I wrote a blog last month explaining why it’s so difficult to get good advice on annuities, especially the more complex ones like variable annuities. We’re now starting to see the risks associated with failing to read all the fine print in that fifty page annuity contract. AXA Equitable Life Insurance Co. notified clients last…
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Back in February I wrote a blog about whether or not it makes sense to avoid bonds today (https://www.cognizantwealth.com/2013/02/14/should-you-avoid-bonds-in-todays-environment/). My conclusion was that bonds remain a critically important part of an investment portfolio, but that bond buyers need to be more selective in the current environment.  Last month the Fed announced that it is considering…
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As of this writing the S&P 500 is once again testing new highs.  It’s always valuable at such a juncture to consider the two trends that market returns always follow in order to keep one’s perspective within the realm of rationality. First, there’s cyclical change, best expressed by the adage “What goes up must come…
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I frequently run across ads touting the benefits of utilizing money in your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to purchase investment property.  And it’s not just me.  Les Christie in CNNMoney recently reported that amateur investors are buying up homes using cash in their retirement accounts in order to get in on hot housing markets.  The…
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