With the proliferation of investment and personal finance websites, investors have access to a boundless number resources and tools once only available to financial professionals.
For anyone who has dealt with an aging parent or grandparent the concept of long term care is likely a familiar one. Those unfortunate enough to suffer from Alzheimer’s or other cognitive illness can end up requiring nursing care that can reach and exceed $80,000 per-year depending on the quality of care.
If you are like many working age adults chances are good that you own some kind of life insurance policy, but the real question isn’t whether or not you are insured; the real question is whether you simply own a life insurance policy versus having a real plan for your family’s life insurance needs.
At first glance buying life insurance sounds like a straightforward process. For many individuals it involves little more than calling your automotive insurer in response to a letter in the mail offering a “multi-policy” discount or free insurance review.
If you’re human you couldn’t possibly have avoided thoughts of what you might do if you had won the recent Mega Millions lottery of over $640 million.
Life insurance plays a crucial role in securing the financial future of a family. And, while the decision to buy a policy is an easy one, purchasing one can be vexing due to the overwhelming number of choices available.
All investors – be they conservative, moderate or aggressive – need to understand that the level of returns they expect to generate is directly related to the amount of risk they are willing to assume – the higher the return, the higher the amount of risk one needs to take.
When people decide that they need to eat healthier or lose weight, they know that they have to change their behavior. That’s easier said than done for most, which is why programs like Nutrisystem and Weight Watchers are so popular; because they provide a system for automatically controlling portions and nutrition.
The fundamental question of how much life insurance to buy can only be answered when we know what it is exactly we are protecting. While its purpose is to protect your life, only you can determine what that might be worth to your family. Your vision of a “good life” for you and your family doesn’t usually go away after you’re gone.
Making investment decisions has never been an exact science, nor is the process the same from one individual to the next. There are many variables that need to be factored, both from the standpoint of your individual situation and in the consideration of specific investments.
In my opinion, it is impossible to predict future stock market returns. Investment models can produce hypothetical returns but they can’t account for future events. So, in my opinion, investors who manage their investments based on market performance or what they perceive as opportunities for better returns have very little control over the outcome.
Most people would argue that living in a digital world, with instant access to an endless stream of information has made us smarter and more self-empowered than past generations. Investors believe that it has “leveled the playing field”, enabling them to make investment decisions based on the same information once only available to the investment pros.
Perhaps you’ve lost a job, faced an illness or have been delt a family crisis that emptied out your emergency fund. What are your next steps?
You’re eyeing center-hall colonials in your neighborhood and dreaming about the garden you want to plant in the backyard and all the holiday celebrations you’ll host. You’ve saved toward this goal and think you’re ready to pull the trigger. But the real question is: How much house can I afford?
Or is it?
Social Security’s financial cliff is coming closer into view. Experts project that the fund that pays for government retirement benefits through FICA taxes will be depleted within the next 15 years.
© 2026 The Participant Effect. All rights reserved.
