From the category archives:

Baby Boomers

Why Boomers Are Singing the Retirement Blues

July 17, 2011

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, July 19th 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.

Boomers Are In Trouble Come Retirement

Recently in the Wall Street Journal was an article titled “Retiring Boomers find 401(k) Plans Fall Short“. It didn’t paint a pretty picture.

The article stated that the median household headed by a person age 60-62 with a 401(k) account has less than 1/4 of what is needed to maintain their current standard of living.

The plans that were supposed to see them through old age are falling well short of what will actually be required. This data was compiled the Federal Reserve and analyzed the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.

Most 401(k) participants have far too little savings for retirement, even when including their Social Security and pension savings.

Even a couple with a 401(k) well into six figures could face the prospect of running out of savings before reaching age 85. That means these people could expect to work much longer than they had intended.

401(k)s used to be a gold mine for money management firms. Tax deferred income will not save you if taxes are going up and they most certainly are rising.

Some advisers still say to stay the course and to keep putting off taxes for the future but if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’re going to keep getting what you’ve always gotten.

In 30 years the 401(k) went from a small program to a multi trillion dollar industry supporting money managers. The current median amount most people contribute to their 401(k)s is a measly 9% counting the employer contribution.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

Though many people feel like they lost their future when the market declined in 2008, there were others who didn’t lose a penny in that year or the subsequent down market.

Those who applied Missed Fortune strategies have not only protected their serious money in a down market, but they did it safely in the worst 4 year period since the Great Depression.

Most people who follow the Missed Fortune strategies have 50 percent more than they did just 4-5 years ago. You can do it too.

You’ll need to take ownership of your future.

Taxes & Inflation Will Destroy Retirement Savings

If you had a million dollar nest egg you’d have it made, right? Think again.

A million dollars earning 7.2 percent interest a year should allow you to pull out $72,000 annually without depleting the principal. That’s about 6,000 a month. An average couple that earns over 68,000 a year are are in a 33% marginal tax bracket.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that because of our tremendous national debt, by mid century most Americans will be paying at least 50-60% of their income in taxes.

If you paid a third of your income in tax on 6000 a month, that leaves you $4,000 of net spendable income per month. If you’re thinking, “I could probably squeeze by on that” don’t forget to factor in inflation.

Say that inflation stays around 5 percent. At that rate the cost of living will double every 15 years and the purchasing power of the dollar will be cut in half.

This means that 30 years down the road you’ll only be able to buy the same gallons of gas, loaves of bread, prescriptions, golf greens fees, etc. for $4,000 a month that you can currently buy for $1,000 a month.

Can you live on a $1,000 a month?

That million dollar nest egg generating $6,000 a month of taxable income is only going to have the same purchasing power as $1,000 a month today.

You must have a hedge against the tax and inflation power curve by linking your return to those things that inflate.

You need a strategy where your money accumulates tax free not tax deferred. At tomorrow’s tax rates, a $3 million nest egg can perform as well as a $6 million nest egg if it’s tax free.

If you lost money in the last 10 years and find yourself worried about outliving your money, stop following the herd.

You need to learn how to reposition yourself and get something better in place.

You must learn how to safely regain what you’ve lost and have it be tax free.

Meet with a Missed Fortune advisor today and learn how.

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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Taking On Debt Like a Ship Taking On Water

June 12, 2011

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, May 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.

Like a Ship Taking On Water

Our national ship is taking on a lot of water in the form of debt. It’s easy to see the waterline is rising. This is due to misguided management in the financial industry coupled with addictive government deficit spending.

National and corporate leaders have done what every Ponzi scheme architect has done by bringing in new money to cover for old promises.

Take Social Security for example. If this program didn’t bring in new money to cover current recipients income it would quickly go bankrupt.

Baby boomers are starting to retire and the workforce is shrinking. When Social Security was started, there were 15 workers contributing for every one recipient. But those numbers have shifted to where we now have 3 or 4 workers for every recipient of Social Security.

It won’t be long before we’re down to 2 workers for every recipient and government will have to take more and more of our income to pay out what it has promised.

Social Security debt is at $62 trillion. To get the sense of how much money that is, $1 trillion dollar bills lined up end to end would reach from here to the moon and back 200 times.

