Hot Off the Web- August 1, 2011 Personal Finance and Investments In the Globe and Mail’s “The difference between advisers and counsellors” John Heinzl looks at the difference between financial advisers (typically commissioned salespersons (though there is a move toward asset based pricing) like brokers, account execs, stock brokers wealth advisers, etc) and investment counsellors. […]

Hot Off the Web- July 25, 2011 Personal Finance and Investments In WSJ SmartMoney’s “Is your adviser more aggressive than you realize?” reports good and bad news, about advisors, which emerged from a study by the Financial Planning Association entitled “Trends in Investing”. First the bad news:  “that 67% of surveyed advisers believe that “active […]

Hot Off the Web- July 18, 2011 Personal Finance and Investments In the Financial Post’s “Some retiree lifestyles cost even more”Michael Nairne writes that the 70% replacement of pre-retirement employment income rule of thumb can safely be thrown away by affluent individuals. A recent U.S. survey showed that 20% of affluent retirees “spent more in […]

Hot Off the Web- July 8, 2011 Personal Finance and Investments In the Globe and Mail’s “Why only millionaires should invest in bonds directly” John Heinzl explains the advantages of buying bond ETFs rather than individual bonds for average Canadians. Fixed income expert James Hymas is quoted as indicating that “ETFs buy in volume, they […]

Hot Off the Web- July 1, 2011 Personal Finance and Investments In “How long will our retirement savings last” Walter Updegrave writes (in regard to the inflation indexed 4% rule) that “Start by recognizing that your ability to engage in more vigorous pursuits can diminish quite a bit with age. Indeed, some financial planners talk […]

Hot Off the Web- June 27, 2011 Personal Finance and Investments In WSJ’s “Banking on yourself: Is it ever OK to borrow from your 401(k)?” Jason Zweig gives and example where it might, but there are risks associated with it (e.g. requirement for immediate repayment if you leave your job). This is the case in […]

Hot Off the Web- June 20, 2011 Personal Finance and Investments In Barron’s “Best annuities”Karen Hube discusses (U.S.) annuity options, including immediate fixed payouts for life, immediate payout are term certain (e.g. guaranteed for 10 years, even if you die before), deferred fixed annuities with five year guarantee (i.e. annuity starts in the future with […]

Hot Off the Web– June 13, 2011 Personal Finance and Investments In Bloomberg’s “Investors prefer commissions to account fees, Cerulli study says”Elizabeth Ody reports the results of the latest study which indicates that: 47% prefer commissions, 27% asset based fees, 18% prefer retainer fees and 8% hourly fees. As to cost of advice: 33% didn’t […]

Hot Off the Web– June 6, 2011 Personal Finance and Investments In the WSJ’s “Pension plans for the rest of us” Anne Tergesen looks at some recommendations on how to convert savings into a retirement income stream. The scenario chosen is “married couple, both 65 years old and about to retire, with $1.7 million in […]

Hot Off the Web– May 30, 2011 Personal Finance and Investments Have maximum safe withdrawal rates dropped for recent retirees from the traditional 4% to 2%? My last week’s in-depth blog reviewed Wade Pfau’s “Safe savings rates: A new approach to retirement planning over the lifecycle” in which he extends Bengen’s work on SAFEMAX (maximum […]