2014 | Page 3 of 66

How Far Will the Dollar Appreciate?

Dec 29 2014

Due to financial stress and lack of recovery in Europe and Japan, and a decline in the fortunes of commodity exporting countries the dollar is rising above other currencies. It typically has traded between 70 to 90 points in the past 10 years and is now at 90 points for the DXY indicator.

In the early 1980’s it went up, from after trading in the 85 to 100 range, to 162 because our interest rates were much higher than other countries.

Part of the reason the DXY went up so much in the 1980’s was because of the “money illusion” …

Boost Your Financial Health in 12 Monthly Steps

Dec 29 2014

By Eve Kaplan, CFP®

Yup – it’s that time of year again when you consider your New Year’s Resolutions. The top 3 New Year’s Resolutions recur each year: eat less, exercise more and clean up your finances/investments. Here are 12 monthly steps to cultivate better financial health. You can do much of this if you’re a committed and determined do-it-yourselfer and you follow December advice (below):

1. January: Organize your paperwork. It sounds like an obvious starting point which eludes many. Are you financial documents organized (in paper or virtually) so the information is at your fingertips? Your heirs …

Make SMART Goals as You Plan

Dec 29 2014

Goal planning is the real “meat” of financial planning. That is to say, once you’ve covered the issues of organizing your information, developing and improving your net worth, and providing for the safety issues, it is now time to consider exactly what you would like to do with your money and your life.

This is a very personal set of decisions – no one person makes the same choices. Perhaps you’d like to open your own business, and become your own boss. Maybe all you’d like to do is to finish working after 30 years and spend your time …

Sam Fawaz Guest–Tune into SiriusXM Channel 111: Tue, Dec. 30th at 5:30pm EST!

Dec 28 2014

On Tuesday, December 30th, I will be the guest Financial Planner on SiriusXM’s Business Radio show “Your Money“, hosted by Kent Smetters. The show airs on Wharton Business Radio, Channel 111 and will begin at 5 PM EST / 4 PM CST. Make sure to tune in!

I am honored to have been invited to be the guest Financial Planner on Your Money and it would be even more of an honor if you were to tune in and provide me with your questions and/or feedback. The show runs from 5:00 to 7:00PM EST (4-6 PM CST) and… Read More

A Message about Risk in Investing

Dec 24 2014

The following is a story that was related to me by another financial planner. The message is quite remarkable – and important for all of us to understand.

A dentist, age 53, had sold his practice and partially retired. When we reviewed his portfolio, which amounted to approximately two million dollars, it became apparent that he had strong feelings regarding protection of capital. The entire two million dollars was invested in a combination of CD’s, money market funds, and short-term US government bonds.

A portfolio with this kind of makeup is considered risk averse, meaning that there is little if …

Archive - 2014