Common Sense Rules to Keep Your Hard-Earned Money By P. Christopher Music Do you know the tale-tell characteristics that indicate “investment scam?” Over the course of the last two decades in the financial industry, I have had good fortune, and yes, bad fortune in learning about the realities of investments. When I speak with investors, it’s not uncommon for some people to insist on certain delusions they have accumulated regarding the subject. This article is an effort to give you ...

Good debt, bad debt - is there a difference? By Christopher Music Do we really need debt? Is debt actually something that is part and parcel of our economic existence? Let’s take a look at what debt really is. It’s defined as one owing something to another or the condition of owing. Why do we get into a condition that we owe someone else money? It is terrifyingly simple. We spent more than we earned. Money is earned by delivering a valuable product or service in which ...

Understanding the Concept of Wealth Equivalents By Christopher Music Another frequently asked question for financial advisors is “How much money do I need to be able to retire?” The answer is both simple and complex. To get a real understanding of this question, you need to understand the concept of “wealth equivalents.” What are “wealth equivalents?” A wealth equivalent is the value of investments that, if those investments yield 5% per year, would provide the ...

Why put yourself in a position where you are affected by the roller coaster of market volatility? By Christopher Music With all the volatility of the stock market, have you ever wondered what alternatives are there to the stock market? One alternative to investing in the stock market, especially during times of exceptional volatility is in a Fixed Index Annuity (FIA), a hybrid between a fixed and variable annuity, for long-term growth. What is an annuity? An annuity is an ...

2 Financial Planning Strategies to help protect your assets Would you like more control of your finances? The first thing you'd need to do is to actually create a plan. And then, you need to keep your goals and purposes in mind as you invest. But that's just the beginning. Read on for two more of the six key elements you need to deal with before you can be assured you've covered the basics. These two keys are absolutely essential, yet many people are reluctant to deal with them because doing ...

Are your assets protected? Are you sure? If you're like a lot of people, you may think your assets are safe, but the reality is very different. What is asset protection? Well, it is creating barriers between your assets and anyone who is attacking them. This includes lawsuits and taxes among others. Just know that if you own any assets in your own name they are generally NOT protected. Let's take the subject of lawsuits. Did you know that in the US alone there are more than 50,000 lawsuits filed ...

Revisiting the Debt-to-Income Ratio Rule If you have ever applied for a mortgage, you may well have wondered about where that “28/36 debt-to-income ratio rule” came from that the mortgage broker talked to you about….and whether it even makes any sense. After sometime researching, I discovered some very surprising facts. When you apply for a mortgage, the banks will usually calculate your debt-to-income ratio. The idea is that your total monthly debt repayments shouldn't be above a certain ...