Question:  As a self-employed empty nester, what advice can you give to starting our retirement nest egg at this late date? My husband and I are both in our early 50’s. We would like something simple that we can contribute small ($50) amounts to at a time. » Read more

The argument (and trust me, there is much arguing) of foreign vs. domestic when it comes to wheels reveals another kind of value. » Read more

I wonder how many bloviators who blast Obama’s healthcare plan have actually—even once in their lives—paid for their own healthcare coverage or had to have treatment without coverage.  After all it’s easy to talk about how expensive, socialist, limiting, etc., etc., it all is if you’re not one of the millions of Americans who have filed for bankruptcy due to medical bills.  Or the silent sufferers who’ve had to live a much lower quality of life because they’re trying to manage their medical bills without filing bankruptcy.  » Read more

Question: I’m a 57 year old clinical physician thinking about slowing down in the next few years.  I don’t feel I have enough money to retire but maybe I do? How do you analyze a client’s finances to make this determination? Any thoughts you could provide would be greatly appreciated.  Lia, MA » Read more

Our wallets are a kind of key to our souls (well, our ‘money-souls’ at least). Mine has stayed pretty much the same in boom times as in the current bust. No big change in what I carry to pay for things, but something tells me that you may have changed the contents of your wallet lately. » Read more

If you talk with 10 different advisors, they’ll all have their own opinion as to what the best way to invest for retirement is.  Some prefer actively managed investments.  Some prefer passively managed investments.  Some like to trade daily while other advisors like me prefer a combination of actively and passively managed investments.  The point is, you need to do some homework and figure out what strategy resonates with you. » Read more

Question:  I'm looking for more details about annuities.  Do they all have fees?  My sister says that hers cost her nothing and they "gave" her $5,000 for putting in about $50,000.  Do they do that? I keep hearing about large fees and hidden costs, but she said that she started with $110,000 and they haven't taken anything so far in the past 18 months.  Has she been taken? » Read more