MI Perspective Articles
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Do you qualify for a Roth IRA?
There are several types of individual retirement accounts (IRAs). Among the most popular is the Roth IRA. It allows you to invest taxed earnings in certain assets and withdraw those funds, tax-free, in retirement. The Roth IRA is available to most workers with some restrictions. What Is a Roth? A Roth IRA is a type […]
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What is going on with Inflation?
“Inflation” is a vague economic term, yet it’s one of the most important ways to tell how the economy is doing. Many news outlets report on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which contains a lot of pricing information. Economists, on the other hand, use the related Core CPI, which only looks at three main things: […]
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Smart Savings for Education: The Power of a 529 Plan
If a loved one is planning on going to college, you need to know about the 529 plan. This tax-advantaged savings vehicle lets you put aside money for education — anyone’s education, whether it’s a child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or even yourself. Here’s how it works. What Is a 529 Plan? A 529 plan, legally […]
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Annuity Buyers Beware: Part 3, Surrender Charges
If you read Part 1: Monthly Pt to Pt and Part 2: S&P 500 Capped Strategy of my series, then you now know annuity returns are pretty terrible. Advertised as a way to protect your investment from market downturns, the reality is that you’ll be stuck with an underperforming investment. Thanks to gain caps (some […]
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Annuity Buyers Beware, Part 2: S&P 500 Capped Strategy
My clients know I’m no fan of annuities. In our first article on the monthly point-to-point strategy Annuity Buyers Beware, Part 1, I showed how that strategy favors the house like a casino game. Let’s turn to the equally troubling S&P 500 Capped Strategy used in fixed indexed annuities (FIAs) and related index-linked approaches. The […]
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Annuity Buyers Beware, Part 1: S&P Monthly Point-to-Point Strategy, and Why It’s a Bad Bet
If you’ve discussed financial products with me at any length, you know I’m not a fan of annuities. They’re overly complicated and an opaque investment product that I don’t feel comfortable recommending for long-term investment, especially not for retirement planning. Some financial products are complicated due to their nature, while others are artificially complex. A […]
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Three Charts That Sum It All Up
What we have seen in the markets over the past week is historic. We will be talking about this for years to come. Trump’s tariff policy rollout will be discussed alongside other major stock market shocks, such as the COVID-19 crisis and 9/11. Regardless of one’s opinion on the policy itself, shocks like this from […]
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How to begin Your Investment Journey
My sister-in-law recently celebrated her 50th birthday with a party in Florida, and it was such a blast! Around 100 people showed up, including her college friends, childhood buddies, and family members. We had an amazing time, and I haven’t laughed that much in a long time! One of the highlights of the event was […]
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2025 Market Themes
2025 Themes – 2024 marks second banner year in a row. Stock market is high, but economy shows little signs of weakness. Enthusiasm over new administration. Rolling back regulation and extending tax cuts should benefit both Wall Street and Main Street.
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2025 Interest Rates
2025: Let’s Talk Interest Rates Interest rates continue to be a major investment theme leading into 2025. We are several months into a Federal Reserve easing cycle which began in September of 2024. Over this time the Federal Reserve has lowered the Fed Funds rate by 1 percentage point. One of the tools we use […]