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During the early years of your retirement, be extra conservative when drawing income from your investments.   The reason is because a drop in the market value of your portfolio, when you begin taking withdrawals, could have a devastating impact on the future value of your investments.  This is referred to as the sequence rate of return risk, and is unique for income investors.

Lifelong residents of Lodi know firsthand the value that multigenerational family-owned businesses and farms bring to our community.

I am a fan of the reality television show, Shark Tank.  If you are not familiar with the program, entrepreneurs make presentations to a group of investors in hopes of raising money for their budding businesses.

I don’t recommend annuities often.  Nonetheless, they can be a good investment for the right investor.  Unfortunately, it seems there is a never-ending parade of financial sales people who prey upon people’s fear and misconceptions.

A question I am often asked by people at or near retirement is “How much income can I take from my investments?”  No matter how wealthy a person is, everyone needs to have some idea of what they can spend without running out of money.

While playing Bocce ball the other night, a friend asked me what my impressions were of negative interest rates and why anyone would deposit money into a bank that had negative interest rates.

In my thirty-plus years of providing financial advice, more often than not, I have found family relationships are greatly strained when inheritance passes from one generation to the next.   Parents tend to act as mediators between children.  However, once mom and dad are gone, brothers and sisters are prone to fight more often and more aggressively.

Before I share my story of how I saved 90% on my one and only prescription medication, I want to start off with a bit of a rant.  There are parts of our health care system that badly need fixing.  This account illustrates one such area.  As you will read, my savings started with several complaints to my insurance company about the cost of my medication.

As our nation ages, more of us find that we need to be concerned with senior care facility options either for ourselves or a parent.  There are numerous possibilities with different price points and services.  The cost for some facilities must be borne entirely by the resident while government and social welfare programs will pay for others.