bell as a well respected manufacturer of radios and other consumer electronic devices.
A recently widowed woman visited our office not long ago asking for help understanding her investment portfolio. Fortunately, she was in good financial shape but I was struck by some of her questions. While I strive for clarity both in person and in print, at one point she asked me what an index fund was.
If an investor decides that stock ownership seems like a workable strategy for making money over time, how does she or he decide which company to become an owner of, i.e. which stock to purchase? Choices abound. There are shares of around 8,000 companies currently available on US exchanges and at least that many more on foreign exchanges.
Hedge funds are periodically in the news, so let’s shine a light into that corner of the market beginning with a definition. When used as a verb, hedge means to limit or qualify (something) by conditions or exceptions. Since we know that a fund is a pooled investment strategy, we can see that a hedge fund is a pooled investment used to limit risk.
Many great fortunes have been made by purchasing the right stock at the right time but the risk inherent in the stock market means that there will always be a role for bonds to play.
Until recently, many retirees have been able to rely upon the three-legged stool of retirement income sources: A defined benefit pension plan that guarantees a lifetime income, their own savings, and Social Security.
Although I don't think anyone expects a Social Security check alone to be enough to support their retirement, the income is certainly a welcome addition to those who have completely or partially stopped working. Most years, there's a cost of living increase to help reduce the sting of inflation and benefits have increased every year but two since 1975.
The challenge for most people today is finding the right financial advisor. The sheer number of financial professionals holding themselves out as “financial advisors,” makes it a daunting task at best. It is easier if you know what to look for, but that requires an acute sense of what exactly you want from an advisory relationship.
It’s been a few years since I last discussed Medicare, the government program that helps insure health care costs for those of us who are 65 or older. Since it recently turned 50, I thought I’d offer an update. It was conceived as a way to provide health insurance coverage for retirees and it continues to fulfill that role.
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