Personal Finance Blog for Retirement and Investment Advice

Why You’ll Lose Money in the Market Even When You Invest Rationally

October 29th, 2018 by Pamela Yellen | Leave a Comment

In his 1865 poem “If,” Rudyard Kipling famously wrote, “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs … yours is the earth and everything that’s in it.”

That’s a big “if” at the moment. Let’s face it; few people are “keeping their heads” right now.

We’re drowning in a reactionary stew where everything from an exchange of ideas to a “taper tantrum” seems to cause a convulsive panic in the stock market.

And even if you don’t lose your head, you can STILL lose your money! Here’s why…

Admittedly, October has always been a devilish month for Wall Street. Black Tuesday was October 29, 1929. Black Monday was October 19, 1987. And the crash of 2008 happened on October’s doorstep on September 29, 2008, when the Dow dropped over 777 points. On October 10 of this year, the Dow dropped 832 points – the third-worst point drop in history.

These are the days of falling acorns and Chicken Littles! It’s in this climate – despite historically low unemployment, robust GDP, and soaring consumer confidence – that 800-plus point sell-offs are even possible.

The problem is not just the prevailing concerns about high debt, trade wars, and rising interest rates; it’s the collective uncertainty and reactionary group-think over which we have no control.

Contagion Has Become the Wild Card Enemy of Wealth Accumulation

Flat Earthers and Blind Faith Stock Market Bulls – What Do They Have in Common?

October 16th, 2018 by Pamela Yellen | Leave a Comment

They are the ultimate conspiracy theories – the beliefs that the earth is flat and that economies are not cyclical.

The Flat Earth Society (a movement that is active and growing today) finds the notion of a horizontal earth far more plausible than a round planet perched on an axis. To their members, gravity is an illusion and objects are not pulled down, but rather continually accelerate upward.

Adopting this notion requires one to reject all prevailing scientific wisdom and research. And despite centuries of empirical evidence, some Flat Earthers believe that one could literally walk off the end of the world.

Those who think the current bull market will continue to rise without a crash or major correction are equally illogical. Despite generations of economic theory, Blind Faith Bulls have sunk most of their net worth into equities on the unquestioning belief that stocks will climb unabated.

Flat Earthers and Blind Faith Bulls Share a Common Suspension of Disbelief…

Is Bank On Yourself a Scam? Read These Reviews and Decide for Yourself

October 11th, 2018 by Pamela Yellen | 2 Comments

Scam (noun): a dishonest or illegal plan or activity, especially one for making money

Bank On Yourself (proper noun): A wealth-generating system using dividend-paying whole life insurance policies with riders that supercharge the growth of the policies. These policies are protected by a multi-layer safety net, and the companies recommended for the Bank On Yourself concept are audited by regulators in all 50 states.

Through every economy imaginable, from the terrible Great Depression of the 1930s to the “boom days” of the 1990s, to the Great Recession of 2007 – 2010, the Bank On Yourself strategy has demonstrated unfailing success for well over 160 years.

Do “Bank On Yourself” and “scam” even belong in the same sentence? To read or listen to some self-appointed experts, yeah, they do belong in the same sentence. It’s difficult for the naysayers to recognize such traits as patience, discipline, and self-restraint – the very traits that are prized by those who use and benefit from the Bank On Yourself method of safe wealth-building.

The naysayers would rather say, “It sounds too good to be true, therefore it is too good to be true.” But if something is “too good to be true” just because it sounds “too good,” then what about radio and television, motion pictures, airplanes, and even ballpoint pens? At one time or another, every one of those sounded too good to be true.

When something sounds too good to be true, examine it carefully and thoughtfully. That’s much smarter than running away from it with a closed mind.

Why Do Some People Dismiss Bank On Yourself As a Scam?

Will Household Debt Lead to the Next Financial Crisis?

October 10th, 2018 by Pamela Yellen | Leave a Comment

Those of us who remember the 1960’s TV action series, Batman, recall how the caped crusaders defended Gotham City from super villains. At the very instant our heroes had their backs to the wall, the announcer would urge us to “Tune in next week. Same Bat Time – Same Bat Channel” for the continuation of the episode.

As we sit ten years out from the financial crisis, it feels like we’re at a similar juncture in the story of the U.S. economy. It has literally picked up where it left off – with the usual suspects and the same, unsuspecting victims.

If history is any guide, we’re on track to experience another economic downturn, triggered by similar conditions – with a similar outcome.

On a visit to Fortune magazine back in July of 2007, Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson declared, “This is far and away the strongest global economy I’ve seen in my business lifetime.”

A Year Later, We Were in a Global Financial Crisis Many Consider to Have Been the Worst Since the Great Depression

Inside Mayer Rothschild’s Secret Counting House: How to Live Like the Rich Do

September 27th, 2018 by Pamela Yellen | Leave a Comment

Ah, to be of the privileged and cultured class – butlers, trust funds, planes, yachts, and race cars. What’s it like to have all that money? Dudley Moore, in the 1981 film Arthur, a comedic flick about a cavorting socialite and heir to a massive fortune put it most succinctly – “It doesn’t suck.”

Wealth Doesn’t Just Happen

While it certainly helps to inherit millions, according to Forbes, an astonishing 67% of the world’s billionaires, made it on their own. And the majority started out as either middle class or downright poor.

Likewise, most of America’s wealthy didn’t win the lottery or inherit their money. Many current millionaires have earned their fortunes in tech, finance, fashion, and media, while prior affluent generations took advantage of the rapid advancements of the industrial revolution by investing in railroads, oil, steel and land.

