From the category archives:

Real Estate

Setting Intentions for a Better Financial Future

January 29, 2012

Podcast: Download (22.9MB)

missed fortune super blog itunes 150x150 Setting Intentions for a Better Financial FutureThis week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, January 31st at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern). The topic is “True Asset and Wealth Optimization.” You’ll learn how to choose the right investments for liquidity, safety, rate of return and tax benefits.

Click Here to Register Now

All attendees receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

Setting Intentions for a Better Financial Future

One of the great benefits a new year brings is the opportunity to improve our individual situation from the previous year.

Some people choose to seize that opportunity by setting goals pertaining to weight loss, stopping smoking, or accomplishing new ambitions.  The key to realizing a brighter future always hinges upon doing certain things different than they were done previously.  If we persist in doing things as they’ve always been done, we cannot expect to get a different result.

A good example of this can be found in how a person goes about taking ownership of their financial future.

Too many people have persisted in habits like following the crowd and continuing to put their retirement money into 401(k)s and IRAs where taxes are deferred.  They do this with some perceived future tax benefit in mind such as being in a lower tax bracket when they reach retirement.

They stubbornly keep their money in the market where it is most vulnerable to economic volatility and they ride out the ups and downs waiting for the market grow enough to regain their losses.

But the future reality they’re more likely to encounter will include higher taxes rates at the precise time that they have the fewest deductions to offset their liabilities.  It’s entirely possible that they’ll end up paying higher taxes than they did when they were earning more.

The past decade has been especially tough on those whose retirement nest egg lost, on average, nearly 40% of its value.

On the other hand, those people who are willing to make necessary changes in the way they do things will get different results than they did before.  For instance, thousands of Missed Fortune clients have learned how to use a strategic rollout to safely move their money from their 401(k) or IRA.

By doing this, they pay the applicable taxes today and then move those funds into a vehicle where their money accumulates tax-free from that day forward.

They learn to use indexing strategies that indirectly link their money to market performance in such a way that they don’t lose a dime when the market goes down yet they benefit from any upside immediately.   People who’ve implemented our indexing strategies sleep soundly at night with zero stress over what the market may be doing.

They’ve taken the time to learn and apply proven principles and they get very different results from when they were simply following the crowd.  This brings confidence in the future and peace of mind.

Three Things Investors Must Know

There are three critical components to a prudent investment.  When potential investments are lacking any one or more of them, you’d be wise to reconsider.

The three essential ingredients of a prudent investment, in order of importance, include:

  • Liquidity.  This is a primary concern whether it involves your serious cash that you’re earmarking for retirement.  In simple terms, liquidity means your money is accessible when you need it and isn’t tied up in your real estate, your IRA or anywhere else that you cannot get to it.
  • Safety.  The safety we’re looking for is not just of an institution, but also safety of principal.  It’s not enough to simply protect the principal that you invested initially.  In addition, any year that you make money, your gain should also become newly protected principal that also continues to grow tax-free.
  • Rate of Return.  A predictable, safe rate of return that is tax-free is the ideal.

These three ingredients combine to form the acronym LSRR (Laser) that is familiar to Missed Fortune clients everywhere.  In order to choose the best investments that pass the Laser test with flying colors, you need to understand how the various investments stack up.

The sad truth is that most of the popular investment strategies advocated by many advisors fail the Laser test miserably.  Liquidity, safety, and rate of return–in that order–are the hallmarks of a prudent investment.  If you have them, chances are that you’re watching your money grow safely year after year.

If you don’t yet have them, it’s time to visit with a Missed Fortune advisor and learn how to put them to work for you.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg. Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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Ask the Right Questions To Get the Right Answers

December 11, 2011

Podcast: Download (22.9MB)

missed fortune super blog itunes 150x150 Ask the Right Questions To Get the Right AnswersThis week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, December 13th at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern). The topic is “True Asset and Wealth Optimization.” You’ll learn how to choose the right investments for liquidity, safety, rate of return and tax benefits.

Click Here to Register Now

All attendees receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

Retirement Questions for Business Owners

Many business owners are feeling frustrated because of the economic uncertainty of the past 10 years.  The so-called “Lost Decade” has cost many folks nearly 40% of their retirement nest egg due to market volatility.

