Retirement planner

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Here is the situation, a lot of things have been happening fast, and I'm stuck at a crossroad. College is coming up real soon, and at this point I'm confused on what I should go in for. I'm constantly back and forth between teaching (always been what I wanted to do) and going into business (I studied this all throughout high school, and even a little bit on the college level). I under with teaching, it's low paying, but rewarding, and I have to complete anywhere from 4-6 years of school to find a job. With going into business, I can continue working for the company I do now and move up into management (making for $100,000 annually), I don't really have to go to college, but I think it would help me out to at least get a associate degree, or maybe even a bachelor's degree one day. I'm very conservative, so I don't really like taking risks, with going into teaching I consider that a risk, because 4-6 years of school can get expensive, and it's not promised I could get a job as a teacher, then I would be stuck. With staying where I am at now, I could retire 7-8 years before I could teaching, it's a secure job, and I believe I have what it takes to move up into the management position. What would you do in my situation? I know it's a weird question, and I know I'm too young to be thinking of retirement, but I've always been a planner, I can't stand doing something without a direction of which it might take me. I typically always have a back-up plan. One reason why I am more shifted to stay where I am at now is that I could maybe even go into some kind of business venture myself. I've done numerous projects in school where I had to write a business plan, or something of that nature. It's always been somewhat of a dream of mine to open a restaurant of my own (I love to grill, and I love bbq, so I would open a bbq restaurant). I'm not looking for a smart-a response, I am looking for some advice, maybe someone who has traveled down the path I am looking at now. Thank you in advance.

How much would a single man need? I've spoke with a financial planner and he says that if I keep saving what I'm saving right now or raise it as I earn more in the future that I could have a few million pound by the time I'm 65 through my original investment and the interest earned on it. I'd like to know how much I REALLY need so I can maybe take out some money and enjoy it right now thanks.

Husband and I own one home and are upside down, can't get help due to we are not in a hardship situation, I want advice on that to see if we have any options open to us...we still need to re fi soon or mortgage will go up. Also, would like to buy a 2nd home in my name only since everything else is in my husbands name, need advice on that. Also wondering if the fact that we usually file taxes jointly will hurt me getting approved by myself for a home, or if we should file separate (we still have that option) and if that would be better for us. Financial planners seem to be mostly about retirement planning & funds investing...or are they? Is there one professional to help me with all these questions? Or do I have to search around separately?

The following is from http://www.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/retirement/articles/2008/06/19/should-you-pay-off-your-mortgage-before-you-retire.html "The interest you pay on your home mortgage is tax deductible on up to $1 million in debt. You can also typically write off interest on up to $100,000 of home-equity debt. But you benefit from this tax perk only if all your itemized tax deductions, including your mortgage interest, add up to more than the standard deduction that almost everyone gets automatically..... Jonathan Pond, a financial planner and author of Grow Your Money! 101 Easy Tips to Plan, Save, and Invest, argues that you need to be in the 35 percent tax bracket, or make at least $350,000 annually, for the tax break to be worthwhile. Most Americans in the 25 percent tax bracket might pay, say, $10,000 in mortgage interest but save only $2,500 in taxes." If I pay $10,000 in mortgage interst but only save $2,500, that seems nonsmart to me. Is the above quote correct?

Thank you for reading my question. I currently am employed for a retirement adviser and work as his para-planner. I have already attained my Series 7 certification and am currently studying for the Series 66. My role has evolved to the point that all my recommendations are generally proposed to clients regarding cash flow, short/long term investments, and budgeting. That being said, I am not thrilled about my future prospects. I feel very limited by what I am allowed to recommend. After doing some research, I would like to get on a career track that would allow me to become a treasurer or controller (eventually CFO) in a financial institution. Basically, a role where I could make large scale financial decisions. I have been told that the entry level position for my future goals is a Treasury Analyst. Given my current experience, what knowledge do I need to be able function in this position? I have a B.S. in Finance and am finishing my second degree in Accounting. I am also studying to take level I of the CFA exam next year. I have heard of the CTP (Certified Treasury Professional) certification, do I need this before I can start working? Thank you for your help.

if anyone can help me with this please email me at mpitts1947@yahoo.com Excel spreadsheet and 5-10 slides Details: Your younger sister, Cassie, just received information from her company on her company benefits. She tells you that she is not interested in reading the retirement information because she has another 30 years of working before she can even consider retiring. You are a financial planner so Cassie asks you to take a look at the information. In doing so, you see that her company offers a great 401(k) plan that matches contributions up to 5% and has been offering an average return of 10% annually. At this time Cassie is making $40,000 per year and receives an average raise of 2% per year. Prepare a spreadsheet for Cassie that shows how much money she could expect to have in her retirement account in 30 years given the following two scenarios: * She takes advantage of the 401(k) plan offered by his employer by putting 5% in the plan for the next 30 years. (Assume that the plan will continue to earn 10% annually.) * She waits 10 years to begin putting 5% of her salary in the plan.

