You Asked, So We’ll Answer Introducing our new segment, FOQs, where we’ll answer some of the most common questions we’ve been getting in the last couple months or so, from clients, friends, family, or anyone curious enough to ask. As usual, we’ll be straightforward, transparent and blunt. It’s the only way you’ll get the info you need to become a great investor, or remain as one. Each question will have a short, one-word to one-sentence answer, for those of you in a time crunch, and a long answer for a bit more insight. Here we go! FOQ: The news says …
What Is Risk, Really?
It Comes From Within The boring, formal and – frankly – useless answer to the question: Risk is the probability or likelihood of occurrence of losses relative to the expected return on any particular investment blah, blah, blah…who cares? Wake us when it’s over. Sure, we care about risk. After all, it’s one-third of any investment, along with cost and return. But that definition doesn’t get to the heart of the issue. Every day there’s a probability that we lose money that day. But no one’s panicking over that. Until, in the midst of our busy lives, that probability …
The IRS Never Calls First
And other ways to keep your money safe… Last Monday, Bill’s cell phone rings, and he picks up… Recording (with our commentary): “This call is officially a final notice from IRS (not “the” IRS?), Internal Revenue Service. The reason of this call is to inform you that IRS (again) is filling (not filing? maybe it was the accent) a lawsuit on your name because you have tried to do a fraud (someone skipped grammar class in 4th grade) with the IRS and we are taking a legal action, and we are issuing an arrest warrant on your name (a …
So Which Is It?
What was bad is now good again? We don’t think so. The article below serves as a reminder that Wall Street does not have your best interests in mind. Here’s the short version… The proposed “Fiduciary Rule”, by which all financial advisors would be forced to put clients’ interests ahead of their own, is now dead. Before this recent development, Merrill declared that it would switch to all fee-based accounts because it was in their clients’ best interest. But now that the rule is dead, they are going to switch back to allow commissions. This move, according to their own …