Blog Posts

Projecting the Investment Horizon: Don’t Let Emotion Get the Best of You

By Michael J. Searcy

If you’re like the majority of the investing public, you may think this diagram depicting the emotional rollercoaster of investing is a great representation of how you feel these days. The diagram takes us through a simplified market cycle starting with a period leading toward strong performance (a bull market) and then falling into a period of weak performance (a bear market), then back to an upturn, thus showing the cycle is never ending. Fluctuation through these cycles can leave investors with feelings of euphoria when things seem to be going great, despair when they’re going bad, and optimism when it seems like poor performance is on its way back up again.

By Marc Shaffer

If you aren’t familiar with longevity annuities and Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts yet, chances are you will start to hear more about them this year…especially if you are over the age of 55. While countless mailings may have you convinced that this is a new product, it has actually been around for a while. However, these annuities are being heavily marketed now that a new law is allowing them to be purchased with retirement funds from an IRA account or a qualified plan such as a 401(k) plan or profit-sharing plan.

By Michael J. Searcy

You have probably heard the TV and radio pitches that go a little like this: “If you are worried about the ultimate crash of the market and you don’t want any risk, we can guarantee no loss in a down market. You could get up to double digit gains without any risk and an income stream that continues to rise, even in down markets! Find out what your financial advisor hasn’t told you and what he probably doesn’t even know about.” We hear them all the time, and believe it or not, even a seasoned investor can be lured in by these claims.

By: Michael J. Searcy

You've already hit three home runs for the season—sounds like a great record right? Well, that depends. Are you playing Little League ball, or batting in the major leagues? The truth is, numbers can tell whatever story you want them to tell if they're not being measured against appropriate comparative benchmarks.

Benchmarks—statistical measures of, among other things, inputs, outputs and performance. They're one of the best indicators of how well your financial portfolio is performing against the market, but many investors are often confused by the numbers. Some financial professionals are quick to promote their performance numbers against well-known indicators like the S&P 500 index or the Dow Jones Industrial Average, especially when their numbers far out-perform the standard. However, oftentimes you'll find these quoted benchmarks have little similarity to the allocation of your portfolio.