This means that, after adjusting for inflation, the federal government has obligated itself to paying more than $100 trillion that it has not collected from by withholding from American workers paychecks.

The government doesn’t have the money to cover its expenses and the only way it can get it is by withdrawing money from our paychecks each month or by printing more money–causing inflation.

The bottom line is we’re going to have more and more people in the wagon and fewer and fewer workers pulling.

The day of reckoning could come as soon as the next 10-15 years. Or it could be partially happening now.

The government has already been collecting less in Social Security than it has been paying from October of 2009 to January of 2011.

If solvency is defined as barely bringing in enough to cover what is paid out, we’re in big trouble.

More Trouble On the Horizon

Medicare is six time larger in terms of unfunded obligations according to former U.S. Accountability Office comptroller David Walker.

With current figures it would require $700,000 from every full time working individual in America in order to cover the huge social security and medicare liability.

The U.S. national debt is over $14.3 trillion and the interest alone accrues at just under 41 billion dollars an hour.

In an article outlining 3 ways your Social Security payments are already being cut by Alicia Manelle says, “Lost in the debate is the fact that even under current law, Social Security will provide less retirement income relative to previous earnings than it does today.”

Social Security may no longer be the mainstay of the retirement system for many people.

There are 3 main issues that are fast approaching.

1. The retirement age is going to be extended from 65 to 67 depending upon when you turn 65.

2. The increase in Medicare premiums from 5% to 12%.

3. The taxation of Social Security benefits.

These dangers should be clear to you by now.

Taxes are going to go up. Inflation will decrease the purchasing power of the dollar. And market volatility will continue for the foreseeable future.

Those who have learned and applied Missed Fortune Strategies have learned how to protect their serious retirement money from rising taxes, inflation and market uncertainty.

They can sleep soundly at night knowing that their money is accumulating tax free, not tax deferred. Their returns are linked to those things that inflate so inflation becomes a help and not a hindrance.

They’ve repositioned their serious cash to participate in any upside the market may experience without risking their principal in the market.

The Missed Fortune strategies have worked for them for nearly 3 decades. They will work for you. Contact a Missed Fortune advisor to learn how.

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 Warning Signs Are Pointing to Higher Taxes

May 29, 2011

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, May 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.

For Politicians It’s All About Raising Taxes

In recent editorial titled “For Democrats It’s all about tax hikes” it’s abundantly clear where politicians stand on the issue of taxes.

The picture isn’t pretty. Taxes will be going up.

Democrats have floated a plan for a tax on millionaires to force Republicans to accept other tax increases. They’ve tried to hike oil company taxes by more than $2 billion per year even though oil company profits are around 6 or 7 cents per dollar.

On issue after issue Republicans are putting forth serious, politically risky solutions while Democrats are playing class warfare and stoke public fear.

Reining in out of control government spending is only way to address the nation’s gargantuan debt.

We have increased the national debt from $9 trillion to $14.3 trillion in just the last 5 years. Raising taxes is the favored solution to many Democratic leaders.

If we took every dime about $250,000 that anyone earns in this country, it would pay for roughly 4.5 months of the president’s proposed annual budget.

As consumers we have to tighten our belts when we have to stay within our budgets. Government just wants to keep feeding its spending problem.

Taxes will be going up. Inflation is just around the corner thanks to government printing more and more money to cover their deficits. And market uncertainty and volatility has been a fact of life for nearly a decade now.

You Wouldn’t Ignore Cancer Would You?

An article by Walter Brandimarte notes that investors have averted a broad sell-off by diving into shares of companies that are less vulnerable to the economic cycle.

These include well known defensive sectors like utilities, household products and large cap companies with steady earnings performance. With the end of the Fed’s easy money policies just around the corner, investors are becoming more sensitive to risk in general.

There are better ways to safely invest, to create greater liquidity, safety of principal and to earn a predictable rate of return that’s tax free.

We’re looking at the likelihood of higher taxes, inflation and continuing market uncertainty. It’s essential that you understand how to protect yourself against the triple whammy.

Now is the time to implement the strategies that will allow you to accumulate your money tax free now and in the future under sections of the IRS code that have been grandfathered for decades.

If we have inflation you’ll need the strategies that help rather than hinder you by linking your returns to those things that inflate.