Following 9/11, the economy declined for 3 consecutive years before it started to regain traction.  By 2007 those with money in the market had begun to break even with where they were prior to September 2001.

Of course, in 2008 the market took another 40% drop and it was back to square one for those investors.

Business owners who were recently taught the Missed Fortune strategies were intrigued to see proof that investors who followed these indexing strategies throughout the Lost Decade actually doubled their money.  That’s quite a contrast to those who have been struggling to regain lost ground for the past 10 years.

When asked to elaborate on their frustrations, these business owners pointed first to the market volatility as a primary source of irritation.  They also pointed to concerns about taxes going up as well as the likely effects of inflation.

Next the business owners were asked how long this trend had been going on.  Some answered that they’d been staying the course in their IRAs or 401(k)s for 15-20 years at the behest of their CPA, attorney or other financial advisor.

One of the classic definitions of insanity is to do the same thing over and over while expecting a different result.

The third question asked of these business owners was what they had tried in order to remedy their situation.  Often they would reply that they tried to protect themselves and their money from further losses by putting it into a bank account that yielded 1% interest and where there was zero upside potential when the market grew.

Often they would dive right back into tax-deferred accounts again thinking that they’d see a return of the days of average 12% returns like their financial advisors spoke of in glowing terms.

But it hasn’t happened.  According to DALBAR, most people actually averaged 3.83% because they tended to buy & sell at the wrong times.  By contrast, the Missed Fortune indexing strategies have averaged around 8.2% percent rate of return in a safer, more conservative environment and it’s tax-free.

The next question for the business owners was “how much is this costing you?”

If the $100,000 you started out with could have grown to $500,000 but instead is sitting at just $200,000 thanks to taxes, inflation or market volatility, the missed opportunity has cost you $300,000.

The final question was, “if you go another year and you don’t change what you’re currently doing, how are you going to feel?”  This question cuts right to the heart of the matter because there are proven ways to grow your money safely regardless of what the economy is doing.

Missed Fortune strategies have a proven track record of eliminating the concerns and making this happen.

10 Lies About Money

Doug Andrews is currently collaborating with Tony Robbins on a book about the 10 greatest lies about money and finance.  Their goal is to help people take ownership of their financial future.

Among the top ten lies about money that people believe:

  1. Government knows best and will take care of us in the future.  The truth is that we always take better care of anything in which we take ownership.
  2. Putting money in tax-deferred investments using pre-tax dollars is the best way to save for retirement.  This is far from the best way to save for the future.
  3. You’ll be in a lower tax bracket in the future.  A lot of people who’ve built up a nest egg with tax-deferred funds have found out the hard way that Uncle Same takes a big bite the moment they start to withdraw that money.
  4. You can average a rate of return of 12% by putting your money in the market.  Actually, the average return for the past 12 years has only been 3.83%.
  5. Real estate investments & equity pass the Liquidity, Safety & Rate of Return (LASER) test.  This is not accomplished by sending extra principal payments to the mortgage company like so many advisors will tell you.
  6. You should buy term insurance and invest the difference.  Instead you can accumulate money tax-free and far outpace the buy-term-invest-the-difference approach.
  7. You can structure a life insurance contract to perform as a superior investment vehicle.  Unless the insurance contract is 100% structured correctly, you will fail in this strategy.
  8. You should buy and hold.  That myth simply hasn’t worked.
  9. Your IRA and 401(k) are your money.  Actually, 33-50% of that money belongs to the government in the form of taxes.
  10. Leverage or debt is bad.  By learning to become your own banker you can turn this lie on its head just as the thrivers of the world have done for generations.

Learn more about overcoming the pains of market volatility, higher taxes and inflation by meeting with a Missed Fortune advisor.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg. Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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Reasons To Smile Even When the Economy Stinks

October 9, 2011

Podcast: Download (22.9MB)

missed fortune super blog itunes 150x150 Reasons To Smile Even When the Economy StinksThis week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, October 11th at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern). The topic is “True Asset and Wealth Optimization.” You’ll learn how to choose the right investments for liquidity, safety, rate of return and tax benefits.

Click Here to Register Now

All attendees receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

Is the Economy Half Empty or Half Full?

