Olivia Mellan recently wrote an article on risk tolerance where she says, “Since the market meltdown, investment advisors have been searching for better ways to measure how much risk really makes sense for each client. Some swear by a particular risk questionnaire; others rely on free-ranging dialogues, while others are no doubt completely at sea.”  Find out what Rick and other advisors have to say on the matter.  Read the entire article here.

What if you are skeptical of investing into a shaky economy? You may want to take some advice from Jerry Boyer, who recently talked with Kiplinger.com senior editor Jeffrey R. Kosnett. Here is an excerpt from the article.

To prepare for life after a paycheck, Jerry Boyer, a retired lobbyist who lives in Spearfish, S.D., adopted an austerity program so strict that he and his wife, Carol Koerner, postponed vacations for ten years, drove old cars and eliminated debt. Boyer, 66, also hoarded cash and short-term bonds. Last November, his financial planner in South Dakota, Rick Kahler, helped Jerry relax enough to start a program of putting money into stock funds in equal monthly amounts.

You can read the entire article here.

Listen to Rick and Rapid City attorney Tom Simmons for an informative update on the South Dakota Asset Protection Trust.  Find out what you need to know to protect your assets and how the SD DAPT can help you keep them from frivolous lawsuits.  Tom has spoken to us several times before and his information has always been insightful and useful.

Click here to listen and view the teleclass.

Not long ago I was meeting with a couple who were relatively new clients. We were going over data on a recent mutual fund investment, and I commented that I was surprised to see the fund offered a commission of 2.25%. As a fee-only financial planner, I rarely pay much attention to whether a fund pays a commission to a broker. I purchase mutual funds on behalf of my clients through a discount broker where no commissions are included in the price. Continue Reading »

For many individuals, this year’s Great Recession sent their mental health into a great depression.  As the nation attempts to rebound both emotionally and financially from the recent economic turmoil, more than 50 financial planners and therapists from around the country will meet in the Rapid City area this weekend to discuss how financial therapy may lead to financial recovery.  Continue Reading »

The CFP Board will substantially increase the fees educators must pay in 2010 to have their courses approved for CFP® continuing education. By my estimation, small providers of CE credits may be priced out of the market.

For example, I usually do one CE program a year designed for a maximum of eight attendees. In the past the charge to have that program accepted for 15 CE’s was $50. In 2010 the charge for that one program will be $575, over a ten-fold increase.  Continue Reading »

I received notice today that my longtime real estate and asset protection mentor, Jack Miller, passed away on October 9th after a short illness.

I’ve attended numerous courses put on by Jack over the past 25 years.  He was a mentor to me and taught me the most helpful information I’ve gleaned anywhere about owning real estate, mortgage investments, and asset protection. Continue Reading »

Republican Herbert Hoover and Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt would both feel right at home in today’s Washington.

In an article in the London Telegraph, economists Charles Rowley of George Mason University and Nathanael Smith of the Locke Institute suggest there are “troubling similarities” between the current administration’s actions and those which in the 1930s sent the U.S. and much of the world spiraling into the Great Depression. Continue Reading »

A New York Times article by Tara Siegel Bernard explores the challenges facing people who are retiring in today’s economy.  Aside from the obvious suggestions that one needs to learn to make do on less and tracking income and expenses (something everyone knows to do and very, very few do), she does a nice job of highlighting the benefits of “life planning.” 

She interviewed a number of financial planners for the story, including a colleague of mine, Robin Young, CFP , who practices in Londonderry, NH.  If you pay close attention, you might even catch a few words from yours truly. You can read the whole story here.

Join Rapid City attorney Tom Simmons and me tomorrow for an informative update on the South Dakota Asset Protection Trust and other important estate planning tips.  Find out what you need to know to protect your assets and pass your estate on to your heirs hassle free.  Tom has spoken to us several times before and his information has always been insightful and useful.  The teleclass will be tomorrow, October 15th at 2 pm MT/ 4 pm ET.  You can register for it here.