Finally, you must protect yourself so that if the market goes down you not only don’t lose any money, but your money grows as the market grows.

Putting your head in the sand and thinking you’ll deal with taxes on your 401(k)s and IRAs down the road is highly risky. It’s like putting off dealing with a malignant tumor and hoping it won’t be so bad down the road.

Dealing with the problem today makes more sense than waiting for that tax liability to continue to grow.

It may be wise to get your money out of your 401(k)s and IRAs now and to do a strategic rollover into an environment that’s tax free from this day forward.

Indexing strategies can help you safely and predictably double your money tax free without putting it at risk in the market.

Learn how to put these strategies to work for your serious money by contacting 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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Taking Ownership of Your Financial Future

April 24, 2011

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

This 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.

Bad News for the Boomer Generation

A recent statistic claims that 50% of baby boomers will outlive their money.

They’ll run out of savings and have to rely on social security, charity and welfare or their own children for support.

A study in the 1970′s by the Bureau of Labor & Statistics showed that out of every 100 males born in America, by the time they were 65 years old, 36 of them would be dead.

The study also showed that 54 percent were predicted to be dead broke and completely dependent upon social security.

Another 5% would still have an income. They would continue to work, not because they wanted to, but because they had to work.

In the richest nation on earth, only 5% would be financially independent.

That statistic hasn’t changed in the last 40 years.

Even today, only 5% of Americans are financially independent by the time they hit their golden years.

That leaves 95% of Americans still striving to make ends meet when they reach retirement age.

A lot of these people lost their future back in 2008 when their IRAs and 401(k)s lost 31% of their value on average. Some lost upwards of 40-50% of their value.

If you lose half of the value of your retirement nest egg, it takes at least 10 years to get back to breaking even.

Putting that money into a bank or a CD at 1% won’t allow you to double your money in that amount of time. Putting it into the market isn’t the answer either.

There are far better strategies to grow your money without putting it at risk.

We Don’t Know What We Don’t Know

There are at least 31 FLAVORS of missed fortune which is an acronym for:

Fortunes
Lost
Amid
Valid
Optimization &
Reallocation
Strategies

People miss out on fortunes because of the time value of money, meaning if they just did things a little bit differently, they’d increase their net worth drastically.

For instance, right now we’re in tax season.

Many people view their income tax refund as a forced savings program. Instead of socking that money away and giving the government a zero interest loan, you could change your withholding and set aside that difference. With an extra $2,000 annually, you could accumulate an extra quarter to half a million dollars in your retirement account.

Government leaders make a big deal out of cutting $100 million dollars out of the annual $3.5 trillion dollar federal budget.

Do the math. If you spend about $2,000/month on your living expenses and you were to cut your spending at the exact same ration, you’d only reduce your budget by 6 cents.

We don’t have a revenue problem in this country, we have a spending problem and taxes will be going up.

If you’re putting your money into IRAs and 401(k)s and thinking tomorrow’s tax rates will be lower, you’re going to be in for a rude awakening.

There are better ways to save for retirement.

Taking Ownership of Your Financial Future

By implementing missed fortune strategies, you get much better results than simply doing what everyone else is doing.

There’s a huge difference between Mr. Tax-to-the-Max who takes minimum distributions and pays 2 to 4 times as much in taxes and Mrs I’ve-a-lot-more who enjoys double the net spendable income and pays about 1/6th as much in taxes.

Mrs. I’ve-a-lot-more stimulates the economy by taking ownership of her future rather than just rolling over and paying too much in taxes.

Instead of getting a tax refund and spending it after letting the government keep your money for a year, learn how to put that money to work for you and accumulate an extra quarter million, half million or even a million dollars by retirement.

Missed fortune strategies teach you how to use a system that protects your money whether the market goes up or down without risking your principal.

You’ll learn to keep your principal safe and make sure you don’t lose the money you set aside. You keep the money you make and never subject it to risk or loss again.

These strategies can teach you how to earn a rate of return that’s greater than taxes or inflation and that grows your money tax free.

We’ve helped several thousand people take ownership of their future and achieve financial independence.

If you’d like to know what these people know, schedule a 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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Where Is Your Retirement Money Going?

March 27, 2011

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, March 29th 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.

Where Did That Retirement Money Go?