In a recent CNN article titled “90 Percent of Americans Say Economy Stinks” the following observations were made:

“Three years after a financial crisis pushed the country deep into recession, an overwhelming number of Americans – 90% – say that economic conditions remain poor.

The number, reported Friday in a new CNN/ORC International Poll, is the highest of Barack Obama’s presidency and a significant increase from the 81% who said conditions were poor in June.”

Now imagine that you came across an article that said, ” Ex-financial planner reveals the secrets as to how he protected himself from any losses during the last decade and what his wealthy clients did to become wealthy and to protect their wealth during the past several years.”

Would you want to know more?

If you’re familiar with the Missed Fortune Strategies, you already know that Doug Andrews is that ex-financial advisor turned consumer advocate.

The last 10 years are often referred to as the Lost Decade because most of the people who had their money in the stock market or real estate market lost more than 40% once in 2007 and again in 2008.

On the other hand, those who followed the Missed Fortune indexing strategies, didn’t lose a dime in the last decade. Many of them actually doubled their money tax-free even if they just sat there and never re-balanced during the past 10 years.

Those who did re-balance according to Doug’s advice enjoyed an average of 9.6% tax-free during the past 10 years. Let’s put that into something we can more easily visualize.

For every one million dollars they had 10 years ago they now have $2.6 million. For those taking income in retirement, they were able to take $8,000 per month or $96,000 a year, in tax-free income, without depleting their $1 million principal.

Even during the last 4 years, arguably the worst 4 year period since the Great Depression, people following Doug’s advice have realized an average 9.75% tax-free annual return.

The past two years have been incredible since Indexing strategies perform very well in a lateral market when in goes up and down with a lot of volatility. Folks who’ve found themselves paralyzed by fear the past few years, could have instead employed the indexing strategy to enjoy a nice conservative return of 4.5% up to an astonishing 15% return–tax free–without losing a dime of their money.

When we don’t know what we don’t know, our options remain limited. But when we’re willing to learn, new pathways are opened up to us.

3 Keys to Prosper In Any Economy

The strongest financial dangers we face in America over the next decade include taxes going up. The Congressional Budget Office warns that rates make climb as high as 62% for couples earning over $200,000 and single filers making over $100,000.

The second significant financial danger we face is the prospect of rising inflation. For the past 20 years inflation has averaged just under 3% annually, but it’s likely to rise to 5% on the low end to as high as 10% on the high end over the next 10 years. This means that the cost of living could be doubling every seven to ten years because the purchasing power of the dollar is being cut in half every seven to ten years.

The third financial danger to beware of is continued economic uncertainty which is the only one of the three dangers we’ve seen in abundance this past 10 years.

These financial dangers are likely to combine for an unforgettable triple whammy in the next decade, so let’s consider 3 proven strategies to eliminate these dangers.

  1. Analyze your situation and determine if it’s time to do a strategic roll-out. This means getting your money out of those 401(k)s and IRAs and recoup what you may have lost in a safe, tax-free environment. Move that money from tax-deferred vehicles into someplace where your money can accumulate tax-free, now and in the future. You’ll need to do this before the Bush tax cuts expire at the end of 2012.
  2. Link your returns, from here on out, to the things that inflate so that when we do experience higher inflation, it helps rather than hinders you. This principle works even when the inflation rate is in double digits just like it was in the early 1980s. Your money should be growing, tax-free, at a rate that outpaces inflation.
  3. The third strategy is to eliminate the downside risk while participating in any upside potential when the economy grows, by using indexing with a lock-in and reset feature. This means that when the economy goes down, you don’t lose money. Likewise, when the economy grows, you can make money. This is protecting your principal from loss. Any year that you make money, that gain becomes new principal that is also protected from loss.

Avoiding these dangers is absolutely possible once you’ve learned and implemented the Missed Fortune strategies. Get started by meeting with a Missed Fortune advisor.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg. Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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The U.S. Economy: Living On Borrowed Money

June 26, 2011

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

missed fortune super blog itunes 150x150 The U.S. Economy: Living On Borrowed MoneyThis week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, June 28th at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern). The topic is “True Asset and Wealth Optimization.” You’ll learn how to choose the right investments for liquidity, safety, rate of return and tax benefits.

