I am surprised the expatriation of wealth doesn't yet receive draconian penalties
And how would the Feds do that? Apple has $137 billion in foreign investments. GE just admitted to $104 billion offshore. Why should they bring those cash piles that were made elsewhere back for the tax boots to steal 50% plus? That money belongs to the stock holders. This is NOT unique to the USA. Switzerland has been hording cash for 300 years and not telling anyone who it belongs to. I don't see where it is anyone's business but the person it belongs to.
I see a number of funds with various stock and bond weightings. Those are what I will choose. I just don't want to spend time micromanaging something - this isn't a retirement account or anything too important, just money from an old car that might help with future cars.
Tax it all differently then - and stop aiding the places who are allowed to use American taxpayer dollars to subsidize their tax policies. It seems to be "business friendly" these days, none of it should be taxed. I guess that will all eventually trickle down, right? Hasn't happened and it won't, but the "job creators" will still spin fairytales about it. And some tax havens are having money problems too. Time for everyone to pay their own way. The lie needs to end.
I'd be all for a huge corporate tax holiday for repatriated funds - with the stipulation that they are actually put to work. Otherwise, dust off the guillotines.
When so much of the gold is gained via illicit means, it's nobody's business? If they've done nothing wrong, they have nothing to hide,right? Switzerland also banks for criminals. Nobody's business? Capital punishment for financial crimes.
I know nothing is guaranteed, but some holdings are better than others. I hope to not "need" this money anytime soon, but I know there are smarter ways to keep it around than in a CD or savings account. I've found a few at Vanguard that seem to average around my desired rate and don't appear to be too volatile. I am optimistic it will work fine.
Retire at 80? So you're a post-boomer who works in the private sector? :shades:
5% seems realistic. I just want to be not left behind by inflation. My retirement investments have fared much better over the past decade, so I hope 5% is doable.
What if the heirs are protected by the trust? My wife's deceased husband left a little cash that she is allowed to have the income from. The trust is set up to leave the heirs the original amount. Which means she only gets the income. So making investments that protect the original cash is the only option. When he died it was all in an 8% mortgage. When the people sold she was paid off and struggled to find investments that she could live off of. Sadly she helped him build the business but was never an actual owner. Living off of the base is not an option. Try finding investments that pay a decent return while protecting the original amount. Not easy.
That said I can understand why people stash money in different off shore accounts to protect their wives and heirs from the vultures in government.
Why stay in a country that wants to rape it's citizens? That goes for the USA as well as any other country. No reason to stay where you are just considered a cash cow.
New evidence of top French executives leaving the country has emerged as President François Hollande battles a stalling economy and tumbling approval ratings.
Two senior executives at Moët Hennessy, the champagne and cognac arm of the LVMH luxury group, are moving to London from Paris and the head of Dassault Systèmes, the software arm of Dassault Aviation, said some senior managers of his company had left and he was considering following suit.
Very good, fin. Maybe just invest in classic cars! No volatility there...
Ich bin eine boomer, working in the private sector. But, married and the lovely wife said 80 is when I can consider retiring. Maybe. "Welcome to Denny's. May I take your order?"
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
I know nothing is guaranteed, but some holdings are better than others. I hope to not "need" this money anytime soon, but I know there are smarter ways to keep it around than in a CD or savings account.
Fintail, as Laurasdada, I believe already stated, you are young and you have time on your side. Therefore, as opposed to us old geezers, who do not have much choice but to go for the CD's, your option are not limited. I'm sure you will do very well. In my case, I have made a huge bet on AAPL and I cannot risk anything else but the most conservative approach at this time.
Oh, I thought you set up the trust. If the now-deceased did it, I guess nothing can be done. Just hope the heirs don't blow it all on leaky boats and poorly built houses, or flaunt it around like they "built it".
It's funny, that same government helped the reate system that enabled that money to be made to begin with. Maintenance needs to be paid for the future. IMO a lot of money was made during unrepeatable growth that the benefactors now don't want to pay forward.
Maybe I am still young, but full-on retirement doesn't hold much interest to me. I like having a little money, and I like having something to do. I don't see how people can just lounge around once a certain age is reached, but then again I saw my grandfather work til he was 75-76 just to have something to do, and my mother is in her mid 60s, working full time, with no immediate plans of hanging em up.