I need to do a financial plan for my family inlcuding retirement savings, accounting for various estimates of inflation. My accountant says Quicken financial planner v2 was good, but it can't be found anymore. He also says that the financial planning capabilities of Quicken aren't adequate.

I'm about to start my career next year, but am unsure the best way to start saving. I have an economics degree, and have pretty strong knowledge of investments. What are the advantages of the following ways to save for retirement? Investing on my own with a risk appropriate portfolio mostly comprised of an index ETF. Getting a financial advisor/planner and using one of their bank's programs. Or going through my employer (Brevard County Public Schools - I am a math teacher).

heard the younger you save the greater your retirement income will be, I will start to save about 25% of my income @ my 25 years old, any recommendation on where I can start to gain the best gain. My company doesn't offer any 401k or anything so I need to start by myself, I've heard of IRA, IRA Roth, any financial planners that can offer any advice? Also I want to retire @ 50 years old and willing to sacrifice saving up more in order to fulfill it. Thanks!

during the years I've worked I worked hard and has been a diligent saver, and tried to invest smart. (however I am not a good financial planner, otherwise I wouldn't be drawing up this post..) I am now in 45, at the end of my mortgage, very little saving in cash but own 2 apartments mortgage free, which can be rented out. During this recession （or should be called depression!) I've just lost my job, and the job market looks pretty bleak out there. So many people applying for one position and you hear the stories of 'there are others who match the skill matrix better' or 'u r over-qualified'. People say unemployment rate may remain high for yrs to come. That means if you are left out of work for a couple of yrs, the job market would have moved on, and you'd be left with big hole in your work history. and that disadvantages you even further in a fast moving industry. I am just thinking...as a possiblity... If I have to give up my career now and from now on work on any odd jobs like stacking shelves (which I don't mind, and probably good for my health), will that be sufficient for the rest of my life. I am thinking: as for now, rents from the 2 apartments + a few hundred pd earned from the low paid job should be sufficent to cover food and bills, it won't be a great income but I can live on it while I can still do those jobs. But what if I reach certain age, say 65, and cannot even do those jobs? I wont have much cash saving, but I have 2 old apartments which can generate some income (looking at current living standard 2 rents will not cover all the bills for an elderly who has a much bigger health bill than the young). Till my saving (probably not much) is exhausted, I can sell one apartment then another. (this is the reason I tried hard to save to get these 2 properties at the expense of a luxury lifestyle - to have them as my pension, as I do not have a good pension fund and I only started to contribute a few ys ago). Will this be a viable route to go? Thank u guys for the rplies. When I was writing my post I thought I would be just mumbling to myself and no one will reply. Thks for pointing out the aspects that I did not think of, e.g. fix neccessary for properties in 20 yrs to come, & property price may fall when I must sell the property to release fund. Yes I live in the UK. The previous job paid not bad and that's part of the reason I could afford the properties. The other reason is I tried hard to pay-off the mortgage as fast as I could, not allowing myself to be lured away by posh lifestyle, so that when there is a big downturn or accident making my career terminated early, I could be prepared financially (I agree I stand on better ground than some others who got their property repossessed). tomorrow is another day and I will keep trying. I hope I will finally get some luck, as of my age/above in theindustry I work in is often perceived as 'slower learner'. I think u now can figure out what industry I am in. Good luck to all!

I'm a Sophomore in High School and I'm a big worrier/planner. should I clear my head of all this stuff that I'm thinking about? stuff like "if I work this many hours during the summer and if I spend this amount of money and if I am able to keep my job til I'm a senior I should be able to pay for this percent of College" and "if I focus on these type of subjects in High School I will be able to major in this area at this college and I will be able to make this much money when I graduate and that will give me this much time to buy a house and get married" finally "if I am able to get a going family will I have enough money to start a retirement fund that will have large enough interest that when I die my children will have quite the estate"

