Moving the Conversation Forward
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- 06/11/2018 | The SKINNY on TDFs The key to growing money in a long-term retirement plan is to be as broadly diversified as possible. That is, to be broadly diversified in an age-appropriate fashion. With... Read more.
- 06/04/2018 | SIMPLE. It's not complicated building wealth in a 401(k) plan (or it’s 403b plan equivalent). The money comes out of your paycheck before you get a chance to spend it or even see it (which avoids the... Read more.
- 06/04/2018 | Pleased and honored to report that I was selected in April as a delegate to represent the retirement plan industry with lawmakers in Washington DC this summer. Looking forward to seeing many of my... Read more.
- 05/14/2018 | It is an incredible honor to be invited to join the Retirement Advisor Council, the invitation-only industry group with the top advisors in retirement plan consulting. The Retirement Advisor... Read more.
- 05/08/2018 | Is this a sad day for your 401k? There’s a battle raging for the heart of the retirement plan industry. Yesterday, the Department of Labor (DOL) put Fiduciary Rule Enforcement on Hold … but they can’... Read more.
- 04/24/2018 | April Snow.png Forecasting is … interesting. It’s more of an art than a science, even if we use the word “science” promiscuously. In most other industries, you have to be accurate at... Read more.
- 04/11/2018 | Soccer.png What a soccer goalie and a dead guy have in common ... and how it could save you a bundle of money. Here’s a few thoughts on lessons learned from soccer … and how they could... Read more.
- 04/03/2018 | Easter Snow.png Today is 403(b) day, the lesser known sibling of 401(k) day. Of course, 401(k) day was obscurred, as it typically is, by April Fool's Day. (And this year, it took a... Read more.
- 01/15/2018 | Picture2.png 'Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Florida anymore.' This is Kansas … Kansas City … where the temps have been single-digit from New Year’s Eve through most of 2018. Today,... Read more.
- 01/08/2018 | IMG_2419.JPG As the sun was setting on 2017 at the condo in St. Pete… I was reflecting on “Final Grades” for the year. How did America’s 401(k) plans grade out this season? Spending... Read more.
- 11/20/2017 | Repurposement cover 4.png (An excerpt from the book Repurposement) On average, Americans work about 40 years during their careers. (Ages 25-65) On average. There are, of course, always... Read more.
- 10/23/2017 | Happiness by Design2.png Just finished the book “Happiness by Design” by Paul Dolan (with a forward by the great Daniel Kahneman). I’d highly recommend the book to anyone who wants to... Read more.
- 10/12/2017 | IMG_2025.JPG In 1991, they published a book called “DOS For Dummies.” It was a how-to book that explained a topic in the most simplistic of terms. It sold. And other titles sold,... Read more.
- 10/02/2017 | IMG_2025.JPG In 1991, Dan Gookin published a book called “DOS For Dummies.” It was a how-to book that explained a topic in the most simplistic of terms. Not surprisingly, it was a best-... Read more.
- 09/25/2017 | IMG_2023.JPG Far too many Americans are “surrendering” to the flagrant use of proprietary funds. It’s 2017! If your 401(k) provider is still offering proprietary funds, you’re probably... Read more.
- 09/20/2017 | Repurposement cover 4.png Should a person save for college and then retirement or save for retirement and then college? How should we prioritize our dollars? Is there a right answer? I... Read more.
- 08/10/2016 | Untitled.jpg This is what Sal looked like on AGT. But the picture to the left is what Sal looked like when he asked about his retirement and his employer said FUGGEDABOUTIT. A lot of... Read more.
- 08/08/2016 | 1623b32aad8af3d2d453a7a1db39c723_how-much-forgetfulness-normal_580x326_featuredImage.jpg ... OR HAS YOUR 401(k) PLAN GIVEN YOU THE FINGER? Perhaps you've heard your retirement plan... Read more.
