Don’t let short-term market volatility derail long-term investment perspective Jeff LeFave, Edward Jones First quarter 2018 brought some big drops in stock prices, but local investors should not allow short-term stock market fluctuations to derail their long-term investment decisions, Jeff LeFave says, especially when the likely causes of the market volatility actually suggest reasons…
Tag: Dollars and Sense
Features, February 2018
Dollars and Sense: Questions to ask before taking Social Security
Jeff LeFave Social Security can be an important part of your retirement income. So, before you start making decisions about your payments, you’ll want to know what questions to ask. Here are a few to consider: How soon can I start collecting Social Security? You can begin receiving Social Security as early as age 62.…
Features, January 2018
Dollars and Sense
Jeff LeFave Another year has passed, which means it’s time for some New Year’s resolutions. Here are some ideas to think about: Increase contributions to your employer-sponsored retirement plan. For 2018, you can contribute up to $18,500 (or $24,500 if you’re 50 or older) to your 401(k) or similar plan, such as a 403(b),…
Features, December 2017
Dollars and Sense: Time to review your investment strategy for the year
Jeff LeFave As the year draws to a close, it’s a good time to review your progress toward your financial goals. When evaluating the performance of their investments for a given year, many people mistakenly think their portfolios should have done just as well as a common market index, such as the Standard & Poor’s…
Features, November 2017
Dollars and Sense: Does market volatility scare you?
Jeff LeFave On Halloween night, you may have seen a parade of monsters, demons, Transformers and other frightening individuals stopping by your house, exercising their right to demand candy. Fortunately, their appearance will be unlikely to cause you unpleasant dreams. But some people seem to have real fears about other things – such as what…
Features, October 2017
Dollars and Sense
Try to overcome “roadblocks” to a comfortable retirement Mary Diamond In your life you will want to take many journeys. But few will be as important as retirement – specifically, a comfortable retirement. And that’s why it’s so important to consider the roadblocks you might encounter on your road to the retirement lifestyle you’ve envisioned.…
Features, September 2017
Dollars and Sense: What does conservative investing mean to older investors?
Jeff LeFave If you’re a certain age, or getting close to it, you might hear something like this: “Now that you’re older, you need to invest more conservatively.” But what exactly does this mean? For starters, it’s useful to understand that your investment preferences and needs will indeed change over time. When you’re first starting…
Features, August 2017
Dollars and Sense: Financial Focus: Diversification is still important for retirees
Jeff LeFave During your working years your primary investment goal is generally growth – you need your money to grow so that you can eventually afford the comfortable retirement lifestyle you’ve envisioned. But when you retire, should you change course and adjust your investment strategy from “offense” to “defense”? Actually, it’s not quite that simple.…
Features, July 2017
Dollars and Sense: Financial Focus – Don’t let your investments take a “vacation”
It’s summer again – time for many of us to take a break and possibly hit the open road. But even if you go on vacation, you won’t want your investments to do the same – in summertime or any other season. How can you help make sure your portfolio continues to work hard for…
Features, June 2017
Dollars and Sense
Diversification is still important to retirees Edward Jones Financial Advisor During your working years, your primary investment goal is generally growth – you need your money to grow so that you can eventually afford the comfortable retirement lifestyle you’ve envisioned. But when you retire, should you change course and adjust your investment strategy from offense…