More than nine in 10 Americans think it is important for financial advisors who dispense retirement advice to act in the clients’ best interest. And more than half of Americans think this logical assumption is in fact legally required within the financial service industry.
A recent Gallup poll found that Americans are the most positive about their financial situation in a long time. Fifty two percent reported that they feel good about their finances. That’s a big jump from the 41 percent who felt the same five years ago.
Look, I love a good party as much as anyone else, especially when there is a great celebration, such as a wedding. But if you’re attending a few weddings a year—and god forbid if one or more is a destination wedding—then I am also worried you may be celebrating your way into a costly situation.
If you have been invested in U.S. stocks the past few years you have no doubt made some serious money. The U.S. markets are up more than 300% since this bull market began in 2009. But I want you to understand that great returns are in no way a guarantee going forward. Yes, stocks are always the smart investment if you are a long-term investor, but I hope you realize that over the next 10 years we might not see such robust U.S. stocks returns, simply because they have had such an incredible run.
I hope anyone nearing age 65 realizes that Medicare does not cover routine dental procedures. As recently reported in a terrific retirement blog, seniors pay more than $1,100 a year for dental work. But what is most troubling to me is that two years ago the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation reported that one in five Medicare enrollees said the high cost of dental care is a barrier to getting care. That’s dangerous, as not keeping up with dental care can impact your quality of life—if your teeth and gums don’t stay strong-and can lead to illnesses.
I want you to understand there is a big shift going on in our economy. I know you are well aware that interest rates have been very low ever since the financial crisis. But that’s changing. The Federal Reserve, which has control of a key interest rate-called the Federal Funds rate-has recently decided that it no longer needs to keep that rate so low because the economy is showing signs of solid strength.
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It would be easy to say “yes” to long-term care insurance if you didn’t have to come up with new money to pay for it, wouldn’t it? Well, there might just be a way to pull that off by repositioning money you already have.
Most homebuyers choose a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. There’s nothing wrong with going the conventional route and spreading your payments over 30 years. But I wish more people would take out a 15-year mortgage instead.