What Is a Financial Plan? Financial planning itself is not new, or even very exciting. Well-run businesses have been practicing this common-sense activity since the dawn of the capitalist era. What is new is the application of sound financial management techniques to personal as well as business affairs. Systematic personal financial planning involves considering one’s…
On my computer, I have a sticky note listing a targeted level of the S&P 500 index. Should the index fall to this level, I will accelerate the timing of planned contributions to my wife’s and my individual retirement accounts. The number on the note, 2,520, is the point at which the S&P 500 will…
Computerized Investing’s new March content is now available! This month includes: Cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin: What are They? An introduction to cryptocurrencies and how they work. Eight ways Online Retirement Planning is Superior to That Printed Reported Stashed Somewhere in Your Desk The founder and CEO of NewRetirement, an online retirement planning service, describes concrete ways…
Computerized Investing’s new January content is now available! This month includes: PC Buyer’s Guide 2018 Everything you need to know before buying a computer, or upgrading your old one. New TipRanks Sentiment Tool Lets You Harness Crowd Wisdom The financial advice tracker’s new investor sentiment tool shows you what other investors are actually buying. Spreadsheet…
Yesterday, Equifax revealed that its website had been hacked. The breach, which occurred between mid-May through July 2017, allowed the hackers to access names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers. Equifax, for its part, is offering one free year of credit monitoring through its website. The website also…
Computerized Investing’s new May content is now available! This month includes: Learn the Market With Equities Lab Henry Crutcher, founder of Equities Lab LLC, gives an overview of the Equities Lab tool and how it aids the individual investor. Spreadsheet Corner: An Update to the CI Portfolio Tracker in Google Sheets Adding a variety of…
The February edition of Computerized Investing is now available! This month includes: The Top 11 Sites for Personal Finance, Retirement Planning and Tax Resources An update of the websites that offer the best guidance and tools for personal financial planning issues, including budgeting, handling your taxes and getting ready for retirement. Building a Stock Screen…
The January Edition of Computerized Investing is now available! This month includes: Using Asset Class Rotations to Reduce Portfolio Risk and Increase Return Using an asset rotation strategy is a simple way to improve your portfolio’s performance, but you need the right tools to carry it out. Top Robo-Adviser Trends, According to the Experts Robo-Advisor…
Confronted with low interest rates, major insurers are exercising their contractual rights by raising rates on “universal life” insurance policies they sold to consumers years ago. Universal-life policies combine a death benefit with a tax-advantaged savings account. Owners deposit money into the policy’s “cash-value account,” where tax-deferred interest accrues. From this account, the insurer deducts for expenses, including the…
Time.com has put together a three-part series on dealing with the costs of dementia, and the data is staggering. Beyond the personal toll of seeing a loved one succumb to the effects of this disease, the financial impact can be just as devastating. According to the article, over the last five years of life, the average…