There’s a powerful article in the Wall Street Journal titled: “Retiring Boomers find 401(k) Plans Fall Short.” It spells out how the 401(k) generation is beginning to retire and it isn’t pretty.

The retirement savings plan of many Baby Boomers and others who thought their plan would see them through retirement age are falling short in many cases.

The median household headed by a person aged 62 has less than 25 percent of what they’ll need to maintain their standard of living in retirement. This information was compiled by the Fed and analyzed by Boston College for the WSJ.

Even when factoring in Social Security and pensions or other savings, most 401(k) participants simply have too little savings in accumulation. The financial crisis has made things worse.

For example, Mr. Rutchman’s 401(k) is well into 6 figures, his wife has a 401(k) and a small pension from her nursing job. After consulting a financial planner at Ernst and Young, Mr. Rutchman learned that his savings could run out before he turns 85.

Now he can expect to work for several more years.

By the third quarter of 2008, the average American had lost as much as 31 percent of the value of their IRAs and 401 (k)s. Many lost as much as 50 percent by the end of 2008 and they’re not even back to break even. On the other hand, there are people who didn’t lose a penny in 2008.

Most people who follow the Missed Fortune strategies have 50 percent more than they did just 4-5 years ago. They did it safely in the worst 4 year period since the Great Depression.

401(k)s used to be a gold mine for money management firms. Tax deferred income will not save you if taxes are going up and they most certainly are rising. Some advisors still say to stay the course and to keep putting off taxes for the future but if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’re going to keep getting what you’ve always gotten.

You need to take ownership of your future. In 30 years the 401(k) went from a small program to a multi trillion dollar industry supporting money managers.

The current median amount most people contribute to their 401(k)s is a measly 9% counting the employer contribution. Vanguard is now urging people to contribute 12- 15 % over concerns about the stock market’s weak returns and uncertainty about Social Security and medicare.

But is the answer to sock away twice as much?

The Effects of Taxes & Inflation

You must consider the effect of taxes and inflation. Sometimes people tell our wealth strategists that they have half a million or a million dollars in a 401(k) or an IRA portfolio. They think they’re in good shape.

If you had a million dollar nest egg you’d have it made, right? Think again.

A million dollars earning 7.2 percent interest a year should allow you to pull out $72,000 annually without depleting the principal. That’s about 6,000 a month. An average couple that earns over 68,000 a year are are in a 33% marginal tax bracket.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that because of our tremendous national debt, by mid century most Americans will be paying at least 50-60% of their income in taxes.

If you paid a third of your income in tax on 6000 a month, that leaves you $4,000 of net spendable income per month. If you’re thinking, “I could probably squeeze by on that” don’t forget to factor in inflation.

Say that inflation stays around 5 percent. At that rate the cost of living will double every 15 years and the purchasing power of the dollar will be cut in half.

This means that 30 years down the road you’ll only be able to buy the same gallons of gas, loaves of bread, prescriptions, golf greens fees, etc. for $4,000 a month that you can currently buy for $1,000 a month. Can you live on a $1,000 a month?

That million dollar nest egg generating $6,000 a month of taxable income is only going to have the same purchasing power as $1,000 a month today.

You need to have a hedge against the tax and inflation power curve by linking your return to those things that inflate.

You need a strategy where your money accumulates tax free not tax deferred. At tomorrow’s tax rates, a $3 million nest egg can perform as well as a $6 million nest egg if it’s tax free.

If you lost money in the last 10 years and you’re worried about outliving your money, stop following the herd.

You need to learn how to reposition yourself and get something better in place. You must learn how to safely regain what you’ve lost and have it be tax free.

Meet with a Missed Fortune advisor and learn how.

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.

Don’t Be a Victim of Statistics, Learn to Be Financially Independent

March 13, 2011

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, March 15th 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.

A Statistic that Hasn’t Changed

A recent study predicts that 50% of baby boomers will outlive their money. They’ll run out of savings and need to rely on social security, charity, welfare & their own children for support.

In the 1970′s, the bureau of labor and statistics said out of every 100 males born in America by age 65 that 36 would be dead. It also said 54 percent would be dead broke.

A mere 5% would still have an income.

That statistic hasn’t changed in the last 40 years. Only 5 percent of Americans are financially independent by their golden years.

Americans who put their money into 401(k)’s or IRA’s saw the value of those accounts drop on average by 31 percent.

