Recent Posts / RSS Feed- The tax landscape will shift, making these three strategies wise moves for 2012
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- Farmland, agriculture commodities may outrun stocks or bonds
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- Natural gas: Good energy opportunity, maybe not a good investment opportunity
Category Archives: Financial planning
Slow economy is a drag on standard of living
Economists who aren’t predicting a double-dip recession are at least expecting a low-growth U.S. economy for an extended period of time. What is the impact of an economy that doesn’t grow at it’s historical annual rate of approximately 3% year … Continue reading
Posted in Financial planning
Tagged Brooks Hughes Jones, economy, GDP, growth, standard of living, Tacoma
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How much do you need to save to replace your salary in retirement?
A prominent debate in the financial advisor industry examines what is a safe withdrawal rate from a retired person’s investment portfolio. It’s not quite consensus, but it is generally considered that you can withdraw 4% of the value of a … Continue reading
Posted in Financial planning, Investments, Retirement
Tagged investments, retirement, salary replacement, savings rate
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Retirement reality: when is not always your choice
Interesting chart here from the Employee Benefits Research Institute analyzing the frequency at which people are able to retire on their own terms compared to those who have been forced to retire earlier or later than planned. Twenty years of … Continue reading
Posted in Financial planning, Insurance, Retirement
Tagged financial, financial planning, income, long term care insurance, retirement
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As China ages, will high savings turn into a consumption boom?
According to the recent white paper Demographics in Emerging Markets: Hope or Hype by Mirae Asset Management, over the next 40 years or so, China will go through a large change in both the average age and spending habits of its … Continue reading
Dave Ramsey’s misleading expectations
Radio host and author Dave Ramsey has developed a big following by delivering basic advice about financial literacy and budget management. He has helped a lot of people take positive steps to get out of debt and invest for their … Continue reading
Posted in Financial planning, Investments, Retirement
Tagged financial, investments, Ramsey, retirement, returns
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Changing world demographics will have economic impact
Harvard Professor Richard Cooper recently made a presentation at a meeting of the Boston Security Analysts Society. His presentation analyzed international census data and included a variety of predictions about global demographic changes over the next 30 years that will … Continue reading
Posted in Financial planning
Tagged demographics, economy, global, markets, Social Security
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Housing market slide continues, no end in sight
Historically, housing price gains have been an early benefactor of economic recovery. Currently, however, housing’s impact on consumer spending, unemployment and consumer confidence has been a detractor to recovery. The latest data from the S&P/Cash-Shiller Home Price Index shows a … Continue reading
Posted in Financial planning
Tagged double dip, home prices, housing, shiller, unemployment
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GET unit price takes huge leap
As a follow-up to my September 8 column in The News Tribune (see below), here is some more detail about the new unit price to participate in Washington’s Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) program. The 2011-12 purchase price for one GET unit … Continue reading →