Click Here to Register Now

All attendees receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

Watching Government Paint Itself Into a Corner

A recent USA Today article by Richard Wolf claims that “In 7 Weeks U.S. Could Run Out Of Borrowed Money”.

Here are the highlights: Exactly one month ago, the Treasury Dept. began issuing IOUs rather than bonds to some government pension funds. That allowed for continued auctions of so-called “risk free” treasury bonds until August 2nd of this year.

Unless Congress acts by then, the worlds richest nation–unable to borrow $4 billion a day to pay its bills–would risk default. Or would it?

Wolf says to hear Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner tell it, interest rates would spike, stock and home values would sink, savings and investment would dry up and jobs would disappear. Businesses would fail and everything from tax refunds to troops salaries would go unpaid.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says that it would “lead to severe disruptions in financial markets, lower credit ratings and damage to the dollar and treasury securities”.

On the other side, others say the doomsday scenarios are hogwash. Senator Pat Toomy of Pennsylvania says it would take a simple law outlining who gets paid first when the government can no longer borrow 41 cents of every dollar it spends.

As long as bond holders collect interest on time, there would be no default. Just spending cuts and furloughing federal workers or delaying welfare payments.

No one expects something so drastic to happen, but Congress and the White House haven’t found a way to avoid it. We have a serious situation in our country.

A recent article identifies 5 items that could prevent a recovery from taking hold:

1. An oil supply squeeze
2. The Euro-zone question
3. State and local debt woes
4. Another housing slump
5. A sharp slowdown in Asia

So What Can You Do?

If you’re experiencing real heartburn over the prospect of the triple whammy we’re facing over the next 10 years it’s time to pay close attention.

3 of the biggest dangers we’re facing in the coming decade are taxes going up, inflation devaluing the dollar and continuing market uncertainty.

Missed Fortune indexing strategies will teach you how to protect yourself so if the economy goes down, you don’t lose money. You may not make much, but you will not lose and that equals a win in these times. Plus the second the market turns around, you’ll be making money again.

Wall Street has already lost more than 45% of the typical investor’s money twice in the past 10 years. You cannot expose your money to that type of risk.

Those who’ve followed the Missed Fortune strategies have predictably earned a rate of return of 7-8% that has effectively doubled their money every 9 or 10 years. And they’ve been doing it consistently for the past 4 decades.

Compare that to the typical equity mutual fund investor who has only managed an average return of 3.83% annually for the past 20 years. They’ve barely outpaced inflation by a single percent. And inflation is going up.

You can protect yourself by accumulating your money in vehicles that are tax free, by linking your returns to those things that inflate when we have inflation. And finally, you position your serious money so that you don’t lose money when the market goes down and you start earning again the second it goes up.

Learn how to put the Missed Fortune strategies to work for you. Talk to a Missed Fortune advisor today.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg. Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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What You Should Know About the Next Decade

June 19, 2011

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

missed fortune super blog itunes 150x150 What You Should Know About the Next DecadeThis week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, June 21st at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern). The topic is “True Asset and Wealth Optimization.” You’ll learn how to choose the right investments for liquidity, safety, rate of return and tax benefits.

Click Here to Register Now

All attendees receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

The Next 10 Years Should Be Interesting

Where market uncertainty was a hallmark of the Lost Decade, the next 10 years have potential to be much more interesting.

Most Americans who lost money in their IRAs and 401(k)s over the past few years are just now starting to get back to where they were 10 years ago.

Now we’re facing a triple whammy of higher taxes, inflation and market volatility that could prove very challenging for those who fail to position their money properly.

People who’ve learned the Missed Fortune strategies and followed them, have predictably been able to double or nearly triple what they had 10 years ago. Not only did they do it during the biggest downturn since the Great Depression, they’ve done it tax free.

This is important because with the Bush tax cuts expiring in 2012 and the prospect of more tax hikes on the way, you’ll need all the tax protection you can get.

Government spending continues at a breakneck pace and Congress is looking to raise taxes to meet their funding needs. Taxes are going up. Count on it.

In addition to raising taxes, the printing of money to cover the payment of government obligations is setting the stage for increased inflation.

Social Security has a $63 trillion dollar deficit owing that it has promised to pay out to recipients in future benefits.

It’s time you knew what you don’t know about keeping your fortune from slipping through your fingers.