I'd ideally like this money to grow to a point where I can use the proceeds from profits every 2-3 years to fund a small initial lease payment or down payment on another car, or maintenance on my old car, without touching the principal.
I have my retirement monies in vehicles more high risk than this car money - I am not a high roller like some here, but I probably have more than many my age. This investment is aside from that, just for car stuff, as it came from an old car. I'll be happy when it is generating a mere 1K/yr or so in profit.
We do have our own trust. Totally separate from her deceased husband's. She cannot change that. Only reap any income it generates. The bulk went to the son that took over the business. And instead of dumping it into the business he has a Corvette and a $90k dunebuggy, along with a $400k loss on a River home in AZ. I am sure he is waiting on my wife to die so he will have a bit more to try and keep the business going. The sad part is my wife and his dad started the business together. Even though it was always in just his name. Real Estate Investments her and I have made with our own money have done well, and that is the bulk of what we have. What we have made in the stock market over the last 10 years is not worth talking about.
I don`t think I know of any `vehicle` that is going to return you four or five percent that doesn`t have some degree of risk....Frankly, sometimes the best way to take a risk is to be aggressive with the funds.....buy something that is beat up and just wallowing along after a large decline.....but still has a product or products you believe in.....As you really aren`t in a rush, you have the time to wait it out.....Tony
I'd ideally like this money to grow to a point where I can use the proceeds from profits every 2-3 years to fund a small initial lease payment or down payment on another car...
Then you'll need something a little more aggressive. $10K at 5% annual return will get you about $1600 after 3 years and you'll have to take some risk to get that. Don't forget the taxes you'll pay on the gain - Figure 20% for that and now you are down to about $1300.
I can understand that. I might feel like being riskier after this run-up ends, as I can't imagine it lasting forever - nothing seems really beat up right now. I have looked at funds Vanguard ranks in the middle of their simple risk indicator, and that's where I put the money. And as you say, I am not looking to strike it rich in 2 months - rather just to do better than inflation.
Oh yeah, that's why I said once it grows to a point. I was thinking maybe when the balance is closer to 20K, my goal would be workable. I'd also like to add 1-2K/yr of my own money to this, to grow it faster. Right now, if I can find $500/yr in return, I will be very happy.
That's unfortunate, one reason I don't like the idea of leaving much of a lump sum to "heirs" - most people I know who have fallen into inheritance end up wasting it. The best retirement plan is the one where the check to the undertaker bounces :shades:
I don't see how people can just lounge around once a certain age is reached, but then again I saw my grandfather work til he was 75-76 just to have something to do, and my mother is in her mid 60s, working full time, with no immediate plans of hanging em up.
Fin, my father was a career firefighter in California - he worked for 33 years before retiring at age 55. He walked away from it completely - he had offers to work for insurance companies and could have been an expert witness. Instead he decided to work at the local golf course as a starter, marshal and at the snack bar in return for free golf. Played twice a week for about 15 years before medical issues prevented him from being in the sun too long. He also spent lots of time in the garage, carving wooden name plates for anybody and everybody he met.
He's 77 now, and he and my mom live off his pension and a little bit of SS money they get each month.
I have no illusions about retiring - I'm closing in on 50 and, if I'm lucky, I'll be able to retire before I'm 70. Or, at the very least, slow down and not work full time.
My grandpa was a GSA paper pusher, retired at 55 I think, then went back to work in another dept, retired again at 62-63, but immediately went back to work (probably pushed out of the house by my grandmother), eventually working many years as a rental car mover, like sandman on the other forum. Didn't make a fortune, but it gave him spending money and kept him active. I think it worked out pretty well. I wouldn't mind a similar job, if I am still around and am able.
I suspect my mother will work until she is around 70 to max out her benefits, then maybe go part time somewhere, or volunteer. She lives in a low cost of living area (I think her property taxes are like $600/yr), so her SS and what she has saved should be relatively OK. By the time I am of age, I bet basic SS age will be pushing 70.
Maybe I am still young, but full-on retirement doesn't hold much interest to me. I like having a little money, and I like having something to do. I don't see how people can just lounge around once a certain age is reached, but then again I saw my grandfather work til he was 75-76 just to have something to do, and my mother is in her mid 60s, working full time, with no immediate plans of hanging em up.
