Are You Behind On Your Retirement?
Below is a chart to show you how much money you will need for retirement. It is based on your age and your income. For example, if you are 40 years old and make $100,000 a year, you need $260,000 by age of 40 to stay on track. The chart assumes a 5% annualized rate of return. Are you behind? Do you have enough in [...]
My Friends Mutual Fund
The other day I was talking to a good friend about retirement investing. He mentioned Dave Ramsey, who has a show about helping people do the right thing financially. I’m sure Dave Ramsey has a lot to offer when it comes to getting out of debt and budgeting, but when it comes to investing, I’m not so sure. Remember, even smart people can be duped [...]
My First Real Estate Deal
It was 1989, I was 22 years old and still in college when I attended a real estate auction at the downtown courthouse steps in Fresno, California. I watched a guy named Jim Smith (Yes that’s his real name) bid on and buy a property. After the bid process was over I started up a conversation with him and began asking questions. That was the [...]
How It All Started
I was 14 years old when my mom came to me with a collection of stamps and coins. She gave them to me to see if I would have an interest. She also gave me something less tangible that turned out to the best one of the three items. The stamps didn't intrigue me at all. I think I used them as stationary. I continued [...]
Can Anyone Pick a Stocks Direction?
Every day the “experts” tell us the reason why a certain stock (or the market itself) is going up or down. Trying to make money in the stock market by picking a direction is daunting. Even if you pick the right direction, other concerns pop up. When is the right time to take profits? When is the right time to take losses? How much capital [...]