PETE THE PLANNER: Turning 59-1/2? Give yourself a talk about discipline
Your retirement nest egg is always fragile. It doesn’t get less fragile once you gain access to it.
Investing Column
Articles
KIM: New tools help families weigh investment merit of college choices
As with any investment, price is what you pay, but value is what you get.
PETE THE PLANNER: Open wallet to help others, not just buy things
Investing in your community provides a deep expression of gratitude that is as fulfilling as it is impactful.
HAHN: Prepare for the holidays with ‘12 days of taxes’
Between all the holiday parties and batches of eggnog, there are some financial tasks to check off your list before Dec. 31.
PETE THE PLANNER: How to pick up the pieces if you lose your job
Whether you see it coming or not, hearing that your job is no longer your job is shocking.
KIM: Is WeWork the ‘canary in the coal mine’ for profitless ‘unicorns’?
When investors compete to give their capital to private companies, you get standards that are lowered at the same time valuations are raised, a recipe for disaster.
PETE THE PLANNER: Abandoning shame is first step toward reaching financial goals
Shame prevents people—really smart and capable people—from bringing their challenges forward to the solutions altar.
HAHN: Take steps now to prevent having a scary retirement
The estimated median household savings of retirees is $75,000. About 9% do not have any savings, 31% have savings of less than $50,000, and only 38% have savings of $100,000 or more.
PETE THE PLANNER: How are you doing financially? Take this test
It’s not about what you earn; it’s about what you keep.
PETE THE PLANNER: How to determine when it’s time to get another car
Holding onto an older car and driving it until it dies can be a practical approach to mitigating transportation costs. Until it isn’t.
HAHN: Taking steps to prepare for an unexpected retirement
There are a variety of reasons for exiting the workforce early. The most common reasons are for health problems, either the retiree’s own or those of a loved one the retiree must care for.
KIM: How Luck’s move explains the inverted yield curve
While Luck’s retirement obviously has nothing to do with the inversion of the yield curve, I’ve often found the world of sports provides useful analogies to the world of investing.
PETE THE PLANNER: Use bonuses to bolster finances, not to go on a spending spree
Anytime I break down a financial life, I explore three distinct areas. I look for long-term financial stability, midterm financial stability and, you guessed it, short-term financial stability.
HAHN: What to make of the high-frequency trading boom
While there are substantial benefits to electronic trading, there are ethical concerns.
PETE THE PLANNER: Protect your nest egg—or risk running out of money
Running out of money in retirement isn’t a small problem. It’s the worst problem.
KIM: Study shows ‘behavior gap’ continues to destroy investor returns
Unfortunately, investors have an uncanny, destructive tendency to buy high (when they’re feeling overconfident) and sell low (when they’re scared).
PETE THE PLANNER: Financial stress is a reality, no matter your income level
Stress doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t know your income, your gender or your job title. And even if it did, it wouldn’t care.
HAHN: Here’s what to think about when considering a Roth IRA
As a long-term investor, I like the fact that the earnings on my money will not be taxed when withdrawn.
PETE THE PLANNER: Decide whether to beat—or be—the market
If your goal is to beat the market, you want to outperform market indexes, ideally net of fees.
KIM: Fasten seatbelts for second-half roller-coaster ride
While history suggests the road is likely to get increasingly bumpy over the next four months, it will be important (as always) to try to remain unemotional and stick with the plan.