It is really up to the individual. In my case, I got totally burned out after so many years of getting up at 3:00 AM to forecast the weather. It was NOT fun anymore and I had been thinking about retiring as of about 6-7 years ago. Finally, on June 1, 2011, that was it for me. I also have no desire to work at some other job at this time. I am NEVER bored since I have plenty to do. One of the most enjoyable benefits of being retired is that I can now visit my kids and grandkids any time I want.
My wife still works (she is about 4 years younger than me) and she totally enjoys it. She is a computer programmer. She has no immediate plans for retirement.
If a person is doing what they `like` I don`t consider it work, and never have....Now during the course of `work` there are numerous disagreeable things that seem to pop up, that I don`t like, but that is the nature of being alive.....I just don`t confuse the `two`
I don`t care if you are sitting around or digging a hole, if you want to call it `work` go for it. I myself do both, and if I had a choice I would dig the hole. then sit around and look at it
Still can`t think of a way to invest and derive five percent without risk.....Vanguard has many good choices though... Tony
Well, technically I don't enjoy getting up at 0500 for my job as it is now - but I would rather do that than have no job or have nothing to do. Idle time isn't always bad, but a little money makes it more enjoyable.
That's a good way to look at it. Work isn't always fun, but if there is even a little enjoyment to be had, it isn't so bad.
I didn't mean zero risk, I just meant not losing it all if there's a correction. Some of the Vanguard choices that have 4-6% yields over time appear to be pretty stable.
It is still going, barely. First thing he did when he took over 12 years ago was bust the Union. His dad and my wife ran it as an Ironworkers Union shop for 30 years. He lost several good workers that refused to take a big cut in pay. Then when the bottom fell out of the housing market he lost about half his business. He is only 5 years younger than my wife and I. And not in good health. His older brother already died so the number of heirs is diminishing. My wife could outlast all but the youngest grandkids. We sometimes think about living up to our income. It is hard to do when you have lived frugally your entire life.
Still can`t think of a way to invest and derive five percent without risk.
Last year we invested into a Jackson Perspective II annuity. It has a guaranteed death benefit and pays 5%. If the value goes above the amount we invested the death benefit goes up. It seems too good to be true. But my wife has gotten a check every month for over a year now. Just don't ask me to explain how an annuity works. Our CPA is trying to figure out where the income is from.
Agreed. I've held it for the last 17 years. 8.2% return over 10 years, and over 9% over 10 years, fee-adjusted, though I'm not sure I know exactly what that is.
The only thing about a balanced fund of this nature is the bond side....It makes up about thirty five percent and if the prognosis is right about bond prices slipping, that may make for headwinds.....Who knows though....Tony
>Jackson Perspective II annuity. It has a guaranteed death benefit and pays 5%. If the value goes above the amount we invested the death benefit goes up. It seems too good to be true. But my wife has gotten a check every month for over a year now. Just don't ask me to explain how an annuity works. Our CPA is trying to figure out where the income is from.
That would be a good question for a phone call on the Ric Edelman show. ricedelman.com.
They take apart many of these annuity schemes on their show.
Isn't that Jackson II Perspectives a variable annuity?
It has several options. To get the death benefit you give up some of the income. According to our financial adviser, Jackson no longer offers the annuity we have. When you look at the value it has gone down. Which means if we were to cash out we would lose a lot. It is not for someone that wants any flexibility to pull the money out. All we wanted was a monthly income for life and a guaranteed death benefit. This was one of the few that offered that at the time. We could have gotten 7% without the death benefit. Prior to the crash we did quite well with a REIT called CNL. Around 2005 they sold all their properties and cashed out the investors. That was a windfall. Nothing like that has come across out path since.
Some funds do have a "short term" redemption fee, e.g. 2% for shares held less than 30 days. Yup, read the owner's manual.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
You `know` I might have suggested Apple, but just don`t trust the management..but even more important to me is how they are trying to captivate the customer with all the products....I personally think I should be able to sync anything I have purchased with whichever `cloud` service I choose.....If I pay for the expensive computer, then I should be able to use it any way I choose..
