Image by Lady_Helena via Flickr This is, of course, one of the most volatile questions on the political landscape these days. We have some constituencies claiming that the whole plan is a Ponzi scheme and we should get rid of it altogether – and many others aiming to make radical tax increases in the system to improve solvency, or pushing back the age(s) for receiving benefits to reduce drag on the system. True, the system is in dire straits – not bankrupt, but needing attention. Current projections indicate that at current pace, funds allocated to the system will run out sometime around 2036 unless something changes. Increasing taxes is never popular, and current political winds have shown just how far the dream of no increases in taxes will be pushed. In addition, extending the age limits during a time when unemployment is at record highs only exacerbates that issue – […]
fiduciary
Book Review: Uncertainty is a Certainty
This was a surprising and refreshing book. The full title is Uncertainty is a Certainty, Fables for Fiduciaries. The author, Guerdon T. Ely, has done the near impossible: the very topic of fiduciary duty has been known to induce a near coma-like status in even the most devout financial professional, but Ely has distilled the critical concepts into a very easy-reading tome that keeps the reader interested, even engaged, in his explanation of what is required of the fiduciary. For the uninitiated, a fiduciary is a financial professional who has the responsibility of handling financial affairs for another entity – it could be a trust, a pension plan, or an individual or family. There is a set of rules that explain the duties of a fiduciary, known as the Uniform Prudent Investor Act, or UPIA for short (we certainly love our acronyms in this industry, don’t we?). This bit of […]
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4 rules to break – for now
As you may know if you’ve been reading here for very long, from time to time I review financial rules of thumb – today I’ve got a bit of a twist on the “principles of pollex” concept: Here’s a very interesting article that I found today that tells about some of the old, time-honored sage pieces of advice that aren’t necessarily true – for the time being. Enjoy – I’ll be back next week! http://www.smartmoney.com/spending/budgeting/4-traditional-money-rules-to-break–for-now-1296858154544/
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Lifetime Income Disclosure
There is a piece of legislation hanging around in the Senate that makes a good deal of sense, and really shouldn’t cause too much grief to implement in the long run. This particular bill, introduced by Senators Bingaman (D-New Mexico), Isakson (R-Georgia), and Kohl (D-Wisconsin), is called the Lifetime Income Disclosure Act, and it proposes that the administrators of ERISA-approved retirement plans provide for their participants a disclosure of the “annuity equivalent” of the total benefits that each participant or beneficiary has accrued within the retirement plan. What this means is that, for likely the first time for most folks, an estimate would be provided to them with their statement that outlines what that lump sum means in terms of real, annualized income replacement in retirement. Specifically, the government would establish certain assumptions about the annuity value of a lump sum, given the participant’s age, and from those assumptions a […]
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The F* Word Rocks
(*F is for Fiduciary) Much has been said and written in the past year about standards to which advisors are held. This has been primarily due to the recent passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which included a provision requiring the SEC to study the oversight of brokers and Registered Investment Advisers (RIAs). While there are many nuances to the oversight differential, it really boils down to one thing: RIAs are held to a fiduciary standard; brokers are held to a suitability standard. Briefly, a fiduciary advisor is required to act with undivided loyalty to the client, including disclosure of compensation methods and conflicts of interest. On the other hand, the broker’s suitability standard requires only that the broker’s recommendations are suitable for the client’s situation. Those two definitions are on opposite sides of quite a chasm, don’t you think? I think that the consumer […]
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Independent’s Day
Okay, this has nothing to do with America’s celebration of independence from British rule… other than it’s a play on words and you know I can’t possibly resist. No, today’s post is about your own independence from the biases that are infused into advice you might receive from an advisor who is working for an insurance company, a brokerage, a bank, or a mutual fund company. The way you can achieve this independence is to work with an independent advisor – an advisor who operates as a fiduciary, providing advice that is solely in your own best interest. This is an important enough issue for me to direct you to other advisors’ websites – folks who technically are competitors to me – so that you can see what they have to say about this independence and the fiduciary duty of care that you, the consumer of financial services, deserve. So, […]
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The Importance of a Fiduciary Standard of Care
Today, my friend and colleague, Steven Young, CFP®, has graciously provided a guest post, giving us his thoughts on the fiduciary standard of care. Steven operates his Fee-Only financial planning firm, Steven Young Financial Planning, out of Springfield, Missouri. A fiduciary is required by law to act in his or her client’s best interest at all times. What you may not know is that the vast majority of those who call themselves “financial advisors” or “financial planners” are not actually subject to a fiduciary obligation. Under current rules, advisors who are compensated by commissions on the sale of financial products are subject to a lesser standard known as the “suitability rule.” This regulatory hurdle requires only that the product sold be appropriate for the client (in other words, not too risky) at the time of sale. In fact, these “advisors” can now sell you products that pay them bigger commissions, […]
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Financial Checkups – Have You Had Yours Lately?
Many of us are diligent about maintaining the “stuff” in our lives… we get regular oil changes in our cars (and have the tires rotated when we think of it), we try to make it to the dentist regularly, and we have the annual inspection of our furnace/air conditioner. But one aspect of our lives sometimes doesn’t get the attention that it really needs: our financial plans. For lots of folks, we’d almost rather spend time in the dentist chair than gather all of those statements together, along with our previous plans (if we have any), and do a thorough review of where we are, where we’re headed, and if we’re on track for our goals – retirement being the goal of foremost importance to most. Yes, we may have gone to a financial planner and talked over our financial situation, then implemented well… some of the recommendations. After that, […]
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Coming Soon: No Change For the Financial Services Consumer If FatCats Get Their Way
We talked about this issue of the accountability standards for financial professionals some time ago (click here to get the background). Unfortunately, it seems that the big money and best interests of the large brokerages, banks, and insurance companies is turning the tide against the proposed fiduciary standard for all financial professionals. The fiduciary standard has long been sought after by consumer advocates, as the great majority of financial professionals are held to a much lower standard of care – one that often leaves the consumer of financial services exposed to higher costs and a low likelihood of advice being in his or her best interests. Last year, proposals were offered in Congress to require the fiduciary standard of all regulated financial professionals – which is a step in the right direction. However, intense lobbying efforts by the fatcats, the heavyweights of the financial services industry (think banks, brokerages, and […]
Sterling Raskie, MSFS, CFP®, ChFC®
The latest in our Owner’s Manual series, A 401(k) Owner’s Manual, was published in January 2020 and is available on 
A Medicare Owner’s Manual, is updated with 2020 facts and figures. This manual is available on 
Social Security for the Suddenly Single can be found on Amazon at 
Sterling’s first book, Lose Weight Save Money, can be 
An IRA Owner’s Manual, 2nd Edition is available for purchase on Amazon. Click the link to choose the 
Jim’s book – A Social Security Owner’s Manual, is now available on Amazon. Click this link for the 
And if you’ve come here to learn about queuing waterfowl, I apologize for the confusion. You may want to discuss your question with Lester, my loyal watchduck and self-proclaimed “advisor’s advisor”.