Financing a transition

Investment truths produce long-term success

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: May 20, 2013
Tags: Wealth Management

The last five years have sent stocks on a wild ride. First, the October 2007 to March 2009 Great Recession and bear market drove stocks down 50 percent, then the bull market boosted stocks up over 100 percent in under four years. But stocks have averaged less than 1 percent annually since October 2007. Over [...]

Rolling 401(k) into an IRA makes sense

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: May 20, 2013
Tags: Wealth Management

I recently met a married couple of university professors who were interested in improving their investment portfolios and getting a sound financial plan in place. The couple, both in their early 60s, thought their ability to work with a brokerage firm was limited. After all, most of their wealth resided in university-sponsored 401(k) plans. So [...]

Retirement planning: Big traps for small law firms

By Sylvia Hsieh
Published: February 21, 2013
Tags: Wealth Management

Many lawyers at small firm are intimidated by the prospect of planning for retirement. Because establishing a retirement plan for your firm can be a daunting task, here are some tips and traps from a few experts: Not so fast The first question to ask is whether your firm is ready to implement a retirement [...]

Bonds and rising rates: Manage the risk, don’t abandon ship

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: November 19, 2012
Tags: Wealth Management

Investors are being warned to be wary of bonds because the effect of rising interest rates will be to crush bond prices. The warning is well founded — up to a point. Rising rates will push bond prices down, but rising rates are not the only risk investors should be concerned about. And the remedy [...]

Going solo? Don’t overlook retirement planning

By Sylvia Hsieh
Published: July 10, 2012
Tags: Wealth Management

More lawyers than ever are going solo, whether by choice or out of necessity. What has not changed, say law practice management experts, is that both newbie and experienced solos are not planning for retirement early or often enough. While retirement planning may not be all that different for solos than it is for other [...]

Sometimes financial planning can be premature

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: May 21, 2012
Tags: Wealth Management

You’ve heard stories about how the lack of financial and estate planning can force families to sell their homes and family heirlooms to pay estate taxes at the death of a loved one. Many of us are aware of basic trusts that can move assets out of our taxable estates to protect our heirs and [...]

Lessons In Lending: Early retirement – Are you sure it’s what you really want?

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: May 21, 2012
Tags: Wealth Management

Early retirement sounds tempting. It’s a goal for many folks. But for some, it falls into the category of: “Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it!” Planning for retirement, particularly early retirement, tends to focus mostly on financial factors: What are my income needs? How much will be supplied by my [...]

Money Management: Are we coming full circle on 401(k) investments?

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: February 27, 2012
Tags: Wealth Management

Does your firm maintain a 401(k) plan? Most likely, the answer is yes. Now, think back to the early/mid-1980s – 401(k)s were becoming the latest and greatest of retirement vehicles allowing both employees and employers to contribute to participants’ account balances with flexibility to increase or decrease amounts based on desire, income, profits, etc. For [...]

Remember: Doing nothing is a choice, too

By Dolan Media Newswires
Published: February 24, 2012
Tags: Wealth Management

Almost 20 years ago, George Costanza, the character on “Seinfeld,” pitched a novel idea for a television show: “Nothing happens!” he gleefully told puzzled NBC executives. You might not want to let this “Seinfeld” scene inspire your investment strategy. In today’s environment, investors might think they don’t want to make any choices while things — [...]