These feelings of mine may be indicative of loyal customers departing in the future.. I`l keep an open mind, but I don`t think this company is the same as it use to be.....too slow to react to the arising problems and I am sorry to say it Tony
If I pay for the expensive computer, then I should be able to use it any way I choose..
Apple has always taken the position if you don't like the way we do things, Tough S***. Being able to communicate with everyone you would like to communicate with should be the goal. Apple is like a private club. You pay the price or go somewhere else. Now they are playing catch up to Samsung and are whining instead of doing what is needed to compete. Samsung was already ahead of iPhone 5 with the S3 & Note II, and just unveiled the S4.
Unfortunately this is the attitude they are taking with the shareholder.....If by chance they don`t do anything ( I think they will) and the stock just jumps around twenty to forty percent, then I along with others will probably test out another type of brand---one that lets me do as I want...
On another subject , I tested the bmw 6 out, and it is a very nice car, but not what I am looking for....I thought the four door would sit a little higher.....Once in the car though, it is very comfortable and the instruments are very nicely placed.....imo not a value....Waiting for the mercedes S , and I think maybe Aud is having an update next year with the A 8, which is the one I would probably get.....and still may do so.....Tony
You tested a Gran Coupe? I kind of like those, easily the most stylish BMW. I saw a white on white one the other day that was both ostentatious and chic at the same time. It is pretty low slung. And yeah, pricey, you can load em up to 100K and more.
A rising tide, I too, made almost $11 the last couple of days!
I didn't read the manual, I peaked over the sholder of the folks here who were reading it!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Greetings from Kansas City and the awesome Big 12 Tournament. Fantastic college basketball. It's even nicer now that the Iowa Stare Cyones beat Oklahome yesterday. We are playing the now hated KU team tonight in the semifinal. I say hated because of what happened in the first 2 games this season. KU won the first by banking a 30 footer at the buzzer and forced overtime. The refs gave them the 2nd game in Ames when at least 3 calls in the final 40 seconds were the wrong calls against ISU. It was all over the national media how we were robbed.
Getting back on topic, I like how AAPL is acting today. The new Galaxy S4 unveiling yesterday was not a game changer. Tony, I do not feel the same as you about the Apple restrictions. I like it the way it is with their eco system.
Charlie, it is nice for you to have such a depth of sports understanding, and being such an avid fan.....My partner also has a vast depth of baseball, almost too much, but being around him some of it rubbed off.....Now I use to be really into college football, but for some reason it has slipped the last couple of years.....
I can easily change my view on Apple`s restrictions, but first I might just explore other options....As you know the hardware is expensive, and although I find it to be fine, along with the operating system, I don`t like to not be able to use other stuff with it......Frankly I am afraid to buy `music` as I may not be able to play it on other things...Now don`t ask me `what other things` as I haven`t any idea Maybe DaDa could ---in his eloquent` style enlighten me Tony ps Have FUN you deserve it `kind fellow`
There are a lot of folks like you asking the same question. The risk/return for a balanced fund is weighted at the positive end today despite the string of market gains. Where else will your investment grow? Not in a cd or bonds at the moment.
Excellent post. Vanguard is the best for value (low cost). I was/am invested 90% in stocks at Vanguard. Lost 45% of the value in 2008 but "stayed the course" and have gained back 160%.
For Apple, A Nasty Case of Deja Vu Remember when Apple all but invented the personal computer only to see IBM and the various IBM-compatible computers take over the market? That seems to be happening again, but this time with smart phones and tablets.
A research paper released by IDC, a company that concentrates on analyzing high tech businesses says that Apple is running out of steam. Phones that run Google's Android operating system are already outselling Apple's Iphone and, surprisingly, IDC predicts that Android tablets will overtake the Ipad this year.
Already Apple has dropped from owning all of the tablet market to having just 51% of it in 2012. This year, IDC says that Apple's market share will drop to less than 49%. Many of the Android devices are small and light (about half of the Android tablets sold now have a screen smaller than 8 inches diagonally). Consumers seem to like the smaller devices and manufacturers are obliging by turning them out in larger numbers.
The Ipad Mini tries to address the trend but IDC says that people who buy the Ipad Mini would probably have purchased a full-size Ipad if the Mini hadn't been available so Apple is actually hurting its own bottom line with the smaller device.