If you lose half the value of your retirement nest egg it takes 10 years or more to regain that value.

Putting it in the market at risk isn’t the answer.

Folks who followed my advice didn’t lose ground in 2008 and have double or nearly triple what they had 10 years ago.

If your retirement nest egg isn’t worth double what it was 5 or 10 years ago, it’s time to change your game plan.

People don’t know about the time value of money or the 3 miracles that I teach. They don’t understand the miracle of compound interest.

They don’t know how to accumulate a tax-free retirement.

People miss out on fortunes because they don’t know what they don’t know. That’s why I teach the 31 FLAVORS of Lost Fortunes Fortunes Lost Amid Valid Optimization and Reallocation Strategies.

People choose the wrong investment. People waiting for their tax refund see it as a form of forced savings. When they do get the refund, they spend it rather than saving it.

You can change your withholding on your paycheck and have that money come to you monthly, as opposed to letting government keep your money at zero interest.

If you set up a system like I show you, a couple thousand dollars a year could accumulate an extra quarter or half a million dollars in your retirement nest egg.

Stimulate the Economy by Taking Ownership

It’s amusing when government leaders talk about cutting $100 million from a $3.5 trillion budget. But look what happens when we do the math.

Let’s say you spend $2000 a month on groceries, medicine, utilities, etc. Cutting your spending at the same ratio that the government is cutting its spending, you’d reduce your budget by a total of 6 cents.

$6 billion in cuts would equal 36 cents. $60 billion would be 36 dollars.

Why doesn’t government get it?

We don’t have a revenue problem in this country we have a spending problem and taxes will be going up.

If you put money in 401(k)’s and IRA’s today thinking tax rates are going to be lower, you’re in for a rude awakening. That’s not the best way to save for retirement.

Qualified plan distributions when you’re seventy and a half or taking minimum distributions are costing you 2 to 4 times as much in taxes.

Stimulate the economy by taking ownership in your future rather than simply rolling over and paying unnecessary taxes.

If you want to get out of debt, don’t send extra principal payments to the mortgage company,

It’s not timing the market, it’s using a system. It doesn’t matter whether the economy goes up or down.

Most people using these strategies have been averaging 8.2% tax free for the past 10 years.

The answer isn’t in buying commodities. It’s in a strategy that protects your principal so you don’t lose money you set aside.

And any money you make then becomes principal that isn’t subjected to loss.

If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’re going to continue getting what you’ve always got.

Get different results 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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Don’t Follow the Crowd

February 13, 2011

Podcast: Download (23.0MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, Feb. 15th 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 equity management and 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.

Ignore Conventional Wisdom

Poll results released last September showed that, for the fourth straight year, the majority of those surveyed have little or no trust in the mass media to report the news truthfully, accurately and fairly.

In 1968, Walter Cronkite proclaimed that the Vietnam War was unwinnable and it destroyed Lyndon Johnson’s presidency.

It’s hard to imagine anything that CBS anchor Katie Couric might say that would make any difference to anything these days.

Many American voters feel so estranged from the views of the mainstream media that they deliberately vote against whomever the media producers, editors, reporters and announcers are supporting.

If you continue to follow the crowd, you won’t end up getting what you need.

When it comes to your retirement, if you take the same old advice, I predict you won’t have enough for a secure retirement. You’ll end up paying more in unnecessary income tax.

If what you thought you knew turned out not to be true, when would you want to know? Sooner rather than later, right?

I can show you how you can have so much more by solving your IRA and 401(k) dilemma.

Avoid the Blunders

Many Americans have been following the herd and socking away money in IRAs and 401(k)s for a retirement nest egg. The recent downturn has all but thrown out the egg and the nest.

Eighty-nine percent of Americans put money into qualified plans. The remaining 11 percent use Roths, a step in the right direction but with too many strings attached.

If you’re like many Americans, you may have seen a loss of 30, 40 or even 50 percent in the value of your IRA or 401(k) in 2008. You might not be back to break even yet.

I predict that the worst is yet to come. The government has a permanent tax lien on your IRAs and 401(k)s. The worst drop will be the day you start withdrawing; the government takes a third out of the average American’s pie.

Now is the time to convert your qualified plans into safer, better alternatives that grow tax-free, distribute tax-free and later transfer tax-free.

