When it comes to money and investing, we’re not always as rational as we think we are, which is why there’s a whole field of study that explains our sometimes strange investment behavior. It is important to control your emotions and avoid self-destructive investor behavior. We call the gap between general market returns and individual investment performance “investor behavior penalty.” It is possible for investors to negatively affect performance due to their numerous behavioral & emotional flaws. Why is this? Greed and overconfidence People generally overestimate their knowledge and their abilities to make financial decisions, either by overconfidence or by […]

We all manage our budgets, plan for our major purchases, have financial plan for paying for our children’s college and our own retirement, but we seldom consider end-of-life planning. In reality, 2.4 million Americans die each year — and that number grows every year. Losing a loved one is an unfortunate event. More often than not, we find ourselves unprepared in many ways, especially financially, when it happens. The majority of individuals that lost a spouse between the ages of 30 and 55 described their spouse’s passing as having a “devastating” or “major” impact on them financially. The Center for […]

Saving for college—whether for your children or your grandchildren—has become easier in recent years with the emergence of state-sponsored savings plans. Called a Section 529 Plan, after the section of the Internal Revenue Code that created them, these plans are offered by all 50 states and provide tax benefits to college savers. Two options While each state plan is different, there are two general types of plans: prepaid tuition plans and college savings plans. With a prepaid tuition plan, the money you put into the plan is earmarked for tuition at your local state university. In most cases, once you […]

In this era of decreasing church attendance in many regions of the country and in various demographic segments of our society, some churches have turned to innovative marketing strategies in an intentional approach to draw the unchurched in the doors or to take the gospel to them where they are. In the eyes of some, the ends always justify the means, and these techniques are seen as cutting edge and effective tools to reach a jaded and turned-off generation. Others see these approaches as “going too far” in an effort to be “relevant” and to identify with the target audience. […]

Sadly, it has become increasingly common for the elderly to become victims of fraud, exploitation or just plain bad advice. An estimated $40 billion is lost every year to investment fraud with losses from seniors totaling as much as $3 billion.  One in five older Americans over the age of 65 — a total of 7.3 million older Americans — have been victimized financially, according to a 2011 survey conducted by MetLife. Factors like mild cognitive impairment, dementia and early Alzheimer’s may, in fact, make seniors more susceptible to falling victim. Fraud and financial abuse against elders is more widespread […]

Are you investing money like it was yours for your purposes, or are you investing as a steward of God’s resources with diligence and care? Making a return should be a by-product of doing what God has called you to do. Remember that peace does not come by building up material possessions and it is our motive for investing that determines Godly intent. The management of money requires that it be invested and multiplied, but the world and its marketing powerhouse deceives and manipulates us to invest with wrong motives of greed and fear. Many do not get wisdom or […]

It has been a full five years since the 2008 market crash, which wiped out $2 trillion or 20 percent of Americans’ retirement savings. This Great Recession rolled through and wiped out many older American’s dreams for the future. The economic downturn has reshaped the concept of traditional investing and confidence in our free market and its wealth-building promise. The market has recently returned to near historic highs, and still the anxiety of retirement investing lingers among investors. When negative headlines or an economic report hit the news, they often trigger a flight response that can impact our financial health. […]