November 2010 | FIGuide

Choosing a Self Retirement Plan

Nov 30 2010

The SEP-IRA is dead. At least it should be for ever sole proprietor that is looking for the best retirement vehicle. There are very few slam dunks in this industry but choosing the Individual 401(K) over the SEP IRA is clearly one of them. If you are a Sole Proprietor and you want to maximize retirement contributions with the lowest cost and highest flexibility, then you deserve it to yourself to read these 5 reasons why the Individual 401(K) is the best retirement vehicle for sole proprietors.

Reason 1: Maximum Pre-Tax Contributions

The first reason why the Individual 401(K) is …

The Most Important Step To Getting Your Financial Life in Order

Nov 30 2010

I’m often asked “How do I begin to get my financial affairs in order?”

That’s a great question. The task can be daunting. Do you begin with gathering documents, or do you start reviewing your investment portfolio, or do you start reading Money magazine and hope that you’ll be able to solve this seemingly complex problem?

I suggest to forget about all of that stuff…for now. Honestly, that stuff just isn’t as important as the more meaningful discussions you should have about your finances. Let me explain.

The problem I see with most physicians—and most financial advisors–is that they focus …

The New Investing Rules For 2011 and Beyond

Nov 29 2010

Are you going to purchase stocks in 2011? If your answer to that question is “yes’, there’s an important IRS rule change you should know about.

If you buy a stock in 2011, your broker must report the gain or loss when you sell it. In fact, this will be true for the following investment classes as of the following dates:

•    Individual stocks you buy after January 1, 2011
•    Mutual fund shares you buy after January 1, 2012
•    Bonds, options & other securities you buy after January 1, 2013 (source)(source)
Prior to 2011, …

When To Apply For Social Security Benefits

Nov 28 2010

We’ve covered the concept of the benefit to you in delaying your Social Security application in another article, but did you realize that even delaying a few months can have a significant impact on your benefit? This is the case for all benefits, whether taking them before FRA or after – as your age is always calculated by the month, with increase or reduction factors applied for each month of delay or early application, respectively.

Early Application Factors

For each month prior to your Full Retirement Age (FRA), a reduction factor is applied. For the 36 months just prior to …

The Future Value Of The Dollar: What We Can Expect

Nov 25 2010

A favorite doomsday scenario. Have you heard about the forthcoming collapse of the dollar? Well, if you turn on your computer, your radio and even your TV, you just may. With the Federal Reserve poised to increase the money supply, the commentary on this topic is heating up again.

The scenario has variations, but the basic outline goes like this: An unexpected political or economic event leaves the dollar so weak all confidence in it is gone. Foreign nations sell Treasuries in a panic and the Fed becomes the buyer of last resort. Traders and individual investors dump dollars for …

Archive - November 2010

Early Application Factors