31 FLAVORS of How People Miss Out on Fortunes

FLAVORS is an acronym that stands for Fortunes Lost Amid Valid Optimization & Reallocation Strategies.

These are rules and strategies that even seasoned tax attorneys and accountants don’t know until they’re shown.

People miss out on fortunes because they choose short term investments for long range goals to fund their retirement.

They put their money into what are termed “crawl investments” that offer too low a rate of return compared to the rate of inflation. They miss out on money that could be made by linking their returns to those thing that inflate.

Some put money into “walking investments” where they place their money in retirement vehicles that are tax deferred rather than tax free. This means that they pay through the nose in taxes when they start to withdraw funds from their IRAs & 401(k)s.

If you understand how money works you can put the equity in your real estate to work to accumulate, over a 30 year period, a huge windfall for your retirement.

By empowering your wealth, you learn how money works, you employ a system of accountability and responsibility and you learn better ways to grow your money tax free.

Learn how to time the markets, how to do a strategic roll-out that protects your principal with a predictable rate of return that accumulates tax free. You can learn the power of compound interest and so much much more in the Missed Fortune strategies.

It won’t just benefit you, this knowledge will also bless your family when your fortune transfers to them when you’re gone.

Talk to a Missed Fortune advisor today.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg. Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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A Lifeboat for Your Financial Future

May 15, 2011

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

missed fortune super blog itunes 150x150 A Lifeboat for Your Financial FutureThis week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, April 26th at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern). The topic is “True Asset and Wealth Optimization.” You’ll learn how to choose the right investments for liquidity, safety, rate of return and tax benefits.

Click Here to Register Now

All attendees receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

Changing How Congress Is Elected & Represents Us

In 1971,the 26th Amendment granting the right to vote to 18 year olds only took 3 months to ratify because the people wanted it.

Seven of the 27 amendments the Bill of Rights only took a year or less to ratify because of public pressure.

The proposed Congressional Reform Act of 2011 includes term limits, denies tenure and pensions, requires Congress to participate in Social Security, and requires Congress to purchase its own retirement plan.

It also takes away Congressional health insurance and requires them to purchase their own. Congress can no longer vote themselves a pay raise and must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

The Act also states that all contracts with existing or past congressmen will be null and void effective January 1, 2012. Is this what it will take to get Congress to represent us and not just their own interests?

The Founders envisioned citizen legislators not professional politicians.

It took us 100 years to accumulate 9 trillion dollars in debt and in the last 5 years Congress has grown the debt to nearly 14 trillion dollars.

How Congress is Affecting Your Money

The Washington Examiner recently published an article saying that Senate Democrats are preparing a stealth budget bill to derail the Ryan Budget that passed the House overwhelmingly in April.

The Senate Democrats say that the Ryan budget cuts too much spending and doesn’t raise taxes enough.

Spending cuts are so small in comparison to the kind of cuts that need to take place that they amount to virtually nothing.  We need to cut trillions–not just billions.

With this kind of spending, it’s clear that taxes will be increasing.  Even if the Bush tax cuts are allowed to simply expire, it will still be a huge tax increase.   The triple whammy we face in the next decade includes market volatility, higher taxes and growing inflation.

Congress needs to understand that raising taxes in a recession is the kiss of death for businesses.  It could lead to a true double dip recession.

Instead of raising taxes, we need to raise the revenue that’s being taxed and that’s been proven to work as in the Bush tax cuts that followed 9/11.  We have a serious debt problem and Congress is refusing to take the steps that would address the spending crisis.

The Ship Continues Sinking

Fortunately, there is a lifeboat for those who are willing to take advantage of the year and a half window that remains to reposition your money into investments that accumulate tax free instead of tax deferred.

Let’s say you invested $100,000 dollars and you end up tripling your money in 10 years.  Down the road you’d have to pay 1/3 of that in taxes then your actual money is only $200,000.

If taxes increase to 50% as the Congressional Budget Office is predicting they will by 2021, your nest egg is going to run dry in an amazingly short time.

You need a hedge against inflation that ties your rate of return to those things that inflate so you continue to earn when inflation comes.

You need to index your money in such a way that your money grows when the market grows yet doesn’t lose money when the market decreases.