Mayer Amschel Rothschild, the founder of one of the world’s most storied banking dynasties, was an orphan from a Jewish ghetto in Frankfurt. He went to work at 13 with little formal instruction in money or finance and taught himself the intricacies of collectible coins.

John D. Rockefeller, the oil tycoon and America’s first billionaire, grew up middle class. His father was a traveling salesman who sold a tonic and elixir called “Rock Oil” that he claimed cured cancer. The younger Rockefeller went to work at 16 as a bookkeeper earning 50 cents a day.

The forefathers of these influential families shared common traits of hard work, discipline, and principled investing.

Their rise to power and prosperity was neither haphazard nor accidental. Rather, it was part of a careful plan that involved the strategic growth and preservation of wealth

When Will the Next Market Crash Occur… and What Will Cause It?

September 12th, 2018 by Pamela Yellen | Leave a Comment

I recently promised to answer two questions we’ve been getting…

When will the next market crash happen? And what will cause it

As the physicist Niels Bohr noted,

Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.”

But here are five things we do know…

Last month we entered the longest-running bull market in history, at 9½ years
No bull market has ever made it to its 10th birthday
The second-longest bull market was the dot-com-fueled rally of the 1990s which caused investors losses of nearly 80% when it flamed out
While there’s no guarantee this bull market will crash before it hits its 10th birthday in early 2019, we do know that, historically, the longest-running bull markets go out “with a bang, not a whimper”
As the experts who study behavioral finance note again and again, we humans have an enormous capacity for forgetting the lessons and pain of past crashes, and most people will be as woefully unprepared for the next crash as they were for the previous ones

Let’s Look at What Will Cause the Crash…

There are a number of things brewing that might trigger the next collapse. Take your pick: [Read more…] “When Will the Next Market Crash Occur… and What Will Cause It?”

3 Key Ways You’re Underestimating Your Retirement Costs

August 1st, 2018 by Pamela Yellen | Leave a Comment

Take a moment and think about how much savings you’ll need in retirement.

Write that number down.

Now here’s a reality check: That number is probably low.

Not because of your math skills, but because most people underestimate what their costs will be in three critical ways.

A new study found that 37% of retirees say their overall retirement cost estimates turned out to be low.

And when it comes to healthcare, 44% of retirees said they’re facing higherx costs than they expected. (Source: 2018 Retirement Confidence Survey by Employee Benefit Research Institute)

Three Ways You’re Probably Underestimating Your Retirement Expenses…

#1. Assuming you’ll spend less in retirement than when working

Is There A Good Alternative for Retirement Savings? See What These Bank On Yourself Reviews Say

July 25th, 2018 by Pamela Yellen | Leave a Comment

Navy Commander … physician … salesman … retired NFL record-holder … what do they all have in common?

They are all happily using the Bank On Yourself safe wealth-building method to either beef up or even serve as the foundation of their retirement savings plans. And these are just four of the hundreds of thousands of satisfied Bank On Yourselfers.

The Bank On Yourself strategy uses specially-designed dividend-paying whole life insurance to create a secure savings plan. The policies grow by a guaranteed and pre-set amount every year. The growth is exponential, meaning it gets more efficient every year the policy is held, providing peak growth at the time many people need it most – retirement.

And what’s not to like about Bank On Yourself? Guaranteed growth … accounts that never go down in value … incomparable tax benefits … and no government restrictions on putting money in or taking money out. Read on for the straight truth from actual Bank On Yourself clients …

Bank On Yourself Reviews, in Their Own Words

Here are the stories of Bob Chambers (Navy commander), Dr. Bryan Kuns (physician), Lowell Warner (sales professional), and Glyn Milburn (retired football star) …

Bank On Yourself Retirement Planning Is About More Than Money … It’s About Financial Independence … Lifestyle … and Legacy

More Reviews About Bank On Yourself Changing Lives!

July 20th, 2018 by Pamela Yellen | Leave a Comment

The Bank On Yourself strategy is much more than just another way to save for retirement. Think about it: If you’re firing your banker, bypassing Wall Street, and taking back control of your own financial future – you’re literally changing your life!

You can see Bank On Yourself video reviews on YouTube. Bank On Yourself really does continue to change lives, as folks of all ages and incomes have discovered.

More than half a million families and businesses use the Bank On Yourself strategy – based on using super-charged dividend-paying whole life insurance – to reach their short-term and long-term financial goals, without taking any unnecessary risk. Read what real people are saying about this strategy in these Bank On Yourself reviews.

Drew Wilder Reviews Bank On Yourself

Drew Wilder’s family has been using the Bank On Yourself safe wealth-building strategy since 2006. In this review of the Bank On Yourself method, Drew shares how he’s relying on Bank On Yourself as a safe way to build financial stability … providing a source of funds for needs ranging from home repair to paying for college. See why Drew trusts dividend-paying whole life insurance to safely grow his nest egg.

Phil and Marge Owens Recommend Bank On Yourself

Have You Seen This Amazing Amazon.com Review of The Bank On Yourself Revolution Book?

July 12th, 2018 by Pamela Yellen | Leave a Comment

I’ve seen hundreds of reviews of my latest book, The Bank On Yourself Revolution, since its publication in 2014. And they’re fascinating to read because they’re all over the map. Most readers praise the strategy, although a few have damned it. (I could be mistaken, but I don’t believe anyone who has actually used the strategy for themselves has written a review saying they are unhappy.)

In any case, you can see some of the Bank On Yourself reviews here.

As you can imagine, the Amazon reviews for The Bank On Yourself Revolution are highly opinionated!

On the day I wrote this post, there were 138 reviews of The Bank On Yourself Revolution on Amazon.com. I’m thrilled that Amazon customers are giving us their two cents’ worth about the book.