What happens when a married couple dies without a will? Under most state laws, when a married person with children dies intestate (without a will) the property will first pass to the spouse and then to the children.
When an unmarried partner (heterosexual or homosexual) dies intestate and does not have children, the state intestacy laws Read More→
Over the past few years, there has been greater interest in alternative investments. But are these investments right for you? The answer is: only if you know what you’re doing.
Alternative investments include all assets other than stocks and bonds and all types of investment strategies other than buy and hold. Traditionally, alternatives are used to provide important diversification benefits to a portfolio. They can also provide a higher rate of return, which is key to keeping up with inflation and meeting long-term financial goals.
Examples of alternative asset classes include Read More→
Many portfolio managers these days are looking for ways to hedge risk inside of an investment portfolio as a result of the market volatility we’ve seen over the last few years. There are asset allocation, rebalancing, protective structured notes, etc. While all of these strategies offer valuable protection and should be considered in order to preserve the assets that you have worked so hard for, long-term care may be just as important in the long run.
Take a couple in their 60s who has an approximate portfolio worth $1,500,000. What would happen if one-third of that portfolio was lost due to another sharp decline in the stock market, similar to what occurred in late 2008? Read More→
The August 21-22, 2010 Wall Street Journal article, “Preparing for The Next ‘Black Swan’“ discusses what investors are doing to protect portfolios against a “black swan” — an unforeseen event that can wreak havoc on the financial markets.
This is just the latest in a number of recent articles on the attempts of institutional and private investors to deal with and, in some cases, exploit the heightened volatility in equity markets. Most of these approaches are either too expensive or don’t provide meaningful protection.
While the article rightfully cautions against such products, what is not discussed is Read More→
Given the turbulent economic times of the last few years, you might be inclined to “put your money under the mattress”. But the ultimate effect of doing this is that your money loses purchasing power because of inflation.
Purchasing power is the value of your money as measured by the amount of products and services you can buy with it. Inflation makes your purchasing power decrease. Inflation may not seem like much year-to-year, but it adds up. For example, assume you’re age 60, and your current annual living expenses are $150,000. If inflation is 3% per year, your expenses will double to approximately $300,000 by the time you reach age 84.You need more income each year just to preserve your current lifestyle. When choosing how to invest, remember that your biggest financial problem over the long term is not the economy or market fluctuations, but inflation.
The key to securing your financial future is Read More→
© 2011 Brinton Eaton Wealth Advisors. All rights reserved.
