Retirement Lane

Are You Ready to Retire?

by Bradford Pine on September 1, 2010 in Retirement Planning

Ask anyone if they’re ready for retirement, particularly after a difficult day, and you will likely hear an immediate “Yes!” But when it comes time to seriously consider the issue, the question of readiness becomes much more difficult. How much should I draw from my IRA or 401(k)? At what age should I retire? There [...]

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Your Company Stock & Net Unrealized Appreciation

by Bradford Pine on August 10, 2010 in Economic Notes

Both companies and employees can benefit from company stock purchases in 401(k) or other qualified retirement plans. But what should an investor do with these shares upon a job transition? You may have heard that you should avoid having too much of one stock in your portfolio, or that it’s beneficial to take advantage of [...]

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Smashing Piggy Bank

Possibilities and Pitfalls: Early Distributions From Your IRA Rollover

by Bradford Pine on July 7, 2010 in Retirement Planning

Here at the Bradford Pine Wealth Group, we believe in educating and informing our clients. In addition to providing guidance on investment options and strategies, we feel it’s important to include insight on the nuts and bolts of account management.  One area that people generally don’t know about is the list of possible exemptions to [...]

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Investor Psychology

Time to Reset Your Mind: Managing Your Financial Emotions

by Bradford Pine on June 16, 2010 in Individual Investors

Behavioral finance studies peoples’ psychological tendencies when it comes to financial decision-making. A big part of this research focuses on investing mistakes. For the everyday investor, having a greater understanding of psychology can help you to break bad habits and thought patterns. What makes our usual financial psychology dangerous is that it comes so naturally [...]

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Roth IRA

Roth IRA Rollover or Not?

by Bradford Pine on June 9, 2010 in Roth IRA

A key component to successful investing is determining how to position assets for maximum return after taxes.  It matters not what you make; it matters what you keep.  Did you know that as of January 2010 you are able to convert your Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA, regardless of your income levels? Roth IRA’s [...]

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mortgage-applic

Coming Up Short on Mortgages

by Bradford Pine on May 28, 2010 in Mortgages

Real estate short sales involve the sale of a property for less than the amount owed on the mortgage. This is accomplished through an approval process with the lender, who typically agrees to release the borrower’s remaining mortgage obligation. While short sales have been around for decades, the Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives (HAFA) program which [...]

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Dusting Off Your Retirement Accounts

Dusting Off Your Retirement Accounts

by Bradford Pine on May 10, 2010 in Retirement Planning

Spring cleaning should apply not only to your house but to your retirement accounts. Whether you’ve maintained 401(k) accounts at old employers or have already opened a Rollover Individual Retirement Account (IRA), keeping an eye on where your accounts are held and what you’re invested in can help you to get the most out of your savings.

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Institutional Investing for the Individual Investor

Institutional Investing for the Individual Investor

by Bradford Pine on April 14, 2010 in Individual Investors

In my continuing effort to improve the financial well being of my client’s, their families and you, I would like to share my best thoughts and thinking on how to invest in this complex and ever changing economic environment.

Looking back over my 17 years of experience in the financial services industry, I believe right now is one of the most tumultuous environments for individuals looking to invest in the financial markets. The major indices have shot up 60+ % from their 2009 lows. Money markets yield very little as short term interest rates hover around zero. Gold has recently reached all time highs while the dollar was hitting lows. Unemployment hit double digits for the first time in many years and the Federal Government is spending money like there is no tomorrow. This economic data simply begs the question what is an individual investor to do?

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Is Your Bond Portfolio Prepared for a Recovery?

Is Your Bond Portfolio Prepared for a Recovery?

by Bradford Pine on April 9, 2010 in Bond Investing

As we slowly work our way out of this historic recession, it’s a good time to take a step back and think about where we might be headed and what it could mean for the fixed income holdings in your portfolio.

In December of 2008, the Federal Reserve dropped interest rates to record lows and began several programs intended to help the economy through the recession.1 Now that the economy seems to be stabilizing, the Fed is looking to unwind these activities over time by tightening the availability of credit and increasing the target interest rate.

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