After being do-it-yourself investors for over 40 years, my recently-retired parents have decided they’re ready to seek professional help. Their conservative investing style has served them well (especially over the last few years), but they don’t like the idea of having to settle for pitifully low rates of return. They want to keep their money [...]

Our economy has been going through some major changes recently – including a period of high unemployment, depressed stock prices, and a floundering real estate market. As our economy recovers we are facing new challenges, including rising gas prices and higher food prices, and it’s very possible we may witness inflation in the near future. [...]

Many people who love investing, eat and breathe it. They read everything that they can get their hands on about the subject. They can easily explain the difference between Price To Book Ratio and P/E Ratio. But, there are some people in the world who just do not understand or even want to understand the [...]

There are dozens of ways you can invest our money, but that doesn’t mean you need to let it become confusing. Each investment opportunity has unique benefits, and the first step is to define your investment goals. When looking at retirement investing, it’s best to focus on those types of investments that offer tax benefits. [...]

US Savings Bonds are a popular investment tool for individuals who want a safe place to invest their cash with a better return on their investment than the standard savings account.  US savings bonds are often given as gifts to children, family members or students.  Unlike money that is invested in a savings account which [...]

Should you invest in gold and other precious metals? Deciding how and where to invest your money is a personal decision that should be made based on your risk tolerance, time frame, and other factors. There is risk with most investments and investing in gold, silver, and other precious metals is no different. However, when [...]

One of the biggest benefits to going on a deployment is the extra income. Tax free pay, hazard pay, imminent danger pay, family separation pay, and other financial benefits abound. Of course, they don’t make up for the danger of being in a hostile environment or being separated from your family, but the dollars are [...]

One of the requirements of establishing and contributing to an individual retirement account (IRA) is that the contributions are made from taxable earned income. This is true for both the traditional and Roth IRA. This stipulation is in place for all taxpayers, however exceptions are made for military servicemembers who are on active duty. Due [...]

Should you consider a Roth IRA Conversion? Moving your money held in a Traditional IRA into a Roth IRA is called a “Roth IRA Conversion.” Many people choose to do a Roth IRA conversion because Roth IRAs have a tax advantage over Traditional IRAs in that the distributions are not taxable income. During the conversion [...]

Military members have one of the best pension plans in the US. After 20 years of service, military members can “retire” with a 50% pension. The percentage can go higher if members are willing to serve more time. But you’ll notice I put quotes around the word “retire.” For most military members, 50% of their [...]