Can Sales Reps Claim to be Financial Advisors? – updated September 2014
You bet they can and they do. I checked the legality of the claim with FINRA, the SEC, and California (my state of residence) to...
5 Reasons Why a New Financial Advisor is a Hidden Risk – updated September 2014
If you do not ask a prospective financial advisor any other questions be sure to ask for his years of financial advisory experience. Your goal...
A New Player in the Financial Fiduciary Wars – Updated September 2014
A financial fiduciary are financial planners, investment advisors, and money managers who hold positions of substantial trust when they invest other peoples’ money. Investors are counting...
Finding the Best Financial Planner: NOT EASY! – Updated August 2014
Identifying the best financial planner is not easy because anyone can call himself a financial planner. Plus, there is no licensing for planners and no...
Retirement Plans and Employment – The Separation
In my previous article, Why Retirement Plans Need to be Separated from Employment, I suggested that Congress increase the IRA contribution limits to the same level...
Fixing ERISA to Protect Against High Plan Fees
The Employees Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) was created to protect and promote the interests of pension plan participants and their beneficiaries. Unfortunately, ERISA, in...
Investment Management – The Great Debate…
If you want to arouse a fiery debate in a crowd of people interested in the topic of investment management, a sure bet is to...
Making an IRA Part of Your Estate Plan
I’m a big proponent of making IRA’s part of your estate plan. They have many attributes a person can utilize when planning for the inevitable....
Why Retirement Plans Need to be Separated from Employment
In light of the Hobby Lobby decision and the discussion of employer benefits, it seems appropriate to address the merits of employer provided retirement plans. ...
Are Robo Financial Advisors Better than Humans?
To answer this question, it’s important to realize that investment consulting encompasses two distinct crafts: (1) the development of advice and guidance and (2) the...