I know you are looking for office related work, but I wonder if you would be interested in a career change if the money is right. You may not be interested in this position because of the location or terms. I am sharing this position with you so that if you are not interested you may want to refer any of your friends who are looking for work at this time. Our company is seeking high caliber Financial Planners, who can keep up in a fast paced, dynamic environment. Our market is comprised of individuals, professionals, and business owners where our focus in tax planning and tax-sensitive investing that provides added value. We provide exceptional training for entry-level candidates with the ability to start part time with no door to door knocking or cold calling. JOB DESCRIPTION: To assist up-scale and emerging up-scale individuals meet long-term financial goals such as retirement, debt management, mortgage assistance, college tuition, life insurance and estate planning, with heavy emphasis on tax reduction. Once a comprehensive financial plan is developed, to assist the client in all phases of implementation. Also, design and implementation of 401(k) and other retirement plans, with special emphasis on Selective Benefits Plan for highly compensated employers and owners. REQUIREMENTS: *Excellent written and oral communication skills. *Track record of success in academic and/or career endeavors. *Need to set aside 4-6 hours a week for rigorous training. *Commitment to excellence and high standards. *Impeccable Integrity: All applicants will be subject to extremely thorough background checks, including criminal and credit checks. Commissioned based: $2,400-$3,200/month part time Commissioned based: $8,000-$12,000/month full time Please reply with resume and/or contact for more information about this position. Location: New Jersey Compensation: COMMISSION (plus renewals, trails and supervisory overrides)

My fiancee and I want to get a good adviser to help us make the right choices. and to help put us towards our goals. We are not at the point to be getting investment such as mutual funds etc but we will to be at some point. We need advice on home loans, student loans, retirement, planning for family growth, debt management, insurance, etc. How much does this kind of service cost and where do we find one that does not have a primary goal of selling us investment products. Also, are there any planners that specialize in Military/Vets

Councilman Parks on $265,000 pension: I earned it As The Times' Rich Connell reports, pension spending is a growing concern for city budget planners. The city could face a $1-billion budget shortfall in 2010-2011, and an even larger deficit the year after, chiefly because of pension investment losses, according to the city’s top budget analyst. Connell's review of city records found that Los Angeles Councilman Bernard Parks, City Hall’s budget committee chief, who is warning that soaring payroll and pension costs threaten the city’s financial stability, receives $22,000 a month in city retirement benefits in addition to his $178,789 a year salary. Some critics contend that packages such as Parks’ underscore the need for broader reform, particularly given the current financial stress on taxpayers and public agencies. “I don’t discuss my salary or my pension and I earn both of them,” Parks said in a brief phone conversation. In all, nearly 600 people receive city pensions in excess of $100,000 a year, according to figures obtained by The Times. What do you think should be done to fix the pension system? How big is big enough for retired city employees? http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/comments_blog/2009/05/parks-on-265000-pension-i-earned-it.html

I have used a CPA and financial advisor at different times for filing taxes, planning business expenses and write offs, and saving for retirement (only 29). I need someone who can analyze what myself and my wife make and determine what bills to pay off first including a tax lien, credit cards, personal loan and cars. I need someone to help with a plan that is not motivated by me buying their products or signing up for a plan that pays them long term. I am looking for a personal financial planner for saving and paying off bills but don't know who would do this type of work. Most I know just do one thing or the other. Where should I look to find someone who will put together a full multi-year plan with me? I appreciate the advise. I have definitely had a change of spending habits. I make a very good living but I am looking for a planner that can take an overall picture. I do not want financial advice over yahoo but advice to find a local solution. Thank you for the advice but its not the answer to the question. I have $ 2,000 per month to pay bills down but need advice on the best way to spend it. That is the question. Where do I find the best financial advice to spend our extra money? Advise = advice Also, I have bought the dave ramsey book, which is great in theory, but don't know where to get specific answers.

Our financial planner is concerned that if the company goes under, I could lose the 401(k) money somehow (because the asset would belong to them, not me). Isn't that always a concern, even if your money is in an IRA at Fidelity, etc.? None of those retirement investments are FDIC-insured, though that isn't really the issue she is getting at. I previously worked for Hewitt Associates, and I believe they run/fund their own plan. I do not invest in their stock, however.

In the old days, people saved their money and used savings for large purchases and also for retirement. That was the culture. We didn't buy stuff until we could afford it. After the govt started taxing those accounts, there was less incentive for us to save our money. Sure, we chased the t-bills and CD accounts, money market accounts and then the stock market (where we lost 50 percent of our savings recently). Why not make bank savings tax free again. The minimum interest earned is a joke now and it doesn't even keep up with inflation. Now we have to invest (or gamble) in stocks, mutual funds. Most average people know very little about the financial instruments. Because of tax implications, it's even more complicated. The gov't does not allow a tax deduction credit for financial planner fees. Most people don't own enough to have a financial planner (if they can find one who is honest and qualified who would be interested in making peanuts by giving advice to people who aren't wealthy.. To prevent a run on banks, after the Great Depression, new laws were passed. Savings accounts up to a certain amount is now protected. People did spend in the old days -- there just wasn't the tendency to over extend themselves as there is now. We even paid cash for our car (they weren't that expensive in those days) and the only thing we had to finance was real estate purchases. Paying cash for stuff is always cheaper.