Meet with a Missed Fortune advisor and learn the strategies that will get your money safely aboard the lifeboat.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg. Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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31 FLAVORS to Create an Abundant Retirement

July 25, 2010

Podcast: Download (22.9MB)

missed fortune super blog itunes 150x150 31 FLAVORS to Create an Abundant RetirementThis week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Complimentary Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, July 27th at 11:00 a.m. pacific (12:00 p.m. mountain, 1:00 p.m. central, 2:00 p.m. eastern), and again at 6:30 p.m. pacific (7:30 mountain, 8:30 central, 9:30 eastern).

The topic is “True Asset Optimization: How to Choose the Right Investments.” You’ll learn how to maintain liquidity and guarantee safety of principal while earning a healthy, tax-free rate of return that outpaces inflation.

Register now by calling 1-888-76-Radio (888-767-2346). If operators are busy, please call again.

All attendees receive a bonus hardcover copy of Last Chance Millionaire, Doug Andrew’s New York Times best-selling book.

Investors Losing Confidence in Traditional Investments

Investors are getting tired of the slow gains for a few years only to have those gains, along with original principal, be lost rapidly.

In 2008, most people lost 31 percent from their IRA and 401(k) and are still not back to what they had in as their initial principal.

Investors are getting fed up with the same traditional advice of investing in IRAs and 401(k)s, to postpone taxes and to have to deal with market volatility for the long-term gain.

According to a new survey from Prince & Associates, 81 percent of investors with $1 million or more in investable assets plan to take money away from their current advisor. An even larger number, 86%, plan to tell other investors to avoid their advisor.

Only 2% plan to recommend their firm to other investors. That’s of critical importance, because wealthy investors often get investment advice from each other.

Deferring taxes to a later date as taxes continue to rise, lacking liquidity, and placing the rate of return for a retirement nest egg in variable products are only three of the major problems with these traditional investments.

How Can You Gain Confidence and Prepare for an Abundant Retirement?

The first step to gaining confidence is to avoid falling into the investment traps that so many others are facing by deciding not to use the same investment advice that they are.

Why would you defer taxes knowing that the trend is that taxes are rising? Why you would place your retirement hopes into a volatile market and hope to time the market correctly?

By learning the 31 FLAVORS of Missed Fortune, you can:

  1. Choose tax-free investments instead of tax-deferred ones
  2. Have liquidity so that you can access your money when you would like to
  3. Enjoy safety of your principal where you can lock in gains using indexing.

FLAVORS stands for “fortunes lost amidst valid optimization and reallocation strategies.” Implementing 2 or 3 of the 31 can generate $70-80 thousand dollars a year for retirement that is tax free and will continue to be replenished year after year no matter what is happening in the market.

The 31 FLAVORS can show you key points in the different financial aspects of your life that can allow you to sleep comfortably at night knowing that you are not gambling with your retirement. They include:

  • 6 FLAVORS regarding choosing the wrong investments for retirement
  • 6 FLAVORS about your home and real estate
  • 3 FLAVORS on proper tax planning and avoiding unnecessary taxes
  • 7 FLAVORS on asset management
  • 5 FLAVORS regarding risk management
  • 2 FLAVORS about credit and debt management
  • 2 FLAVORS on estate planning

Meet with a Missed Fortune advisor and learn how to implement these 31 FLAVORS and guarantee yourself an abundant retirement.

Bonus Missed Fortune E-Book: Baby Boomer Blunders

The average Baby Boomer has less than $50,000 accumulated for retirement (which means many have less than that), primarily due to bad habits and having money invested in the wrong places where economic downturns can diminish their nest egg.

Download this e-book now at www.babyboomerblunders.com.

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The 31 FLAVORS of Missed Fortune

April 8, 2010

“FLAVORS” stands for “Fortunes Lost Amid Valid Optimization & Reallocation Strategies.”

The following are the 31 most common ways we see people losing money. Read them to consider where you may be losing, then meet with a Missed Fortune advisor to plug the holes.