Unlike in the early days of the PC, losing market share doesn't mean that Apple will find itself in the near-bankrupt position of the 1980s. IDC agrees with Apple's expectation that the tablet market will continue to grow and, as more people replace notebook computers with tablets, Apple will continue to be profitable even with smaller market penetration.
IDC expects nearly 200 million tablet computers will be sold in 2013 while computer sales will drop to about 350 million. By 2017, according to IDC, tablets and PCs will each have about half of the market.
Good analysis. Samsung did outsell the iPhone in 2012 with their various Smartphones. Apple continues to do battle with Samsung a far bigger multifaceted company. I also think people under estimate the influence Steve Jobs had over Apple. When they forced him out in 1986 he went on to bigger things with Pixar. That made him a Billionaire for the first time. Apple was facing bankruptcy at the peak of the Dot.com era in 1996. Jobs came back and reinvigorated the company with the iPlatform. Apple without Jobs can continue to make money. Not by litigation with Samsung. They have to keep making products people want. Just as an anecdote, my daughter in law has the iPhone 4S. When she moved from AK she gave up her Android phone. She cannot wait for the current contract to expire so she can get another Android. Another friend with a 4S is going with the Windows Smartphone when his contract is up this year. Apple needs another big innovation to maintain the momentum.
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And how would the Feds do that? Apple has $137 billion in foreign investments. GE just admitted to $104 billion offshore. Why should they bring those cash piles that were made elsewhere back for the tax boots to steal 50% plus? That money belongs to the stock holders. This is NOT unique to the USA. Switzerland has been hording cash for 300 years and not telling anyone who it belongs to. I don't see where it is anyone's business but the person it belongs to.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-02/cash-horde-expands-by-187-billion-in-un- taxed-offshore-accounts.html
I'd be all for a huge corporate tax holiday for repatriated funds - with the stipulation that they are actually put to work. Otherwise, dust off the guillotines.
When so much of the gold is gained via illicit means, it's nobody's business? If they've done nothing wrong, they have nothing to hide,right? Switzerland also banks for criminals. Nobody's business? Capital punishment for financial crimes.
Retire at 80? So you're a post-boomer who works in the private sector? :shades:
To heck with the heirs, live a little :P
What if the heirs are protected by the trust? My wife's deceased husband left a little cash that she is allowed to have the income from. The trust is set up to leave the heirs the original amount. Which means she only gets the income. So making investments that protect the original cash is the only option. When he died it was all in an 8% mortgage. When the people sold she was paid off and struggled to find investments that she could live off of. Sadly she helped him build the business but was never an actual owner. Living off of the base is not an option. Try finding investments that pay a decent return while protecting the original amount. Not easy.
That said I can understand why people stash money in different off shore accounts to protect their wives and heirs from the vultures in government.
New evidence of top French executives leaving the country has emerged as President François Hollande battles a stalling economy and tumbling approval ratings.
Two senior executives at Moët Hennessy, the champagne and cognac arm of the LVMH luxury group, are moving to London from Paris and the head of Dassault Systèmes, the software arm of Dassault Aviation, said some senior managers of his company had left and he was considering following suit.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/13a9bcb0-8a53-11e2-bf79-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2NI- Pvw6kU
Ich bin eine boomer, working in the private sector. But, married and the lovely wife said 80 is when I can consider retiring. Maybe. "Welcome to Denny's. May I take your order?"
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Fintail, as Laurasdada, I believe already stated, you are young and you have time on your side. Therefore, as opposed to us old geezers, who do not have much choice but to go for the CD's, your option are not limited. I'm sure you will do very well. In my case, I have made a huge bet on AAPL and I cannot risk anything else but the most conservative approach at this time.
It's funny, that same government helped the reate system that enabled that money to be made to begin with. Maintenance needs to be paid for the future. IMO a lot of money was made during unrepeatable growth that the benefactors now don't want to pay forward.
I'd ideally like this money to grow to a point where I can use the proceeds from profits every 2-3 years to fund a small initial lease payment or down payment on another car, or maintenance on my old car, without touching the principal.