i am going to take the college planner but i don't know which of these other classes to choose 1 family & consumer science this includes 10 units they are 1 christian character & appearance 2 what's cooking 3 let's eat 4 the clothes you wear 5 the clothes you sew 6 interior decoration 7your home & you 8 financial Freedom 9 children develop met & care 10 relationships or consumer math this includes 1 basic math review 2 personal finance 3 statistics 4 taxes & insurance 5 banking services & investments 6 banking & credit costs 7 purchase * sale of goods 8 leisure, travel, & retirement 9 job-related services 10 consumer math review which one would you take and why thank you very much

My mother asked me to come along with her to meet her financial planner as she has just retired and is about to get a 6 figure lump sum payment deposited to her. I want to ask the planner some common questions about what his plans are for the money etc. She is 59.5 yrs old and in this market what do some you feel would be common practice for this money to be invested, risk-less mutual funds, etc? Any advice is appreciated. I have little investment advice for her since I am not her age obviously and am looking to ask some good questions/options so her risk level will be low to medium. And if anyone posts any ridiculous answers like, "You just want the money for yourself, stop being greedy and let your mother decide for herself" you will be reported regardless if it has any effect or not. Thank you all for your true advice! My blessings to all in these crazy economic times!

I've been thinking more and more laterly about hiring a financial advisor to help me with asset allocation, retirement planning, tax shelter opportunities, and a bunch of things that I have no idea about. Does anyone here use a financial advisor? Has it been a wise decision? *I already read Kiyosaki's lame book, thanks. *not from the States

Dear Senator / Congressman How well has Mary Shapiro run the ship at FINRA? Today’s Wall Street Journal front page article discusses this. But after reviewing this, I don’t believe that CHANGE will be in the cards for the investing public. During in past decade, where did all the trouble in the financial world come from? Was it from Main Street or was it Wall Street? (Enron's electricity manipulators are now the oil market manipulators. Supply and demand forces do not drive oil up $25 in one day!) Have the scandals come from the regional or community banks, credit unions, independent broker-dealers or independent planning firms? No, it came from the BIG FIRMS on Wall Street's with their Non-transparent, Unregulated Credit Default Swaps and other undecipherable schemes. It was assisted by the abolishing of protection policies like the "Uptick Rule". So speculators could short company stocks into the ground in just a couple of days. Criminal Con-man, Bernard Madoff ran a brokerage firm that was under FINRA oversight and an insider; once the head of the NYSE. The SEC admittedly knew about it in 1998 but turned a blind eye. It could have stopped then at 1 billion but, was allowed to grow into a 50 billion dollar ponzi scheme. Please stop appointing the gangsters as policemen and, stop allowing them to regulate their own criminal activity. Maybe the regulators should eat their own cooking. If the higher ranks of the SEC and FINRA were sold equity indexed annuities, life insurance promoted as retirement savings, annuities with 16 year surrender periods, tax shelters found to be abusive, complex mortgage securities that they couldn’t understand or securities firm recommends but trash privately, MAYBE they would change their tune. I see, with this appointment of Mary Shapiro, the continuation of supporting the system that has put us in the economic position we are in today and the further erosion of consumer protection. DO YOUR JOB, NEW SENATOR!!! Start protecting the little man on main street, the majority of your constituency! FIX IT!!! I must cite Jeff Bogue’s article, Jeff is an independent, fee-only financial planner with his firm, Bogue Asset Management, LLC as a reference for my letter. I sent this to my senator and congressman. Please write something to them. Let them know how you feel. Copy / paste mine if you agree and are to busy to write your own.

I am almost about to graduate high-school and trying to find a career path to follow and FAST! I am a people-person :D I love to communicate in any shape and form! I would like to be a wedding planner but with this economy being so bad, its hardly making any money plus it offers no insurance. Hospitality careers appeal to me, front desk, HR, food management :D, or General Management! Teachers, Counselor's say I have good leadership skills as well. Do jobs in hopsitality provide medical insurance, retirement plans, etc? Would you recommend these jobs? :) Thank you!

so for a final project, i need to act as a retirement planner for a couple. they of course know nothing about the technical details of finance, etc etc. i'm not at all looking for someone to do my homework for me, i'm just looking for some guidance - i need to know where to find typical, average rates of return for both the accumulation and retirement periods. i'm interested in high, medium, and low-risk examples. the purpose of the project is to illustrate the theoretical couple's consequences for those various rates, and or various retirement dates, etc etc. thanks so much. i think it's safe to assume this is a fixed annuity. (this is a finance 311 class, just a general business finance course)

my dad works as a financial planner (like deals with stocks, bonds, but mostly people's retirement) at bb&t.. should his job be safe? i'm a college freshman who isn't eligible for financial aid and i don't want to have student loans out so early in undergrad if i don't need to have them

hi how to be a very good financial planner inorder to be very good at maitaining your finances and debts and plan well for your retirement,,,, but still have fun during the course of your life...

