Investing Guide

I came across another anti-gold column this week. The author doesn’t spring to mind, but the gist was easy to recall.

It was the tired old argument that “gold is not an investment” because you can’t value it like a traditional investment. Because gold does not have cash flow, or offer some form of intrinsic asset comparison, it has to be a “speculation.” (With speculation implied as a dirty word.)

This line of thinking seems silly to me. Who is to determine what counts as a speculation and what doesn’t? Continue reading ‘Why Gold Does Well And Other Investments Don’t’ »

Silver is one of the best-returning assets of the last 12 months. I believe the recent run in silver is just the beginning. Keep in mind, during similar financial times (for example in the 1970s), silver prices shot up 3,733%.

You probably already realize one of the world’s best long-term investments right now is silver. But did you also know that you don’t need to buy ‘investment’ silver in order to take advantage of this trend? To learn more, keep reading.

One reason for silver’s surging investment potential is simple: Silver is real money, and money talks!

With government spending getting out of control, silver is where the smart money is going. Silver is also a great way to actually make money go further, instead of the wilting dollar. Continue reading ‘How to Make Money in Silver, the Future of Silver Prices’ »

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Due to their low costs and tax efficiency, ETFs are becoming an extremely popular investment for taxable accounts. “Since March 2009, when U.S. stock markets hit their lows, investors have pumped $57 billion into ETFs holding U.S. stocks. U.S. stock mutual funds over the same period have suffered withdrawals of $66 billion, according to Morningstar Inc.”* Due to the success of ETFs in taxable accounts, many ETF providers are making a big push to get their products into 401(k)s and other defined contributions plans.

If you are considering adding ETFs to your 401(k) plan, you should be familiar with what your recordkeeper charges for using those assets in your plan. Note: It is extremely likely that your recordkeeper will charge an additional fee for ETFs, over the use of mutual funds. Recordkeepers typically price ETFs in one of two ways: Continue reading ‘The Costs of Using ETFs in 401(K) Plans’ »

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Net worth is one way–but not the only way–to measure your economic success. The net worth formula asks you to take your assets and subtract your liabilities or debts. The remainder is your net worth. The value of your assets is determined by how many dollars those assets would bring if sold in the marketplace. As you are aware, market value can go up or down.

Income flow is another way to measure economic success. Income requires the presence of a productive resource that creates cash payments. Not all assets produce income. Continue reading ‘Why Building A Dividend Income Stream Should Be Your Highest Priority’ »

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If you’re looking for an easy way to invest your money over a long-term basis, then a mutual fund may be the perfect solution for you. The fund is comprised of many investors like you who pool their money together to buy assets managed by a professional. There are a few advantages that you should know about mutual funds.

It’s an excellent way for new investors to get their feet wet. With a one-time investment, you’ll be able to invest in a wide range of stocks. You won’t have all of your eggs in one basket. Even if a few of the investments don’t do well, chances are the losses will be made up for with other investments.

One of the next advantages that you’ll learn about mutual funds is that your money will be managed by a professional. This is usually someone who has years of investment experience. You certainly won’t have that if you’re just starting out, so you’d be more likely to make mistakes with your money. Continue reading ‘Everything You Need to Know About Mutual Funds’ »

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An Immediate Annuity can be the solution to many of your income requirements. The combined guarantee, security and flexibility offered by an immediate annuity make it a viable financial solution for many situations. If you’re searching for a simple and easily manageable way to maintain your retirement income, an immediate annuity can relieve your financial concerns with a one-time premium.

One of the great advantages of an immediate annuity is that it provides protection for you from the possibility of outliving your assets. Even if you plan on retiring at age 65 instead of 55, you should be planning on managing your assets for income for at least an additional 20 to 30 years – an immediate annuity can ease the surrounding those numbers and scenarios because it offers stability – you’ll never outlive the benefit payments and they do not fluctuate. The only thing you’ll need to concern yourself with will be managing your retirement income.

So, how, exactly, does an Immediate Annuity work?

You contribute a lump sum and receive monthly income for the rest of your life. Straightforward, right? There are some details and particulars you should be aware of. First, the income is determined by your age, which is to say it is really determined by life expectancy. If you’ve got a lump sum that has accumulated in another savings plan (a 401k, for example), you can, upon retiring, take the lump sum and annuitize it, thus creating your own pension where the amounts of the payments are up to you. One thing of importance to note regarding immediate annuities – if you want your money, in the event of your death, to be deferred to a specified relative or beneficiary, you’d need to exercise this option when you’re setting up the annuity, if not, the money you contributed would be relinquished to the insurance company.

