We can’t control the future. But we can have some control over the present. By talking with your family about the current state of your finances, your future plans, and your wishes for your estate after you’re gone, you’ll help everyone put their best foot forward and prepare for whatever is to come.
Fund-flow data can be a useful for analyzing where investor money is going and how fund-flow trends are correlated with asset-class performance. Between 1994 and 2001, equity flows were higher than bond flows, but all that changed after the dot-com crash when investors started losing confidence in stocks.
If you want to take a tax- and penalty-free withdrawal of the portion of a Roth that consists of investment earnings (amount above your initial contribution), you need to be age 59 1/2, disabled, or using the money to pay for a first-time home. However, there’s more to this rule.
Market cycles represent fluctuations in stock, bond and investment markets. These cycles are closely tied with large-scale economic business cycles and have an important impact on investment, financial, cash flow and personal planning.
Investing can do good for more than just your wallet. Recent years have seen a surge in what is commonly called “socially responsible investing,” or investing for a cause.
Portfolio management is the process of matching the return and risk characteristics of an investor’s portfolio with his or her desired financial objectives. While scientific and technical in nature, there is also an art to the portfolio management process.