We are finally back to two incomes, after survivng on one. We have a little bit left over after expenses each month. What is smarter.... Put every extra penny on our mortgage to try and pay it off early? OR Put every tiny bit in savings so it will grow over time? We dont have enough money to ask a financial planner so I hope I can get some ideas from people who may have a good understanding of money, know about money, working in banking, finance or who have been successful in managing their own affairs. I dont care if you are rich or poor, working or living off interest. i just want some honest opinions for what has worked for you. Thank you and God Bless! We are in our late 30's plus 2 kids. We went to one income when my husband went to college. We are careful with every penny, thankfully. We have the student loan paid off, we carry no monthly credit card debt (those interest rates are killer). We have no vehicle payments and drive older vehicles. We have been maxing out the annual IRA contribution for several years and will continue to. I have 1-2 months of emergency funds in reserve. I agree we need to up that before anything else. Our debt is down to just a mortage payment and need to save for retirement/college for our kids in 12 years. My husband figured out we could pay the mortgage off completely in a few years if we put everything extra on the house. Just not sure if that is smart, when we have kids/college to consider/retirement. Conflicting needs. 17 hours ago I really appreciate you taking time from your lives to help us out. I have two books to read now. I am very thankful for the suggestions. My husband has been after me to read "Rich Dad Poor Dad" for some time. It was his first read, since getting into the post college work force. We did not come from wealth and want to learn as much as we can to provide for ourselves and our kids. We hope to be financially secure and we want to be sure we are taking the right steps. Again, I thank you. THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH!

We are finally back to two incomes, after survivng on one. We have a little bit left over after expenses each month. What is smarter.... Put every extra penny on our mortgage to try and pay it off early? OR Put every tiny bit in savings so it will grow over time? We dont have enough money to ask a financial planner so I hope I can get some ideas from people who may have a good understanding of money, know about money, working in banking, finance or who have been successful in managing their own affairs. I dont care if you are rich or poor, working or living off interest. i just want some honest opinions for what has worked for you. Thank you and God Bless! We are in our late 30's plus 2 kids. We went to one income when my husband went to college. We are careful with every penny, thankfully. We have the student loan paid off, we carry no monthly credit card debt (those interest rates are killer). We have no vehicle payments and drive older vehicles. We have been maxing out the annual IRA contribution for several years and will continue to. I have 1-2 months of emergency funds in reserve. I agree we need to up that before anything else. Our debt is down to just a mortage payment and need to save for retirement/college for our kids in 12 years. My husband figured out we could pay the mortgage off completely in a few years if we put everything extra on the house. Just not sure if that is smart, when we have kids/college to consider/retirement. Conflicting needs. 17 hours ago I really appreciate you taking time from your lives to help us out. I have two books to read now. I am very thankful for the suggestions. My husband has been after me to read "Rich Dad Poor Dad" for some time. It was his first read, since getting into the post college work force. We did not come from wealth and want to learn as much as we can to provide for ourselves and our kids. We hope to be financially secure and we want to be sure we are taking the right steps. Again, I thank you. THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH!

When you talk to retirement planners they regularly talk about not withdrawing more than 4% of your nest egg in any one year to meet living expenses. So if you have a million dollars saved you shouldn't withdraw much more than 4% of that money (approximately $40,000) in any given year. Where did this 4% rule come from and who came up with it?

Many financial planners recommend that you begin your financial plan by accumulating an emergency fund that is at least $1000 (and then slowly accumulate up to 3 months living expenses for your rainy day fund). Do you think this is a good idea? How would it change your reaction to a car repair or other unexpected expense? Do you have the discipline to set aside money each month for the future? How does your retirement planning look right now -- especially if you are one of the more "mature" members of the class? Many experts believe that an important part of personal financial management involves developing a budget. Have you used a budget in the past? Has it worked well for you, or not? What challenges do you find in the budgeting process? Are you a spender or a saver? Your instructor is a partially-reformed spender married to a stuck-in-the-mud saver (he wears his shoes until they have holes in the bottom, then complains about wet feet!). Give examples of some long-term goals that you have set for yourself financially...how are you doing on the way to these goals?

