Our Commentary

Black Friday…the biggest shopping day of the year. Thanksgiving officially kicks off the holiday season that will be filled with parties, gathering of friends and family and the sharing of gifts. It’s also a time to remain vigilant over your personal finances so that you don’t begin the new year with new debt. A recent survey suggests that […]

This week, readers continue to search for answers to their most pressing financial questions. Here are the ones that I felt could benefit a cross-section of our readers: Question #1 “My wife and I are both retired and have our retirement savings in the Alabama RSA1 and federal TSP programs, both of which claim to have […]

  Last week I discussed several strategies for maximizing your social security benefits. This week I’ll examine some of the nuances of how your Social Security benefits are taxed and how you might be able to reduce those taxes.  To determine if your Social Security benefit is taxable then you have to calculate what is […]

  Eighty million Baby Boomers are headed for retirement and for many, Social Security will be the centerpiece of their retirement income plan. Today, I’ll reveal three little-known strategies that just might put thousands of dollars in your pocket. First, let’s begin with a few basics. If you were born between 1943 and 1954 you can claim […]

In these turbulent financial times, people have lots of questions about their personal finances and investing their money. Here’s one reader’s question: I have a 401K of a high six figure account and I am thinking of rolling it over to an IRA. I am retired and feel that this may give me greater options.  I […]

I recently wrote about investment alternatives for retirees who are seeking higher income in today’s challenging investment environment. A younger reader wrote me with a question from his age group’s particular perspective:  “My question is what do you recommend for someone that still has around 25 years left in the workforce. I’m maxing out my 401(k) at […]

Any investor who is seeking cash flow from their portfolio is likely feeling a great deal of frustration about the current investment environment. The Federal Reserve has orchestrated historically low interest rates in an effort to stimulate our anemic economy. Retirees have been especially hard-hit as CDs purchased before 2008 are maturing and similar investments are yielding […]

  I recently received a letter from a Birmingham News reader signed, “A Frustrated Retiree”. In the letter he describes his frustration with the CD rates currently being offered by the banks and wants to know when rates will rise and what should he do with his money now in order to get more income. There […]

  President Obama unveiled his $447 billion jobs program about the same time Bank of America announced they would cut 30,000 jobs. It’s starting to feel like America is caught in a spaghetti western like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly where you can’t seem to catch a break. Likewise, President Obama’s plan contains a mixture […]

  The current economy stands at what I call ‘slack tide’…that point at which there is little or no movement. The next major decision out of Washington (or possibly other parts of the globe) will determine whether our economy begins to rise or whether it recedes into a secondary recession. Regardless, if you have money to invest, […]