You need to learn to avoid the blunders that are keeping you from a prosperous retirement. These are blunders such as thinking you’ll be in a lower tax bracket when you retire.

Or thinking that IRAs and 401(k)s are the best ways to save for retirement. Or that postponing tax on qualified plans is saving you tax.

I can teach you the difference between Mr. Taxed to the Max and Mrs. I’va Lot More. Two things are certain: sooner or later, taxes will be going up and dollars will be worth less.

Meet with a Missed Fortune advisor to get started planning your future.

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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Baby Boomers Shouldn’t Outlive Their Savings

November 14, 2010

Podcast: Download (22.9MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, November 16th 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.

Will Your Money Run Out?

Recently, “The Today Show” reported that more than 50 percent of Baby Boomers will likely outlive their money. They’ll have to rely on Social Security, charity, welfare and their children for support.

Not much has changed since the 1970s.

Back then, a Bureau of Labor Statistics study showed that by the time 100 American males reach age 65:

54 would still be financially dependent;
36 would be dead (although that’s improved since then);
five would be working to provide the necessities;
four would have an income that could sustain them;
and one would be rich.

Why can’t 95 percent of Americans reach financial prosperity after 40 years of working?

I’ve noticed that 95 percent of Americans follow the same old financial advice. They sock money into IRAs and 401(k)s. They postpone taxes on retirement accounts.

They assume they’ll be in a lower tax bracket when they retire. They think the best way to get out of debt is to send more money to the mortgage company.

What is that 5 percent of the population doing differently? They’ve accumulated their money through conservative, predictable, tax-free methods.

Their money will last as long as they do. Yours can too.

Avoiding Blunders

I can teach you to avoid the Baby Boomer Blunders that are keeping you from prosperity.

They are:

Using short-term investments for long-term goals;
Assuming you’ll only live 15 to 20 years after retirement;
Assuming that paying off your house will give you peace of mind;
Thinking that a $100,000 to $300,000 nest egg will be enough;
Thinking you’ll be in a lower tax bracket when you retire;
Deferring taxes on retirement funds saves you taxes;
IRAs and 401ks are the best ways to plan your retirement;
Letting your money sit in IRAs and 401ks if you don’t need the money at 59.5 or 70.5;
Viewing retirement as the time to do what you always wanted to do;
Thinking retirement is the time to coast;

I explain all of these points and more in my e-books, “Baby Boomer Blunders” and “Create Your Own Economic Stimulus Plan: Save Yourself Because Big Government Can’t.”

In the second e-book, I describe 31 fortunes lost amid valid optimization and allocation strategies.

Two things are certain. Taxes are going up and dollars will be worth less. But you can reach what I call The Land of Peace and Abundance and join that 5 percent.

Meet with a Missed Fortune advisor to get started planning your future.

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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Who Can Retire at Age 65?

October 10, 2010

Podcast: Download (22.9MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Free Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, October 12th 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 pick 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.

Who Can Retire at 65?

In the early 1970s, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projected what would happen to American males by age 65. Out of every 100 American males:

54 percent would still be dependent
36 percent would be dead (that’s improved since 1970)
5 percent would still be working to provide basic necessities
4 percent would have an income that could sustain them
1 would be rich

Those numbers are pretty true even today, 40 years later.

“The Today Show” recently reported that more than 50 percent of Baby Boomers will likely outlive their money and need to rely on Social Security, charity, welfare or their children for support.

I’ve noticed that 95 percent of us are following the same old advice.

We sock away funds in IRAs and 401ks.
We delay taxes.
We hope that we’ll be in a lower tax bracket when we retire.
We send extra principle payments to the mortgage company.
We lack liquidity and safety of principle.

Only 5 percent have taken the steps to not outlive their money.

They arrive at “The Land of Peace and Abundance.” They experience tremendous freedom. They have enough money accumulated to generate conservative, predictable, tax-free rates of return.

What are they doing differently? Why can’t we get 95 percent of citizens to be financially independent after 40 years of working?

“Baby Boomer Blunders”

In my e-book “Baby Boomer Blunders,” I discuss the 10 financial mistakes that threaten your retirement. Here’s a sample of the mistakes you could be making:

1. Using Short-Term Investments for Long-Range Goals
CDs and money markets are “crawl investments” that produce low returns and are taxed as earned. There are better alternatives.

