As I have said on many other occasions, Behemoths—big government agencies like the IRS, Fannie and Freddie, big investment firms, mutual funds, and stock insurance companies, big insurance agencies like AARP posing as advocates, big unions, big community organizations like ACORN—have misled Americans about the how-to of creating wealth and managing personal finances. This is [...]
The financial principles that have made America’s economy and people the envy of the world are clear and simple.
In the Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit [...]
Over the past decade or so, the fallacy that home equity should be “harvested” by means of mortgage refinancing or home equity loans and converted into equity in some other investment has been foisted upon Americans as a legitimate financial strategy.
The most common presentation of these schemes suggests that home equity should be redirected into what some advisors call ”investment grade life insurance.” Other schemes [...]
Joseph J. Ellis in His Excellency George Washington [Vintage books, NY] writes that the Father of our Country, unlike Thomas Jefferson and others from the elite class of the day, demonstrated “…concern for his own economic interest…” and adds paranthetically that “Perhaps this is the underlying reason Jefferson and so many other[s]…would die in debt, and Washington would die a very [...]
Preamble…
There are hundreds - perhaps thousands - of legitimate uses for participating (par) whole life insurance.
Thoughtful and creative insurance and financial guides recognize par whole life as the most powerful, flexible, and versatile financial tool in the US economy. These enlightened guides use par whole life for applications as simple as fulfilling basic family needs, [...]
Mystery…No. 5 Volume Is More Important Than Rate
Every major product in the financial services business - every type of mutual fund, annuity, variable insurance product, bank CD, treasury bill, note and bond - proudly trumpets its rates. If 2% is good then 5% is better. If 6% compounded is wonderful then 8% compounded is [...]
Mystery…No. 2 You Know Best What’s Right for You
The Debt Paradigm preaches that you cannot fully comprehend your own personal economy. It implies that the professionals who subscribe to the Debt Paradigm are in some way wiser, more knowledgeable about your situation, better informed about your needs, and perhaps even cuter than you.
BUNK!
You do not [...]
The Seven Mysteries - aka Wealth Builders
Moving from Bad Habits to Good Practices
Prologue
The difference between a habit and a practice is awareness.
If a habit relies on thoughtless performance, a practice relies on thoughtful performance. The behavior can be the same, e.g., locking the doors at night. Awareness makes the difference.
Conventional wisdom means that [...]
Myth…No. 6 - My Financial Advisor Knows
This may be the biggest myth of all. Some of my best friends and clients are financial planners and advisors. They perform a valuable service, especially those who are specialized and focused on one particular aspect of the market and have an open mind toward the processes that [...]
Myth No. 4 - I Have A Retirement Plan From Work
Myth: my company has a pension/profit sharing/401k/other plan that promises me a secure future income.
Reality: Enron, MCI, US West/Qwest, Mutual Benefit Life, United Airlines, and many other well known and superficially reputable and stable companies have defaulted on retirement plans in the past and many [...]