State Farm and Edward Jones React to the Fiduciary Rule
By Mack Bekeza With April 10th, 2017 quickly approaching, a large number of investment firms and insurance agencies are scrambling to comply with the DOL fiduciary regulation. However, some firms believe they have found a solution to the upcoming rule. Knowing that their representatives cannot put their clients’ interest first, State Farm and Edward Jones […]
Retirement Savings… Are You on Track?
By Mack Bekeza Retirement savings… that thing you are supposed to live off of when you no longer want to work. Although people seem to talk about it frequently, most people do not realize how important it is to actually save for retirement. In fact, there are numerous statistics that show how little people save […]
HSAs and what you need to know about them!
By Mack Bekeza Since 2003, Health Savings Accounts (“HSAs”) have been an excellent tool for families to help cover current healthcare costs, along with future healthcare costs. HSAs are also known to be an excellent tax-planning tool since participants are allowed to contribute on a pre-tax basis and the funds grow tax deferred. Additionally, participants […]
The DOL Rule and Why Brokers and Insurance Agents Should be Concerned
By Mack Bekeza Are you currently a Registered Representative or an Insurance agent? If so, you will want to keep reading! As you may know, the Department of Labor will have new regulations in effect on April 10, 2017, which will change how Brokers and Insurance agents conduct business with retirement investors. For starters, when […]
Active Versus Passive Investment Strategy…Which is Best?
By Mack Bekeza Investors have been debating if it is better to have an active investment strategy or a passive one. On one side, investors claim that being active will allow them to capture the best investment opportunities and optimally manage risk. On the other side, investors claim that going passive will help them secure […]
How to Get the Most Out of Index Funds
By Mack Bekeza Although index funds can be an excellent choice for retirement investing, many people do not have a complete understanding of how they work. Before we get into the main topic, let’s get some facts straight about what these funds have done historically. Over the long term, have index funds outperformed the large […]
The People’s Best Interest…The Battle Continues
By Mack Bekeza The official ruling for “fiduciaries,” meaning people who are legally bound in the best interest of retirement investors, will not take effect until April of 2017. However, the Department of Labor (“The DOL”) has been bombarded by lawsuits. This brings us to the recent filing from the National Association for Fixed Annuities (“NAFA”) in […]
White House Memo: A Moment of Opportunity for Fiduciaries to Retirement Plans
If you think we’re letting go of the “fumbling children” reference made by FSI chairman Adam Antoniades, you have another thing coming. He reminds me of the proud “Minnesota Fats” character in the classic film The Hustler— he doesn’t want to recognize the truth and talent of the situation he’s faced with by “Fast Eddie” […]