Brought to you compliments of Sarah M. Place, MBA
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January 2006
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Saturday, February 4, 2012
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New Year Portfolio Review
Soon you will be receiving year-end tax information and performance statements, and your attention will be headed to financial matters. This makes it a good time to review your investment portfolio. How have your investments performed? What are your current allocations? Is anything out of balance? Should you change any allocations for the year ahead?
I can help you answer those questions, or any others you may have. Please set up an appointment to discuss your current portfolio and evaluate where you are as we head into this new year. We can talk about the past year, find out if any of your objectives have changed, and decide if we should make any adjustments to your portfolio and financial plan.
This is a complimentary service, so please take advantage of it. My goal is to help you succeed in meeting your goals. To do that, we need to communicate regularly and make sure you are on the right path. So, please call or e-mail me to set up an appointment for this “New Year Portfolio Review.”
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Is Saving 10% Enough?
A common rule of thumb when planning for
retirement is to save 10% of your gross income during your working
years. Since this rule of thumb has been around for a long time,
it's logical to question whether it's still an appropriate guideline. For many, it may be a moot question since
overall personal savings don't come close to that 10% figure.
Personal savings as a percentage of disposable income are hovering
at historically low levels, 0.9% in 2004 (Source: The Regional
Economist, July 2005). Despite overall trends, you still control
how much to save for your retirement. So, is 10% a good guideline?
Several trends suggest that it is probably on the low side.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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So What Will You Do in Retirement?
How much will you need to live a comfortable
retirement? It's a question that can't be answered without giving
serious thought to how you really want to spend your retirement. Retirement is no longer viewed as a time
to slow down, but is now considered a new beginning in life. Thus,
your current living expenses may have little to do with your retirement
expenses. However, keep in mind that retirement often proceeds
in stages, with different spending trends in each stage.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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Evaluating Potential Stock Investments
With thousands of stocks to choose from,
developing a systematic approach to evaluating stocks can make
it easier to make your selections. The first step is to narrow
the options from the thousands of possible choices to ones most
likely to meet your objectives. That typically involves screening
companies based on criteria important to you. For instance, if
you are interested in growth stocks, you might look for earnings
growth over a certain percentage. Or for value stocks, you might
look for companies with low price/earnings ratios or low price-to-book
values
[FULL ARTICLE]
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What Are Roth 401(k)s?
Effective January 1, 2006, 401(k) plans
now have the option to offer Roth 401(k)s. The Roth 401(k) is
patterned after the Roth individual retirement account (IRA) -
contributions are made from after-tax earnings that grow tax free
and qualified distributions are withdrawn tax free. However, there
are some significant differences between Roth 401(k)s and Roth
IRAs.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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Basic Facts about Taxes
The subject of income taxes is one that
most people would prefer to ignore. However, since income taxes
are a significant expense for most taxpayers, you should come
to grips with some basics about taxes.
[FULL ARTICLE]
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Sarah has over fifteen years experience in the financial services industry. She received her MBA at St. Mary's University Graduate School of Business in San Antonio, TX and her bachelor’s degree in Economics–Finance at Bentley College in Waltham, MA. The firm she founded, Place Trade Financial, Inc., (Member NASD, SIPC) is an active member of the Securities Industry Association (SIA).
Feel free to contact Sarah via e-mail at
sarah@placetrade.com
or visit our Web site
www.placetrade.com
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Published by
Sarah M. Place
Copyright © 2005 Place Trade Financial, Inc., Member NASD/SIPC. All rights reserved.
This newsletter intends to offer factual and up-to-date information on the subjects discussed, but should not be regarded as a complete analysis of these subjects. The appropriate professional advisors should be consulted before implementing any options presented. No party assumes liability for any loss or damage resulting from errors or omissions or reliance on or use of this material.
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TELL A FRIEND
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