February 14 2017

Investor Insights: February 2017

We're excited to launch our Investor Insights newsletter! In this monthly email, we'll share key stats plus our commentary around market news and trends. Our goal is to keep you informed and share insights to help guide your investment decisions.

February 10 2017

How Should Your Investment Accounts Be Titled?

When it comes to their investment accounts, one thing that many people don’t think about is making sure their accounts are titled properly. Correct titling of accounts is essential to ensuring that account ownership is structured properly — which, in...

February 06 2017

For Big Tax-Deductible Contributions, Consider a Defined Benefit Plan

Small business owners who are looking for tax-deductible retirement contributions greater than those available in a 401(k) plan should consider adopting a defined benefit (DB) plan.

February 03 2017

Why You Should Analyze Risk-Adjusted Returns — Not Just Absolute Returns

This is the time of year when many people are reviewing their investment performance reports from the year before. During this review, however, most people neglect to analyze one of the most important components of their performance: risk-adjusted re...

January 27 2017

Registered Investment Advisor vs. Big Bank: Which Should You Choose?

When it comes to deciding who will help you manage your investments and retirement savings, you have two main options: a big bank (or wirehouse) or a registered investment advisor (RIA). How can you make the best decision for you?

January 26 2017

How Mortality Tables Work

When people hear that I am an actuary, the first question they ask (besides, “What is THAT?”) is, “How long am I going to live?” The answer is, I have no idea. Contrary to popular belief, life expectancy rarely is used in actuarial calculations.

January 24 2017

5 Successful 401(k) Retirement Plan Strategies

Are you aware that you may not be optimizing your 401(k) plan to its full potential? As a plan sponsor, you’ll want to examine all of the possible strategies to implement in order to reap the greatest benefits from investing in a qualified retirement...

January 05 2017

Asset Allocation Strategies for Retirement Planning

The final years leading up to your retirement are critical from a financial planning perspective. During the last five to seven years of pre-retirement and the first few years of retirement itself, you will likely need to make subtle shifts in your r...

December 29 2016

Chasing Performance When Choosing Mutual Funds Can Be A Big Mistake

One of the most common investing mistakes is known as “chasing performance.” This occurs when investors base their buy and sell decisions primarily on how a mutual fund or asset class has performed during a previous short-term time period, such as la...

December 21 2016

4 Strategies For Avoiding the Trap of Emotional Investing

One of the biggest mistakes of many investors is making retirement investing decisions based on their emotions. Doing so can lead to buying high and selling low — which is the exact opposite of a successful retirement investing strategy.