Being smart with $$ -- Buy before a crash and get rich

Buy stocks right before a crash and you can still get rich. Ben Carlson, investment manager and writer, studied what happened if you bought stocks right before the crashes in 1973, 1987, 2000 and 2007. If you put a quarter of your portfolio in the market right before each of these crashes and never sold, your portfolio would be six times higher today. (As seen on CNBC).
- Larry Pike, CFA, Client Priority Financial Advisors LLC
- www.clientpriority.com

Being smart with $$ - Don't panic if you are invested properly

Stocks are down huge! But remember why we invest in stocks in the first place and if your portfolio is appropriate for your long-term needs then don't panic.  Ask me for my full investor letter that addresses today's market.
- Larry Pike, CFA, Client Priority Financial Advisors LLC
- www.clientpriority.com

Being smart with $$ -- Remember why we invest in stocks

Tough week for stocks. But since we can't go back in time and sell last week, we must not be too hasty about bailing on our portfolios and remember why we are invested in stocks in the first place. 

Larry Pike, CFA

www.clientpriority.com

Being smart with $$ - Warren Buffet says indexing is best

Where does Warren Buffet want his money invested?  Index funds.  For his heirs, he wants their inherited money to go 90% into an S&P 500 stock index fund and 10% in money markets.  He says he expects this portfolio to do better than results by most other investors including pension funds, institutions and individuals.  Are you going to argue with Warren Buffet?
- Larry Pike, CFA, Client Priority Financial Advisors LLC
- www.clientpriority.com

Being smart with $$ -- Millionaires like index funds

Want more help being a millionaire? Actual millionaires are more likely to be index fund investors than non-millionaires says Spectrum Group in Money Mag (Aug '15).  Millionaires seem to know that index funds as a group outperform actively-managed funds as a group. Plus, index funds are more tax efficient which is another way to improve investment performance over the long-term.
- Larry Pike, CFA, Client Priority Financial Advisors LLC
- www.clientpriority.com

Being smart with $$ -- Frugality can make you a millionaire

Who wants to be a millionaire? Step one on how to get there: Live below your means. Most millionaires say frugality and saving early and often is what got them to 7-figure portfolios, according to surveys by PNC and Spectrum Group mentioned in Money Mag (Aug '15). It's never too late to start building more wealth.
- Larry Pike, CFA, Client Priority Financial Advisors LLC
- www.clientpriority.com

Being smart with $$ -- Variable annuities in your IRA? Pass!

Variable annuities. When a salesperson suggests you buy a variable annuity in your retirement account, he/she probably cares more about commissions than about you. Annuities are considered an option for people who want tax deferral but have already maxed out their other retirement accounts. But why would you need a tax-deferred product in an account that is already tax deferred? The salesperson will argue that other bells and whistles make it worthwhile. Don't listen to them. The enormously high fees in these products make the salesperson rich and keep you poor.
- Larry Pike, CFA, Client Priority Financial Advisors LLC
- www.clientpriority.com

Being smart with $$ - Where to invest

Where to invest? Some say stocks are high (though others disagree). Some say bond yields are too low (though others disagree). Some say cash under your mattress is safest though you'll lose money for sure that way as inflation erodes your value. So what to do? Create a portfolio that's right for your long-term needs and don't worry so much about short-term volatility.
- Larry Pike, CFA, Client Priority Financial Advisors LLC
- www.clientpriority.com