by Michael Lecours | Jun 12, 2013 | Retirement, Rule of Thumb, Uncategorized
While there are a couple of exceptions, you’re required to take distributions from an IRA or a 401k under two circumstances. These are known as the Required Minimum Distributions, or “RMDs”, and they generally apply to: a. Your own IRA, in the year you’ve reached age...
by Michael Lecours | May 15, 2013 | Investment Behavior, Investment Strategies, Retirement, Uncategorized
Below is the outline of a recent talk given by Nick Murray. For those unfamiliar with his message, it is one of extreme optimism. He is renowned within the industry for his ability to look past all the noise and point out the truths of why now is the best time to...
by Michael Lecours | May 8, 2013 | Investment Strategies, Retirement, Uncategorized
If you are retiring soon, don’t expect the Social Security Administration (SSA) to give you the best advice on how to start collecting your benefits. In fact, they have been known to give out poor advice. I recently heard a story of the SSA sending a letter to a 65...
by Michael Lecours | May 3, 2013 | Finding Confidence, Investment Behavior, Investment Strategies, Retirement, Saving, Uncategorized
One of the most common investment strategies is called “Buy and Hold”, which usually consists of mutual funds or other securities held for the long term and rebalanced occasionally. These funds are held during the best and worst performing years. The theory is that...
by Michael Lecours | Apr 26, 2013 | Investment Strategies, Retirement, Rule of Thumb, Uncategorized
Many advisors tell their clients, as a rule of thumb, a client can withdraw about 4% of their portfolio each year, without it affecting the principal. We have been telling our clients this for years. In fact, this rule of thumb dates back a few decades and was...
by Michael Lecours | Apr 17, 2013 | Retirement, Rule of Thumb, Uncategorized
During tax season, we had dozens of conversation with clients that begin with the client asking, “can I make a tax deductible contribution to my IRA, so I can lower my tax bill?” Unfortunately, the answer isn’t a straightforward “yes” or “no”. Rather, we have to drill...