I'm 29 and have no retirement. My companty does not offer a 401k, but just got a little cash from a settlement. Where should I start? IRA? Financial planner and stocks? Any suggestions?

http://townhall.com/Columnists/HankAdler/2008/10/24/obamas_minuscule_charity_contributions Senator Obama’s tax returns are pretty interesting. In comparing his 2007 tax return to previous years, other than a very significant increase in income, the major change is that Senator Obama has found a pretty good tax planner. Senator Obama has implemented several tax strategies that have reduced his 2007 Federal income taxes and if he continues with this planning, he and his family will save millions over the next couple of decades. Every step of the Obama tax plan appears to be 100% legal. It is well documented that between 2001 and 2004, the only noteworthy items in the Obama tax returns were that (a) their charitable contributions were negligible (less than $8400 with earned income of over $981,000) and (b) they amassed literally no savings over the four year period reporting a total of only $33 of interest income with earned income of over $981,000. It is also well documented that in 2005 and 2006, the only noteworthy items in the Obama tax returns were that (a) their charitable contributions rose to 3.5% ($92,867)of their adjusted gross income which now included book proceeds and amounted to $2.6M, (b) they continued to amass virtually no savings with total interest and dividend income in 2006 amounting to $5700 while earnings exceeded $1.6M in 2006 and $991K in 2007 and (c) following Senator Obama’s election to the United States Senate, they reported an almost tripling of Mrs. Obama’s salary from the University of Chicago Hospitals to $316,962 and her new Boards of Directors’ fees of $45,000. In 2007, Senator Obama gave $240,000 of his gross income of $4.2M to charity (5.7%). In 2007, Senator Obama began to orchestrate his new tax plan. He implemented three important tax planning ideas: (a) Senator Obama initiated a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) allowing him to contribute and deduct a $45,000 payment to a new personal retirement plan, a plan which will augment his governmental pensions and Mrs. Obama’s pension from University of Chicago Hospitals, (b) Senator Obama placed virtually his entire after-tax book proceeds into tax-free municipal bonds which produced non-taxable income of $45,000 and provided insulation against the recent stock market implosion and (c) Senator Obama created tax-free College Savings Plans for each daughter with a total funding of $240,000. (Senator Obama’s disclosure statements show these contributions to be between $200,000 and $500,000, but as no gift tax forms were filed, it is a professionally educated guess that these contributions were $120,000 for each child.) These plans will allow the Obama children to earn investment income without ever paying Federal income taxes if the funds are used for education. Each of these tax planning steps would be recommended to Senator Obama by any competent tax advisor. While these opportunities are obviously available to anyone, only wealthy taxpayers have the funds necessary to implement such planning. Tax savings – SEP: Federal tax savings in 2007 approximated $15,300. Assuming that Senator Obama’s book fees continue or he has other sources of income, by age seventy, with a six percent annual return, this retirement plan should have just short of $2 million of untaxed earnings and interest. Tax Savings – College Funds: Federal tax savings in 2007 were none. Future tax savings will be significant. The $240,000 invested in these funds will create non-taxable income during the lives of the funds and annually and permanently save the Obamas about $6000 of Federal income taxes. Tax Savings – Tax Exempt Income: Federal income tax saving in 2007 of approximately $15,000. The long term tax savings that could result from this strategy are very significant. If the amount stays at $45,000 of tax-free income, the annual savings will remain, at current tax rates, about $15,000 and through the Senator’s seventieth birthday, with reinvestment at the same tax-free rates, the Senator would have almost $2.8M with untaxed earnings of about $1.9M. --------- If he should continue the strategy with additional investment in tax-free securities, he could amass millions of dollars of income which would not be subject to Federal income tax. Is the Senator’s tax and investment plan a good one? I think so. Whether his tax plan to significantly reduce his Federal income taxes and maximize his family wealth comports with his stated political position to use the Internal Revenue Code to “spread the wealth”, I leave that to the reader.

I am thinking about going into business as a financial planner specializing in LGBT couples. When my girlfriend and I were buying a house and planning for our futures, we had a difficult time because things were so complicated because we were not married (and legally can't be). I spent the better part of a year working on wills, trusts for the kids, retirement planning, finding insuring companies that will offer a joint policy, ETC. I have a degree in a related field and would be well qualified, but I am trying to figure out of there would be demand. Have you used this type of service or would you in the future? I live in a major U.S. city if that matters. Thanks for the help.

Many financial planners recommend that you begin your financial plan by accumulating an emergency fund that is at least $1000 (and then slowly accumulate up to 3 months living expenses for your rainy day fund). Do you think this is a good idea? How would it change your reaction to a car repair or other unexpected expense? Do you have the discipline to set aside money each month for the future? How does your retirement planning look right now -- especially if you are one of the more "mature" members of the class? Many experts believe that an important part of personal financial management involves developing a budget. Have you used a budget in the past? Has it worked well for you, or not? What challenges do you find in the budgeting process? Are you a spender or a saver? Have you been a member of a labor union? Did the union serve you and its other members well in negotiations and resolution of grievances? How does the history of the union movement affect all workers in the U.S. today? Do you think that unions are needed in businesses like Wal-Mart (the largest private employer in the world) or Honda of America Manufacturing (located in Central Ohio)? Or have the folks that organize unions blown some issues out of proportion and unfairly portrayed workplace problems?

