Some baby boomers still think of smart investing as buying and holding a portfolio of blue chip stocks. Such investors, lost in their memories of stable dividends and low volatility, cringe at the idea of trading in their blue chips for index investments.

When I do budgets with my clients, I’m frequently shocked at the annual outlay for gifts. After housing and food, gifting is one of the larger annual expenses for individuals in terms of percentage of income dedicated to it.

The 401k industry is in a pretty sweet spot. Corporate pensions are quickly becoming obsolete and now more than ever employees need to rely on their own ability to save money. What could be easier than an automatic payroll deduction plan such as a 401k or 403b which provides tax-deferred growth and in some cases an employer match?

I’ve been fielding a lot of inquiries lately about Roth IRA tax planning for the future. Let me do my best to explain who should be doing what in terms of Roth conversions for 2010. Let me preface this by saying none of this is an exact science.

When I have new potential clients in my office, I’m always interested to see what their current financial advisor is doing for them. Needless to say, I’m frequently disappointed with the level of service standards (many differing markedly from my own) which some advisors display with multi-million dollar accounts.

There was a great article in last month’s Financial Advisor magazine which compares RIAs and IARs. To anybody reading this article not in the financial services industry those anagrams probably mean almost nothing.

2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the financial planning profession. It was back in 1969 when pioneers such as Loren Dunton voiced their desire to differentiate between financial salesmen and genuine financial planners.

“45% of retirees aged 55-75 have either not calculated how long their assets are anticipated to last during their retirement years or they have never given the issue any thought at all” (Financial Advisor Magazine: June, 2009).

Have you ever pondered the question… does my financial advisor practice what he/she preaches? Do they utilize the same investment products and strategies which they suggest to everyone else? Do they follow the same asset allocation guidelines which they are recommending to others?

My clients frequently ask ‘when is the right time’ to start taking Social Security. The most correct answer which is given by both advisors and the Social Security Administration is that you should turn on this income stream when you reach your Full Retirement Age (FRA).

Why don’t we teach personal finance in high school? When I was 17 I learned about double shifts in the supply and demand curve in AP Economics before I was formally taught the difference between a stock and a bond.

Retirement plans are a mystery to many. It’s no surprise that many small business owners can have a difficult time funding a retirement plan that perfectly fits their needs and does not have them asking, “Is this as good as it gets?”