Directly owning real estate is one of the oldest and most reliable forms of investing on the planet. Whether you were a feudal lord 1000 years ago or Donald Trump today, buying and holding real estate has always been a strong path to wealth generation. So, it is no wonder that we regularly get questions in regards to how to start investing in real estate.
There are two ways to invest in real estate. The most familiar route for most is...
Who wants to be a millionaire? Everyone of course, except for those 2,000 or so billionaires. How do you become a millionaire is a much better question, and there is a lot of misinformation and bad assumptions made on the subject. There are many people that think you need to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a trust fund baby in order to be a millionaire, but is that true?
Over the past decade we have seen an influx of research done on the "millionaire class" which has given us much greater insights into how people reach this status. According to recent figure...
For the first time in a while, it feels like investors have had a perfect bracket through the end of the first quarter. Much like the NCAA tournament, the favorites are leading a "chalk" bracket with U.S. stocks posting a 13.65% gain. This is quite a rebound from an awful fourth quarter performance in last years tourney. Many pundits would probably like the big dance to end right now and claim their one shining moment. However, there is more time left on the clock and the outcome is still undecided. With that in mind, let's take a look at the top investment themes so far in 2019 and see which one will have the biggest impact on your portfolio moving forward....
One of the many parts of Social Security that is misunderstood is the Spousal Benefit. The Spousal Benefit is an alternative for those that have not worked long enough to accrue Social Security benefits (40 quarters), or may only be eligible for a small benefit based on their work history. From age 62 through full retirement age a spouse has the option of taking their own earned benefit, or opting for one half of their spouse's benefit. This benefit is permanently reduced by up to 32.5% if you elect to start drawing it at age 62. This works out to a reduction of...
In roulette there are a variety of strategies available with varying levels of risk involved, much akin to playing the stock market. One can go high risk and bet on a single number praying for the big payout; or, play it safe and simply bet on red or black. However, on occasion the dreaded 00 is rolled where pretty much everyone is a loser for playing the game. For investors, 2018 was the equivalent of a 00, where you most likely lost for having participated. The question for the savvy investor is...
Tarheel Advisors, LLC has produced an educational text on financial planning available at Amazon. In order to have a successful retirement, you must have a plan that allows you to identify risks, reduce taxes, find good investments, understand insurance, save for education, and manage your estate planning. Preparing for Retirement: A Comprehensive Guide To Financial Planning does this with a 176 page guide that is full of easy to read charts, examples, and an appendix of commonly used financial planning forms. Whether you have managed your money for decades or you're new to financial planning, this 2018 edition of Preparing for Retirement provides the information and techniques needed to successfully create and maintain a financial plan.