There are actually several different pay-out options with immediate annuities that can be tailored to meet your needs and lifestyle requirements:

Fixed period – You choose on how many years you want to receive income payments.

Fixed amount – You choose how much you want your income payment to be. The calculation of how long the payments last will be done for you.

Life – You will receive payments for the remainder of your life. There is of course a slight risk with this choice; you could die before receiving the full-accumulated value of your investment, thus you would lose some of the value of your investment.

Life (with period certain) – Equal amount payments are made to you throughout your life or, in the event of your death, to your beneficiary for a guaranteed period of time.

Life (with refund) – You receive a lifetime income. If you don’t live long enough to receive all your premiums back, it will be refunded to your specified beneficiary.

Joint and survivorship – This option provides for payments over the lives of two individuals.

There is also the possibility of opting for what is referred to as a period certain guarantee. What this means is, instead of guaranteed lifetime payouts, you can instead choose monthly payments for a pre-determined length of time, in addition to paying you for as long as you live. If you were to die during the pre-determined time period, your named beneficiary would receive the payments for whatever period of time is still remaining from the determined time period.

When you are considering an annuity, it is important to remember the necessity of not using all of your available money towards it – leave some funds separate for emergencies or any other potentialities. Life does happen, and usually when we least expect it.

Annuity Rate Shopper was started to simplify the annuity buying process. Our services Compare competing fixed annuity rates to help figure out which one is best suited for your needs. Visit us online today.

Mutual funds can be an excellent way for you to invest in a wide range of stocks and bonds. However, they’re not a good choice for everyone. There are certain things you’ll need to know before you investing. Keep reading to learn about some of the most important.

One of the main things you need to know before you invest in mutual funds is what’s stated in the prospectus. By reading it, you’ll learn about the investment objectives and strategies used by the fund manager.

The fund’s objectives may not coincide with yours, so you’ll need to know this upfront. The prospectus will also give you information about the investment risks and past performance of the fund. Continue reading ‘Things You Need To Know Before You Invest In Mutual Funds’ »

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Has your stockbroker ever recommended a well diversified portfolio of low-cost index funds? How about exchange-traded funds? No? There’s a good reason for this; lack of compensation. Stockbrokers are paid when they sell commissioned investment items such as individual stocks, bonds, or annuities. While they may recommend enhanced index funds, these are not true index funds. Many of these hybrid funds carry excessive hidden fees which deplete your account and transfer your money to the broker. The ethical and honest broker selling financial instruments is a very skinny and poor individual who will soon be out looking for new work.

If these investments are so poor to your financial health, why are actively-managed funds promoted through every financial talk show and magazine available today? Again, it comes down to the bottom line. If CNBC were to talk about index funds and achieving average returns, they would quickly lose all sponsorship and revenue. Continue reading ‘Why Your Stockbroker Will Never Recommend Index Funds’ »

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It’s human nature. We all make mistakes from time to time. But when it’s your money, even small mistakes can cost you a lot, especially when it involves Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Here are three common IRA rollover errors and how to avoid them:

#1: Leaving Assets in a Former Employer’s Retirement Plan
When you leave an employer, usually you have the right to roll over your entire vested balance into an IRA. Why would you want to do that? There are several reasons:

• By rolling your old retirement plan balance to an IRA, you gain access to a wider range of investment choices.
• In the event of your death, your beneficiaries may be able to take distributions over their lifetimes which would allow for a longer period of tax deferral.
• If you move your old retirement plan via a “direct rollover”, you can avoid the 20% mandatory withholding for plan distributions. Continue reading ‘How to Avoid 3 Common IRA Rollover Errors’ »

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Guns and butter? Guns are the things that appreciate with value such as fine art, real estate, a business, planes, jewelry, boats, race horse, or stocks and bonds. Butter are the things that offer instant gratification but gradually decreases in value which can be classified as cars, computers, machines, office furniture, etc. If you were to sell any of the appreciated assets you will become subjected to pay a significant tax expense if you don’t research and follow the appropriate guidelines. Within this article I will point out one of the ways to avoid those large tax bills while selling your appreciated assets ranging from land to collectibles. This powerful, tax efficient method that I am referring to is titled the Private Annuity Trust (PAT).

Another major benefit alongside the fact that PATs helps its client avoid capital gains taxes is that it’s one of the most secure asset protection programs available today. A judgment cannot be made against it meaning that no one can sue you and seize the value of your personal property or real estate. The preceding sentences are a critical piece to the financial strategy of an investor or a citizen who just want to secure their property. Also PATs will enable the owner to assign a beneficiary to the trust and leave all of their assets exempt from estate taxes and probate liabilities. Continue reading ‘Reduce Your Capital Gains Tax When Selling Valuable Assets’ »

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