All investors should appreciate the influence that the foreign exchange market has on their securities portfolios, and their level of currency exposure, even if investments appear to be in U.S. companies.

Mistakes in rolling over retirement assets may be costly. Some funds are rollover-eligible. Some are not. Roll over the wrong funds (except for “after-tax” funds) and they might be subject to a 10% early distribution penalty, plus the entire transaction may be taxable. Here is a checklist that may help you.

Does the absence of a traditional or ROTH IRA mean no future IRA contributions? Let’s not give up so fast!

We, the Baby Boomers, are the “Sandwich Generation”. It seems as soon as we have raised our own kids and gotten them off to college and jobs, that we are faced with the robust task of helping with mom and dad’s health, as well as financial and general needs.

It takes just two inchesto protect the financial assets you have spent a lifetime building for your loved ones! 

Last week, Bob and Myra, young physicians from Sacramento, called about recent U.S. markets’ performance. Various headline-seeking media pundits had again used the questionable words “jittery”, “uncertainty”, “risky”, and “crash” (heard last week in my gym class). Is it possible that there is a parallel between Lewis Carroll’s most famous nonsensical poem included in Through the Looking Glass, and current media hyperinflammatory markets’ headlines?

Susan and Larry, dependent upon their investments for retirement income, called from their gated community in San Jose, California.  They asked, “With the recent amount of volatility, shouldn’t we dramatically change our strategy, move to only bonds, or leave the stock markets entirely?” 

While for some, $1000 may seem unlikely to make a difference, there are plenty of examples of how to put this money to best use. Here are ten ideas where $1000 can make a difference today.

Does money buy happiness? Well, it certainly can create unhappiness. This roadmap provides the tools to build mom and dad’s plan.