Articles

The Republic of Cyprus, with a population of just over 1 million people (slightly more than the city of San Jose, CA) would seem an unlikely place to trigger a global financial crisis. The island nation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea is divided by a U.N.-monitored buffer zone rather less hostile than the one in Korea

With all the media attention focused on the fiscal cliff, sequesters and the U.S. debt ceiling, the Eurozone’s debt crisis has faded into the background–which is no doubt a welcome respite for many investors. However, Europe’s fiscal problems haven’t gone away while our attention was elsewhere, and some economists think they may have quietly gotten worse over the past 12 months…

Viewing the passage of work life through a narrow lens of being gainfully employed or retired, we are experiencing an unprecedented time in history where an estimated 10,000 people are retiring – leaving employment – every day. This staggering surge of new retirees is expected to continue for the next 17 years. Many, perhaps most, will roll their retirement plan assets into an IRA account, and that money – plus Social Security and any taxable retirement accounts – will provide their living expenses for the remainder of their lives…

In a recent Smithsonian magazine article, we were given yet another opportunity to open our minds and examine our views and conclusions. In money, and in life, we derive comfort in science, facts and clear conclusions. These conclusions enable us to feel secure and make confident decisions. This way of operating is not wrong, it is simply partial…