Retirement Planning (choosing the wrong investments):

1. Using short-term investments for long-range goals and long-term investments for short-range goals

2. Putting money in “crawl” investments such as CDs and Money Markets

3. Putting money in “walk” investments such as annuities

4. Thinking that IRAs and 401(k)s are the best way to save for retirement

5. Postponing qualified plan distributions until age 70½ and/or taking minimum distributions

6. Not employing one of your greatest assets—home equity via a reverse mortgage

Your Home and Other Real Estate:

7. Not employing the lazy, idle dollars trapped in your home and other real estate

8. Sending extra principal payments against your mortgage

9. Paying large cash down payments when acquiring real estate

10. Paying unnecessary capital gains when selling rental income real estate

11. Not realizing that you can buy property without down payments or credit.

12. Renting your residence instead of owning (buying) it

Tax Planning (paying unnecessary tax):

13. Not claiming enough withholding W-4 allowances (to get bigger tax refunds)

14. Not maximizing tax deductions and itemizing them on your tax return

15. Not understanding the huge difference between tax-deferred and tax-free growth on savings and investments

Asset Management (choosing the wrong strategies):

16. Trying to time the market (thus buying and selling at the wrong times because of emotion)

17. Relying on the purchase of commodity products rather than employing proven investment strategies

18. Not maintaining liquidity with all assets (the ability to get your money when you need it)

19. Not keeping your principal safe (protecting yourself from potential loss of principal)

20. Not earning a rate of return greater than taxes and inflation, and the cost of those funds

21. Not fully understanding the power of compound interest

22. Locking up serious cash in gold and other precious metals

Risk Management and Insurance:

23. Not funding your life insurance properly or using insurance for superior capital accumulation

24. Not letting Uncle Sam pay for your life insurance (by redirecting otherwise payable income tax)

25. Not structuring your health insurance for optimum efficiency with the proper deductibles

26. Not structuring your auto and homeowners insurance efficiently with the proper deductibles

27. Not understanding safe, positive leverage (the ability to own and control assets with very little or none of your own money at risk or tied up in the asset)

Credit and Debt Management:

28. Not maintaining your credit score at 720 or higher

29. Paying off debt (including your mortgage and student loans) the wrong way

Estate Planning:

30. Having too much liability exposure and losing hard-earned assets to losses and frivolous suits

31. Not eliminating or reducing unnecessary estate tax through the use of trusts and life insurance

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The Negative Experience Transformer – Step 1 of 7

December 12, 2008

The Negative Experience Transformer is a 7-Step Unique Process to Transform Disappointing Experiences into New Opportunities

Step 1: Be Grateful

I know-it may sound counterintuitive for the first step during a difficult experience to show gratitude. But you’d be surprised, it can work wonders. Try it with me now.

Conduct a simple gratitude assessment by identifying those people and things for which you are grateful in your life. Borrowing from the Bible, it says in Thessalonians 5:16 – 18: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks….” In other words, take a moment and count your blessings.

Feeling a little better yet? Here’s why-you’re shifting your mind to a positive space.

You see, lack of gratitude is one of the greatest barriers to personal progress. If you think about it, we manifest ingratitude in different ways. There are times we may feel sorry for ourselves. We look at others who are succeeding, and we might feel insignificant. Other times, we may work hard to succeed, but then we take all the credit. We resent the suggestion that others were involved in our success. And if we live in very advantageous circumstances, we might take things for granted. Some children of wealthy parents are “born on third base,” and they grow up thinking they hit a triple. Whatever our position of ingratitude, it can lead us to becoming cynical, or it can put us at risk of becoming depressed or fearful when life throws us a curve ball.

Conversely, gratitude is a self-generated attitude that allows us to discover endless meaning and value in every circumstance and relationship-even the negative experiences. For example, we can be grateful that we grow closer to loved ones during times of poor health, or that we become more resourceful when in financial trouble.

To make gratitude a habit, try this therapeutic exercise I’ve learned to incorporate in my daily life.

  • At the start of each new day, I take a few moments to reflect on someone or something I’m grateful for.
  • On my TO DO list, I will often write on the bottom of the page FIVE people or things I’m grateful for that day.
  • I select a person each day to whom I’ll give special attention, write a personal note or leave a voice message.

In real estate, when we say that a property has appreciated, it means that it has gone up in value. In the same way, when we’re grateful, we’re increasing life’s value. I wish you the best as you take the first step in the Negative Experience Transformer process: developing a more constant “attitude of gratitude” that will go a long way in turning “bad situations” into “glad situations.”

Douglas R. Andrew

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