2. Expecting to Live 15 or 20 Years After Retirement
If you’re a Boomer couple, it’s highly predictable that one of you will live to age 95.

3. Believing That Paying Off Your House Will Give You Peace of Mind
One of the greatest answers to becoming financially independent is sitting under your own roof.

4. Thinking a $100,000 to $300,000 Nest Egg Will Be Enough
It won’t. You’re going to need at least $1 million to generate $60,000 to $80,000 of annual income.

5. Thinking You’re Going to Be In a Lower Tax Bracket When You Retire
You’ve probably gotten rid of your deductions and dependents, paid off your house and are no longer contributing to an IRA or 401k. The government is raising taxes 8 to 12 percent over the next 12 to 24 months.

That’s just scratching the surface. In the book, I expand on more blunders, such as thinking that deferring taxes on retirement funds saves you taxes; thinking IRAs and 401ks are the best ways to save; and letting your money sit in a 401k or IRA if you don’t need it.

I also weigh in on why you shouldn’t think retirement’s the time to coast or wait to do what you always wanted to do.

I also have a second e-book, “Create Your Own Economic Stimulus Plan: Save Yourself, Because Big Government Can’t.” In it, you’ll learn about the 31 F.L.A.V.O.R.S., or Fortunes Lost Amidst Valid Optimization and Reallocation Strategies.

Where do you want to be at 65? Left with not enough and worried about tomorrow, or having the time of your life in “The Land of Peace and Abundance?”

Meet with a Missed Fortune advisor to get started planning your future.

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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New Laws Threaten Your Nest Egg

October 3, 2010

Podcast: Download (22.9MB)

This week Doug Andrew discussed the following:

Upcoming Complimentary Webinar

Attend our free 90-minute webinar live over the Internet this coming Tuesday, October 5th 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: Choosing the Right Investments for Liquidity, Safety Rate of Return and Tax Benefits.” You’ll learn how to not to lose when the market goes down and participate when the market goes up.

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.

Our Debt Keeps Rising

Who should use your retirement money: you, or the federal government?

Banks are failing, and they’re expected to continue failing for some time, according to a Standard & Poor’s report issued last Tuesday.

Consider this: only 36 banks fell in the six years prior to 2008. Then, on Sept. 25, 2008, Washington Mutual became the biggest bank failure on record.

Since then, 279 banks have collapsed. Two went down just last week.

Failures and consolidations could cut the number of banks from 7,932 to 5,000 over the next decade.

The government is the biggest culprit of mismanaging debt. In a year and a half, the Obama Administration increased the National Debt from $11.7 to $13.4 trillion.

If we keep going the way we’re going, it may only take us six to eight years to match a debt that took the last 100 years to accrue.

I have lived through six major recessions since becoming a financial strategist 36 years ago.

I have never seen Congress successfully spend its way out of a recession, but it keeps trying.

Increase Revenues By Lowering Taxes

In the 1980s we proved that lowering taxes actually increases revenue. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush lowered taxes that year and in 2003 to get the economy back on track.

When you raise taxes, you shoot yourself in the foot. This Congress doesn’t get that.

It’s estimated that a middle income American will spend 50 to 60 percent of their annual income in taxes within the next 10 to 15 years.

That’s what it will take to handle the deficit spending, healthcare package and everything else that’s been coming out of this administration.

Lawmakers are still debating the fate of the Bush tax cuts. Doing nothing actually amounts to a huge tax hike.

If you tax the rich, you tax the people who create businesses and hire workers. That slows economic growth in a time when we’re trying to crawl out of a steep recession.

While the dust settles, shouldn’t you take a safer course?

Most Americans lost 30 to 40 percent of the value of their IRAs and 401ks in 2008. They don’t have an account value equal to what they had 10 years ago. They’re trying to save for retirement using the same old strategies.

Folks who learned from Missed Fortune teachings didn’t lose a dime in 2008. Their retirement accounts are up 50 percent from four years ago and they’re double what they were a decade ago.

The writing is on the wall. Taxes are going up. The dollar will be worth less. Inflation is around the corner. I can show you how to protect yourself.

Meet with a Missed Fortune advisor to get started planning your future.

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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