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If you participate in a 401(k) or other employer plan, you have to
designate who receives the assets when you die. Typically, you'll name
your spouse, though you might also choose a child, grandchild, or
favorite niece or nephew. You can also decide to spread the wealth by
designating multiple beneficiaries. Yet while the choice is yours, keep
in mind that it could have tax implications.
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We hear the question quite often
from clients and other investors. “Is this a good time to get into the market?”
You might think any good financial advisor could answer that question without
breaking a sweat. But the question isn’t as simple as it might seem.
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A decade ago, when the U.S. stock market was in its glory years,
successful investing seemed no more difficult than loading up on hot
technology stocks. It seemed that the United States was boldly leading
the world into a grand future.
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By Paul Merriman
Sometimes the most powerful wisdom comes in compact packages. A great
quotation can sum up a lifetime of experience in a few words, giving us
all valuable lessons. Sometimes a quote itself can tell the whole
story. But often the meaning must be teased out of it. Here are some of
my favorite examples.
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Everybody’s a genius in a bull market, the old saying goes. But a bear market creates fear, uncertainty and costly mistakes.
The conventional definition of a bear market is a decline in prices of 20 percent or more, lasting at least two months. Whether Wall Street is in a bear market right now depends on what is being measured. But there’s no question this market has unsettled many investors.
Here are 10 ways to avoid permanent losses and crash-proof your portfolio ...
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Many people are feeling beaten up by the stock market over the past few
months, and I’m often asked for market commentary. What do I think is
happening? When will things get better? Should I get out now before
things get worse? What’s the right thing to do?
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By Dennis Tilley
Director of Research
Do commodities have a rightful place in a broadly
diversified portfolio? The obvious answer seems to be yes, they do. However,
after a lot of careful study and thought we have concluded that the right
answer is still no, they don’t.
Commodity prices across the board are at all time
highs. Experts say the world is running
out of natural resources and that production will not keep up with the rising
demand from fast growing emerging economies.
From a portfolio point of view, commodities also have
attractive characteristics. While
commodity prices are quite volatile, they tend to zig and zag independently of
stock and bond prices. Due to the
uncorrelated price movements, adding a small amount of commodity exposure can
actually lower overall portfolio risk
for a given expected return.
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Right now real estate seems to be in the doghouse. Home prices are hurting, as are millions of mortgagees (to say nothing of investors) snared by the subprime real estate mess. After a series of stunningly great years, a number of prominent real estate investment trust (REIT) funds dropped 10 to 15 percent in the first 11 months of this year.
I’m all in favor of home ownership, which has been a source of financial stability and wealth to millions of Americans. But I don’t think your home should be regarded as part of your investment portfolio. For investment purposes, I think you should own an interest in hundreds of properties, through REITs. In this article I’ll show you why I think that.
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At our workshops, we do our best to present some of the finest investing material you’ll find anywhere. But sometimes, one-on-one help is really what is needed.
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Proper asset diversification makes more difference than anything else investors can do. But it's a daunting task when you're just starting out with little money. In this article Paul Merriman describes a step-by-step plan for doing it right. Editor's note: This article, first published in 2002, was
updated in January 2008.
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