2023 Update: The Climate for Investments Has Changed, Have You?

Fear has replaced greed as the motivator for investment decisions & folks are stressed. What can be done to prevent a financial meltdown?

The Kenneth Casey Ponzi Scheme

It always saddens me when trusting investors get scammed. No matter how many Ponzi schemes and investment frauds occur, people still get taken advantage of, most of the time unnecessarily.

,

If I Got Sick and Can’t Work, How Will I Pay My Bills?

Roger GainerRoger holds the coveted and well-earned designations of Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) and Retirement Income Certified Professional (RIPC®) from the American College. He is also a licensed insurance agent for life and health insurance and a Certified Paralegal for Estate Planning.

,

Celebrating 30 Years, Has Anything Changed?

I recently celebrated my 30th Anniversary in this business. It’s actually been a lot longer, but I don’t count my years as a commodity broker.

,

Are Your Kids Going Off to College this Year?

If you have a child going off to college this fall, and they are over the age of 18, don’t say goodbye until you have taken a simple step to avoid potential disaster.

,

What the Raising of Rates by the Fed Means to You

At last week’s meeting of the Federal Reserve Board, they announced that they would be increasing interest rates for the second time this year and that they intended to increase rates 2 more times before the year is over. That would be a total of 4 increases, instead of the 3 that were anticipated by Wall Street. Considering how long we have lived in a super low interest rate environment, many people are worried that rising rates will undermine our economy and be a catalyst for drops in the stock, bond and real estate markets.

, ,

How to Safeguard Your Retirement Savings

In 2017 I heard from more clients, associates and friends about being scammed or nearly scammed. Over the past three or four months, there has been a major increase in scams, viruses, ransomware attacks and identity theft schemes. Given the current state of affairs, I would expect there to be many more, and more sophisticated, threats to surface in the upcoming year. Those who take a few minutes now to plan and protect what you have worked so hard to create, will likely safeguard their wealth from the variety of threats out there.

,

What Do The California Wildfires Have to Do With Risk Management?

Roger GainerRoger holds the coveted and well-earned designations of Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®) and Retirement Income Certified Professional (RIPC®) from the American College. He is also a licensed insurance agent for life and health insurance and a Certified Paralegal for Estate Planning.

What You Need to Know About the Equifax Hack

From May through July of this year, Equifax, one of the three major credit reporting agencies, was hacked and an estimated 143 million American consumers sensitive personal information was exposed in a data breach. For most, their name, address, social security numbers, dates of birth and, for some, their driver’s license number.

,

Understanding the Power of Compound Interest

Albert Einstein once said that compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. What he was referring to was the nearly magical way that, given enough time, compounding can grow your money powerfully and consistently.