- 08/02/2016 | Pep-Talks-with-Coach-Riggle-Losing-Streak.jpg This is going to sound a bit like a rant, and I don't mean for it to. But one of my pet peeves is when we call our 401(k) committee an... Read more.
- 06/06/2016 | Last week I wrote about the black eye that the Labor Department's new Fiduciary Rule has given the retirement plan industry. Borzi2.jpg Last month I had dinner with the author of that... Read more.
- 06/03/2016 | 10-Free-Smiley-Face-With-Black-Eye.jpg The new DOL Fiduciary Regulations continue to give a black eye … to the retirement industry, particularly to the insurance industry that dominates... Read more.
- 06/02/2016 | 10-Free-Smiley-Face-With-Black-Eye.jpg The new DOL Fiduciary Regulations continue to give a black eye … to the retirement industry, particularly to the insurance industry that dominates... Read more.
- 05/24/2016 | flight attendant.jpg Should a person save for college and then retirement or save for retirement and then college? How should we prioritize our dollars? Is there a right answer? I... Read more.
- 02/15/2016 | one-dollar-lies-against-background-hundred-dollar-bills-can-be-used-as-31051563.jpg In honor of President’s Day (celebrated the 3rd Monday in February, between Lincoln’s birthday on... Read more.
- 01/22/2016 | percentage.gif Retirement is not an age. Retirement is not a number. Retirement is a percentage. A common misperception is that retirement is like a destination, a station along the... Read more.
- 07/14/2015 | These is just the first two questions on the minds of most Plan Sponsors, questions that you’ve probably wondered about if you manage the retirement plan at your office, but questions that maybe you... Read more.
- 07/06/2015 | hippocratic-oath-medicine_dayala0332c.jpg Will cross-selling cross you up with the DOL? A key axiom is that even if something is not illegal it still might not be good. All things are... Read more.
- 06/22/2015 | national-runners-day.jpg Sex sells. Marathons are not sexy. Sprints are sexy. Overnight success grabs all the headlines. But marathons win the day. Everyone wants quick, fast, easy... Read more.
- 06/15/2015 | MONEY_FRANK151.jpg The GAO is questioning the advantages of Managed Accounts … and you should too Sometimes participants in a retirement plan (a 401k or 403b plan) have the opportunity... Read more.
- 06/01/2015 | 00-edvard-munch-the-scream-1893.jpg Last week I was with clients in Louisiana and after a Financial Education meeting with 401(k) plan participants I had one participant approach me to... Read more.
- 05/11/2015 | Although Americans are being asked to bear more responsibility for their retirement, many lack the financial literacy skills or interest to answer the most vital questions, such as: “How much should... Read more.
- 04/15/2015 | ERISA describes a heavy burden for employers that sponsor a retirement plan for their employees. Many business owners hire professionals to help shoulder the burden. The key to alleviating the... Read more.
- 03/17/2015 | Shamrock.jpg I'm reminded of this prayer that a friend of mine learned in an Irish monastery. It’s called the Prayer of St. Patrick. The Irish Saint may or may not have penned these... Read more.
- 03/02/2015 | 4_on_board_rm.JPG This week is Spring Break in Kansas City. It's that glorious time sandwiched between the conference tournaments and the national tournament (March Madness). It's the... Read more.
- 02/16/2015 | This nation's financial literacy statistics are startling, as are the consequences. The U.S. ranked 27th of 28 countries for this question in the 2012 Global Financial Literacy Barometer: "To what... Read more.
- 08/26/2014 | Can we still justify proprietary fund lineups? According to information gathered by the Employee Benefits Research Institute (EBRI) 28% of current retirement plans are still using a proprietary... Read more.
- 07/24/2014 | Traveling is such an ascetic experience, especially when it involves public transportation. So much is beyond your control and you can either resist it or submit to it. You can hardly break it, but... Read more.
- 07/16/2014 | Confused yet? When you create an Investment Policy Statement you are creating a plan document. While it is not required that you ever create one, it is almost always the first plan document that the... Read more.
