“It turns out my job was not to find great investments but to help create great investors,” writes Carl Richards, author of “The Behavior Gap.” From increasing our budget mindfulness to taking a steadier approach to investing, Richards has drawn attention to how our unexamined behaviors and emotions can be to our detriment when it comes to living a happy and financially sound life. In many cases, we make poor financial decisions when experiencing panic or anxiety due to personal or widespread events. 1 (more…)
Information vs. instinct. When it comes to investment choices, many people believe they have a “knack” for choosing good investments. But what exactly is that “knack” based on? The fact is, the choices we make with our assets can be strongly influenced by factors, many of them emotional, that we may not even be aware of. (more…)
Raising a family is rewarding ─ and expensive. Consider taking these steps to support your family financially through a program of smart investing.
Building a career and raising a family requires management skills. Juggling your time, priorities, and money now while planning for the future can be daunting. Saving now to send your kids to college, take care of your parents as they age, and pursuing a comfortable retirement can be challenging. (more…)
A wealth of investment information is available if you want to do your own research before making investment decisions. However, many people aren’t comfortable sifting through balance sheets, profit-and-loss statements, and performance reports. Others just don’t have the time, energy, or desire to do the kind of thorough analysis that marks a smart investor.
Investors are people, and people are often impatient. No one likes to wait in line or wait longer than they have to for something, especially today when so much is just a click or two away. (more…)
Gold has climbed to a nine-month high after breaking out from a bottom formation last fall. The yellow metal is now up nearly 20% off the September lows, including over a 5% year-to-date gain as of Monday, January 23. The recovery in gold has primarily been fueled by a weakening dollar and fading market expectations for a further prolonged Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike cycle due to receding inflation pressures in the U.S. Rising demand from foreign central banks, including the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), has provided an additional tailwind for gold. (more…)
Do you work for yourself? Then you may want to consider the solo 401(k), which marries a traditional employee retirement savings account to a small-business, profit-sharing plan. To have a solo 401(k), you must either be the lone worker at your business or its only full-time employee.1 (more…)
The shape of the U.S. Treasury yield curve is often looked at as a barometer for U.S. economic growth. More specifically, it reflects how the Federal Reserve (Fed) intends to stimulate or slow economic growth by cutting or raising its policy rate. Each tenor on the curve is roughly the expected policy rate plus or minus a term premium (the term premium represents the expected compensation for lending for longer periods of time). In “normal” times, the yield curve is upward sloping, meaning longer maturity Treasury yields are higher than shorter maturity Treasury yields. However, when, like now, inflationary pressures are apparent and the Fed wants to slow aggregate demand, shorter maturity securities could eventually out-yield longer maturity securities, inverting the yield curve. (more…)
As a business owner, you’re going to have to decide when will be the right time to step out of the family business and how you’ll do it. There are many estate planning tools you can use to transfer your business. Selecting the right one will depend on whether you plan to retire from the … Continue reading “Transferring Your Family Business”
Incapacity means that you are either mentally or physically unable to take care of yourself or your day-to-day affairs. Incapacity can result from serious physical injury, mental or physical illness, advancing age, and alcohol or drug abuse.
Bonds may not be as glamorous as stocks or commodities, but they are a significant component of most investment portfolios. Bonds are traded in huge volumes every day, but their full usefulness is often underappreciated and underestimated.
Life insurance has come a long way since the days when it was known as burial insurance and used mainly to pay for funeral expenses. Today, life insurance is a crucial part of many estate plans. You can use it to leave much-needed income to your survivors, provide for your children’s education, pay off your … Continue reading “Life Insurance and Estate Planning”
The specter of a U.S. federal government shutdown continues to loom this week as Congress has just 12 days to agree on a budget before the October 1 deadline. House Republicans released a temporary measure on Sunday which could push the deadline out another month, with the hopes of a final solution coming in the … Continue reading “Government Shutdown Looms, Stocks Say ‘Been There, Done That’”
Epic Capital provides the following comprehensive financial planning and investment management services: Learn More >