what happen when 401K leave blank on beneficiary Nothing unless you die, and it’s not covered in your will or other documents. Then the state’s intestate code takes effect. Each state has a law for how the estates of those who die intestate will be divvied up. These laws were typically made generations ago, and …
Continue reading “Naming Beneficiaries – Do It, and Keep Them Current”
Found an annuity article in the local paper with an error so glaring that I had to debunk it. Here’s the article:Income for Life And here’s the critical error, conveniently in the first two paragraphs: Interested in annuities? The type known as an immediate annuity may pique the interest of some investors. But the first …
Continue reading “Variable Annuities: Debunking the Ignorant Press”
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that there are things you should do before you make your first investment. The SEC, NASD and all of the various other financial planning organizations all explicitly list three things that should be in place in most cases prior to making your first investment in anything. The first of these is …
If you’ve been around the financial planning business any length of time, you’ve likely run into the saying “The biggest risk is not taking one.” It is endemic to all financial instruments, indeed, all investments, that return is the reward for risk. It is axiomatic that the entity that takes risks gets the rewards. Generic …
For being the most popular investments in the country, many people have a “black box” picture of mutual funds. Money goes in one end and more money (usually) comes out the other. Mutual companies in general are a very old concept. The Egyptians had them in ancient times, mostly for insurance purposes. For one time …
Continue reading “Mutual Funds: What They Are and How They Work”
Reading the papers, I see all kinds of garbage about mutual funds. Probably the biggest single piece of garbage is that only the so-called “no load” funds are any good. They focus only on the cost of the “loaded” fund, as if there is no benefit to be had from the fact that the “load” …
It seems I can’t hardly turn around in the investment world without a paean to Jack Bogle, who preaches the advantage of the index fund. Mr. Bogle’s reasoning goes something like this: Looking at the world of mutual funds, relatively few funds beat the S&P 500 Index, so why not just buy the whole S&P …
I’ve seen some fairly intelligent people completely fail to understand the value of estate planning, how easy it can be, and what it can accomplish. To start with, there are some issues that happen when you die. The first is probate. This is a process whereby the state approves the distribution of your assets. Whether …
Asymmetrical Information has a good article about the political and budget problems faced by pensions everywhere. It touches upon the treatment of annuities, one of the most popular investment vehicles there is. Most defined contribution pensions (e.g. 401k, among others) in the United States are actually funded by variable annuities. Annuities currently have in interesting …
I have never liked or favored the estate tax, and yet I was very much of two minds about actually abolishing it. It actually did die for a year, before the legislation sunsetted and things reverted to the previous status quo, although it’s to be admitted the exemption amounts are now significantly larger. Estate tax …
