Category Archives: Financial planning

Strategies and tactics to improve the likelihood of achieving your goals.

Why choose a Registered Investment Advisor instead of a broker?

Visit riastandsforyou.com to discover the difference of working with an independent Registered Investment Advisor. RIA firms accept a fiduciary standard to act in your best interest. A Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) is a professional advisory firm that offers personalized financial advice … Continue reading

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GET unit price takes huge leap

As a follow-up to my September 8 column in The News Tribune (see below), here is some more detail about the new unit price to participate in Washington’s Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET)  program. The 2011-12 purchase price for one GET unit … Continue reading

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Slow economy is a drag on standard of living

Economists who aren’t predicting a double-dip recession are at least expecting a low-growth U.S. economy for an extended period of time. What is the impact of an economy that doesn’t grow at it’s historical annual rate of approximately 3% year … Continue reading

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How much do you need to save to replace your salary in retirement?

A prominent debate in the financial advisor industry examines what is a safe withdrawal rate from a retired person’s investment portfolio. It’s not quite consensus, but it is generally considered that you can withdraw 4% of the value of a … Continue reading

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Retirement reality: when is not always your choice

Interesting chart here from the Employee Benefits Research Institute analyzing the frequency at which people are able to retire on their own terms compared to those who have been forced to retire earlier or later than planned. Twenty years of … Continue reading

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As China ages, will high savings turn into a consumption boom?

According to the recent white paper Demographics in Emerging Markets: Hope or Hype by Mirae Asset Management, over the next 40 years or so, China will go through a large change in both the average age and spending habits of its … Continue reading

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Dave Ramsey’s misleading expectations

Radio host and author Dave Ramsey has developed a big following by delivering basic advice about financial literacy and budget management. He has helped a lot of people take positive steps to get out of debt and invest for their … Continue reading

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Changing world demographics will have economic impact

Harvard Professor Richard Cooper recently made a presentation at a meeting of the Boston Security Analysts Society. His presentation analyzed international census data and included a variety of predictions about global demographic changes over the next 30 years that will … Continue reading

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