How do you find out when most people panicked and sold out of equities? An unrelated question: Are our investment advisors being straight with us - that buy and hold is always the best strategy? They always cite the example of the DOW, in 1901, if you invest $1 you'd have tens of thousands right now, but who lives that long? Also, the DOW is not the same set of companies that it was 100 years ago. It seems anyone with only a 20-30 year margin would be incurring significant risk with "buy and hold", since you never know if your retirement will coincide with a bear market. Also, financial planners frequently say "If you try to time the market, you may miss the peaks." But you may also avoid incurring significant loss, since markets go down much faster than they go up. Who is right? Who had 10 years to invest in 2000 and finds their portfolio has shrunken in value? What about the portfolio managers........do they take their own advice and stick it out......or are they just telling us investors to do so, so they can profit from their management fees? What about portfolio turnover - aren't those guys taking some of the dough that we hard working investors sunk into their funds........so where did all this money go.......to the fund CEO's? Correction: Who had 10 years to invest since 1998 (not 2000) and find their portfolio has shrunken in value?

I went to a financal planner wanting to start a retirement account and he keeps pushing this life insurance. Whats it about?

I'm just wondering if I should seek out a planner to help me with my retirement planning, etc. Also, any personal experiences good/bad would be appreciated.

Gen X-er with no kids looking to boost my investments for a more secure retirement. Been burned before by dishonest quacks and don't want to deal with salespeople whose commissions are more important than my future.

On my eighteenth birthday, which is in just over a month, I come into the first $20,000 (US) of a lawsuit settlement. I am going to be in school, but I have $4,000 in grants (that covers all my tuition) and $12,000 in subsidized loans (no interest at all while I'm in school) for next year. I come into the rest of the lawsuit settlement, $51,500, right about as I'll be finishing school, on my 21st birthday. I'd like to invest as much of this money as possible, in somewhat low-risk places. Since my loans are all no-interest while I'm in school, I figure I'm better off waiting to pay them off while my settlement money grows. I've already registered with two financial advisory groups (the Respond Financial Planning Services Team and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors [NAPFA]), which send all your information to financial advisors. Unfortunately, most financial advisors require a minimum portfolio of $100,000 (or they only do taxes, or they only work on retirement portfolios...). So my question is two-fold. (1) Do you have any advice for me? How should I invest that money? (2) If you think it'd be good for me to talk to a financial planner, how do I find one who will accept someone with as small an amount as I have to invest? Are there any books I should read? Thanks.

A couple of weeks back on Smackdown Victoria Crawford, a former model, debuted as the wedding planner for Edge and Vickie Guerrero. I am told that the plan as of now is for Edge to get caught cheating on Vickie with Crawford. This will lead to their relationship ending and Vickie turning face. I was also told that this is the role that WWE wanted Krystal Marshall to play but she refused and was released. They didn't have plans for her to be the wedding planner but as Edge's secret lover. The twist with that angle though would have been it also tying into the Teddy Long/Krystal affair as well. Instead the wedding was broken up by Teddy having a heart attack. Krystal never came back on TV and was released just weeks later. and also -- Undertaker will return to television by crashing the wedding between Edge & Vickie Guerrero scheduled for a SmackDown taping in mid-July. He will then be plugged right back into his program with Edge and feud with him for at least the rest of the summer. If they don't have a match at The Great American Bash, then definitely at SummerSlam, although it looks like the wedding is happening before GAB, so they could hotshot it for that show too. There was a feeling that his feud with Edge needed to be put on the shelf for a little while, although he did have some nagging injuries to tend to. The feeling was that it was going to run out of steam without a major twist, hence the retirement storyline. -- As noted earlier, despite his "retirement," Undertaker worked SmackDown's tour of Australia and New Zealand this past week. The decision for him to retire on television was a last minute move, but he had been advertised as the top star on the tour, so they decided to bring him on it. Tickets went on sale several months ago and the company drew huge advances everywhere, so a lot of fans were expecting to see him. The storyline explanation for his appearances on the tour has Shane McMahon coming out at the start of shows to say that he was talking with Vickie Guerrero and they agreed to let him have an "Undertaker farewell tour." want proof, go here http://pwmania.com/ I AM FREAKIN SERIOUS, AND UFC IS FAKE TOO, JUST GO TO THAT WEBSITE AND CLICK ON HEADLINES, THE VICKIE AND EDGE SPOILERS ARE THE FIRST ONES, AND THE UNDERTAKER'S RETURN IS THERE MAIN FEATURE AND HERES MY QUESTION : 2+2= (answer it scientifically) ( first correct answer gets best answer)

