“Gaming companies are a tough group of stocks to own,” acknowledges the author of today’s article, pointing to, among other things, how sensitive casino profits are to changes in economic conditions. For those looking for gaming related income stocks, however, gaming-focused real estate investment trusts may be a lucrative investment – and the author highlights three specific gaming REITs to…
“Social Security is what it is — and it isn’t what it isn’t,” states the author of today’s article who argues that, while Social Security is an asset, it is not a bond – and thus investors are ill-served by considering Social Security part of their retirement portfolio’s bond allocation. What is Social Security, what isn’t Social Security – and…
“The bottom line is that generating secure income to meet our retirement goals for an uncertain period of time is extremely challenging,” acknowledges the author of today’s article, who likens this task to “trying to hit a moving target in the wind.” He proceeds to outline one approach to doing so – the so-called flooring approach. How does the flooring…
Strategies for accumulating wealth receive much more attention than strategies for decumulating wealth despite the fact that, as the author of today’s article points out, nowadays the decumulation phase of one’s life can be just as long as the accumulation phase. He also acknowledges problems with safe withdrawal strategies, including the fact that there’s a good chance you’ll end up…
When it comes to annuities, the author of today’s article has some very strong (negative) feelings, asserting that “Whatever you think an annuity can do for you, it can’t. Or there is likely a cheaper, better, more flexible way to do it.” What kinds of annuities does he declare are “bogus” (and why)? What kinds of annuities does he describe…
An encore career in retirement can provide many advantages, financial and otherwise. On the financial front, for example, income from an encore career can help retirees delay claiming Social Security benefits – and thus increase the benefit amount they ultimately receive. However, the author of today’s article cautions that, when considering embarking on a postretirement career, “there are some important…
What happens if you have the bad luck to retire at a market peak, right before a brutal bear market (a scenario that many approaching retirement right now may be especially concerned about)? The author of today’s article runs the numbers to determine what effect this has on a portfolio’s value over the course of a retirement – and his…
He’s been called the Sam Spade of money management, the financial watchdog, and the pension detective. And now he’s warning that “We are on the precipice of the greatest retirement crisis in the history of the world”, with millions of elderly in the United States alone at risk of falling into poverty in the coming decades as a result of…
“Money and rationality don’t always mix…That’s especially true with retirement,” notes the author of today’s article. Just one example of many: The fact that nearly half of Americans claim Social Security benefits as soon as possible (age 62), foregoing a significantly larger benefit had they waited. Fortunately, insights from behavioral finance can help “nudge” individuals towards making more rational decisions…
A tragedy is unfolding,” warns the author of today’s article regarding the U.S. stock market – and the potential for a crash that could topple the economy. The critical factors? “All-in dovish central banks, a renewed desperate hunt for yield, FOMO, a U.S.-China trade deal, record buybacks, trillion-dollar deficits ($1.1 trillion for 2019, to be exact, and rising) and a…