We do have our own trust. Totally separate from her deceased husband's. She cannot change that. Only reap any income it generates. The bulk went to the son that took over the business. And instead of dumping it into the business he has a Corvette and a $90k dunebuggy, along with a $400k loss on a River home in AZ. I am sure he is waiting on my wife to die so he will have a bit more to try and keep the business going. The sad part is my wife and his dad started the business together. Even though it was always in just his name. Real Estate Investments her and I have made with our own money have done well, and that is the bulk of what we have. What we have made in the stock market over the last 10 years is not worth talking about.
I don`t think I know of any `vehicle` that is going to return you four or five percent that doesn`t have some degree of risk....Frankly, sometimes the best way to take a risk is to be aggressive with the funds.....buy something that is beat up and just wallowing along after a large decline.....but still has a product or products you believe in.....As you really aren`t in a rush, you have the time to wait it out.....Tony
Then you'll need something a little more aggressive. $10K at 5% annual return will get you about $1600 after 3 years and you'll have to take some risk to get that. Don't forget the taxes you'll pay on the gain - Figure 20% for that and now you are down to about $1300.
Fin, my father was a career firefighter in California - he worked for 33 years before retiring at age 55. He walked away from it completely - he had offers to work for insurance companies and could have been an expert witness. Instead he decided to work at the local golf course as a starter, marshal and at the snack bar in return for free golf. Played twice a week for about 15 years before medical issues prevented him from being in the sun too long. He also spent lots of time in the garage, carving wooden name plates for anybody and everybody he met.
He's 77 now, and he and my mom live off his pension and a little bit of SS money they get each month.
I have no illusions about retiring - I'm closing in on 50 and, if I'm lucky, I'll be able to retire before I'm 70. Or, at the very least, slow down and not work full time.
I suspect my mother will work until she is around 70 to max out her benefits, then maybe go part time somewhere, or volunteer. She lives in a low cost of living area (I think her property taxes are like $600/yr), so her SS and what she has saved should be relatively OK. By the time I am of age, I bet basic SS age will be pushing 70.
Hmm, the general rule is the first generation starts it, the second generation grows it and the third generation blows it all.
Looks like your step-son cut out the middle man.....
It is really up to the individual. In my case, I got totally burned out after so many years of getting up at 3:00 AM to forecast the weather. It was NOT fun anymore and I had been thinking about retiring as of about 6-7 years ago. Finally, on June 1, 2011, that was it for me. I also have no desire to work at some other job at this time. I am NEVER bored since I have plenty to do. One of the most enjoyable benefits of being retired is that I can now visit my kids and grandkids any time I want.
My wife still works (she is about 4 years younger than me) and she totally enjoys it. She is a computer programmer. She has no immediate plans for retirement.
I don`t care if you are sitting around or digging a hole, if you want to call it `work` go for it. I myself do both, and if I had a choice I would dig the hole. then sit around and look at it
Still can`t think of a way to invest and derive five percent without risk.....Vanguard has many good choices though... Tony
I didn't mean zero risk, I just meant not losing it all if there's a correction. Some of the Vanguard choices that have 4-6% yields over time appear to be pretty stable.
It is still going, barely. First thing he did when he took over 12 years ago was bust the Union. His dad and my wife ran it as an Ironworkers Union shop for 30 years. He lost several good workers that refused to take a big cut in pay. Then when the bottom fell out of the housing market he lost about half his business. He is only 5 years younger than my wife and I. And not in good health. His older brother already died so the number of heirs is diminishing. My wife could outlast all but the youngest grandkids. We sometimes think about living up to our income. It is hard to do when you have lived frugally your entire life.
Last year we invested into a Jackson Perspective II annuity. It has a guaranteed death benefit and pays 5%. If the value goes above the amount we invested the death benefit goes up. It seems too good to be true. But my wife has gotten a check every month for over a year now. Just don't ask me to explain how an annuity works. Our CPA is trying to figure out where the income is from.
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Agreed. I've held it for the last 17 years. 8.2% return over 10 years, and over 9% over 10 years, fee-adjusted, though I'm not sure I know exactly what that is.
A question (suppose I could just look this up), if I want to rebalance my investment ie: change funds, is there a fee or penalty for this?
That would be a good question for a phone call on the Ric Edelman show. ricedelman.com.
They take apart many of these annuity schemes on their show.
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I'm not brave enough to recommend my own investment plan.
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Maybe from the next level of investors of the pyramid??? You know what they say about too good be be true.....