Ok so I have a pension at my work (I am 21) that is pretty good and I plan to work here forever or if not continue with the pension and increase the perecentages. So a finacial planner said for these figures at 65 I could have 1.5 million. Now I want to retire around 50, I told my bf to start one too, but he said 1.5 mil is enough for both of us. He thinks investing is dumb and you can lose all your money. So I need to tell him about a secure pension/rrsp where you can't lose your money, where its isnt invested, it just sits there? Is there a such thing, he wants his money super safe or he puts it under the mattress??? How do I tell him what would be best and really secure? Thanks, long I know but I need to convince him without arguing about it.

I'm interested in getting assistance with long-term planning in order to balance my current goals, which include paying down student loan debt, saving for my retirement and saving for a downpayment on a mortgage. I'm hoping to find someone who will hope me figure out how much I should allocate to what based on my current living situation. Would this be a financial planner or someone else? Where do I find a person/organization who works with people in a similar situation? I would be interested in meeting with a financial planner, but from the little I know it sounds like they expect you to have a lot of assets you need assistance investing. I'm not in that situation quite yet.

U.S. Savings Bonds are exempt from state and local taxes. Municipal bonds are exempt from federal income tax and, sometimes, state income tax as well. True False 2: A "third market maker" is an order to buy or sell a stock at a specific price. True False 3: You should beware of a sales person encourages you to borrow money or cash in retirement funds to invest, tells you to write false information on your account form, or offers to share inside information. True False 4: Federal or state securities laws require brokers, investment advisers, and their firms to be licensed or registered, and to make important information public. True False 5: "Fiduciary" means that the person working for a client owes you the highest possible duty of care and loyalty, so that a relationship of trust and confidence exists between the client and the financial planner. True False

Unlike heterosexuals, we will always have to fend off for ourselves in "the golden years". Well meaning straight people do ask me all the time, "Aren't you afraid of dying old and alone?" and they couch that in terms of the sense of security that straight marriages do give; whether this security is real or imagined is debatable, of course. But the social support system is definitely weighed in favor of straight couples, especially those married and with kids. As a financial planner who is gay, I am heartbroken to meet gay clients who wish to assign their partners as beneficiaries of their insurance policies, health plans, properties, etc. and cannot do so because the law (in the Philippines, where I live) prohibits people who are not "biological family" to inherit them. How do YOU plan for your retirement years?

Well, I am 42 and have decided that it is time to start planning for my retirement. I just funded my new Roth IRA with the maximum contribution of $4,000 for 2007. Now what? I don't know what to invest in. Should I look for a financial planner, if so, how much do they cost and where can I find out if they are any good? I am new at this.

I have seen a lot of planners - but they always seem to be missing something - whats the most comprehensive budget planning site that would be good for someone in college, trying to plan for a house and retirement? Thanks a bunch

Whats the best retirement planner available in India for people less than 35 yrs...scope to pay for 20 yrs !

I know that with a 401(k) and a 403(b) you have to ride out the highs and the lows over time but how long should you let your account go when it is losing money before you make a change to your allocations? In the past 18 months I have contributed $5400 but the balance is only $5067 currently. Is this really bad or are other people experiencing similar losses? My financial planner told me I should go for 'aggressive' options because I have over 20 years until retirement but it is discourage to be going backwards. Does anyone have any advice on what I should do?

I'm inheriting quite a bit of money, probably close to 2 million. However, I know that one portion of it is a partnership I have stakes in (7.2%), which as of 6 years ago filed corporation papers listing a capital input of around 4.5 million, which has probably grown, so let's say that's 500-550k. At 500k, how much will I be charged when I inherit it? And with the remainding money, what do I do to save it for my retirement? I know that a Roth IRA has a financial limit not allowing for me to place all of it in that, or I'd do it now. What should I be looking into? PS - I know I should be talking to a financial planner, and when it happens, I will, however, I want an idea of what I'm looking at here for some financial planning I'm doing now for my future. Additionally, how much am I looking at THIS PORTION of my inheritances being worth in the future. I'm 22 now, if I retired at 60, 65, what could I be looking at accounting for inflation in purchasing power? THANKS!!!!!

Paying off debt, saving for emergency fund, saving for retirement, 20-25% down payment, etc. If 90% of Americans did exactly what we are idealy supposed to...Would this cause a huge recession? Moreso than what is predicted to occur?

So I am not sure who I am supposed to use, or even if there is a difference. I am looking for someone that can put us on a budget, and help us to plan for retirement. Someone who would look over all of our bills and help us form the best plan of action. So who should I be looking for? And how do I know if they are any god or not?