Just don't ask me to explain how an annuity works.
Neither can I hence I won't invest in annuities - if I can understand it then I shouldn't be messing with it.
Isn't that Jackson II Perspectives a variable annuity?
Typically only if you sell too within a set time - 90 days is common. As they say RTFM or in this case, the prospectus.
It has several options. To get the death benefit you give up some of the income. According to our financial adviser, Jackson no longer offers the annuity we have. When you look at the value it has gone down. Which means if we were to cash out we would lose a lot. It is not for someone that wants any flexibility to pull the money out. All we wanted was a monthly income for life and a guaranteed death benefit. This was one of the few that offered that at the time. We could have gotten 7% without the death benefit. Prior to the crash we did quite well with a REIT called CNL. Around 2005 they sold all their properties and cashed out the investors. That was a windfall. Nothing like that has come across out path since.
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
These feelings of mine may be indicative of loyal customers departing in the future.. I`l keep an open mind, but I don`t think this company is the same as it use to be.....too slow to react to the arising problems
Apple has always taken the position if you don't like the way we do things, Tough S***. Being able to communicate with everyone you would like to communicate with should be the goal. Apple is like a private club. You pay the price or go somewhere else. Now they are playing catch up to Samsung and are whining instead of doing what is needed to compete. Samsung was already ahead of iPhone 5 with the S3 & Note II, and just unveiled the S4.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/100554833
On another subject , I tested the bmw 6 out, and it is a very nice car, but not what I am looking for....I thought the four door would sit a little higher.....Once in the car though, it is very comfortable and the instruments are very nicely placed.....imo not a value....Waiting for the mercedes S , and I think maybe Aud is having an update next year with the A 8, which is the one I would probably get.....and still may do so.....Tony
My first couple days in the fund and I am up! Now I vow to not even check it for at least a month.
A rising tide, I too, made almost $11 the last couple of days!
I didn't read the manual, I peaked over the sholder of the folks here who were reading it!
'21 Dark Blue/Black Audi A7 PHEV (mine); '22 White/Beige BMW X3 (hers); '20 Estoril Blue/Oyster BMW M240xi 'Vert (Ours, read: hers in 'vert weather; mine during Nor'easters...)
Getting back on topic, I like how AAPL is acting today. The new Galaxy S4 unveiling yesterday was not a game changer. Tony, I do not feel the same as you about the Apple restrictions. I like it the way it is with their eco system.
I can easily change my view on Apple`s restrictions, but first I might just explore other options....As you know the hardware is expensive, and although I find it to be fine, along with the operating system, I don`t like to not be able to use other stuff with it......Frankly I am afraid to buy `music` as I may not be able to play it on other things...Now don`t ask me `what other things` as I haven`t any idea
I would invest in an index fund at this time.
Regards,
OW
Regards,
OW
Remember when Apple all but invented the personal computer only to see IBM and the various IBM-compatible computers take over the market? That seems to be happening again, but this time with smart phones and tablets.
A research paper released by IDC, a company that concentrates on analyzing high tech businesses says that Apple is running out of steam. Phones that run Google's Android operating system are already outselling Apple's Iphone and, surprisingly, IDC predicts that Android tablets will overtake the Ipad this year.
Already Apple has dropped from owning all of the tablet market to having just 51% of it in 2012. This year, IDC says that Apple's market share will drop to less than 49%. Many of the Android devices are small and light (about half of the Android tablets sold now have a screen smaller than 8 inches diagonally). Consumers seem to like the smaller devices and manufacturers are obliging by turning them out in larger numbers.
The Ipad Mini tries to address the trend but IDC says that people who buy the Ipad Mini would probably have purchased a full-size Ipad if the Mini hadn't been available so Apple is actually hurting its own bottom line with the smaller device.
Unlike in the early days of the PC, losing market share doesn't mean that Apple will find itself in the near-bankrupt position of the 1980s. IDC agrees with Apple's expectation that the tablet market will continue to grow and, as more people replace notebook computers with tablets, Apple will continue to be profitable even with smaller market penetration.
IDC expects nearly 200 million tablet computers will be sold in 2013 while computer sales will drop to about 350 million. By 2017, according to IDC, tablets and PCs will each have about half of the market.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,