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A reader sent me the following email. I thought I’d anonymously share the question and my answer.

Dear Money Over 55,

I would like to find a financial adviser to help me plan my retirement.  I would like one who charges by what they achieve, in other words by how much their recommended strategies make money.  No gain, no pay.  Big gain, big pay.  Kind of like that.

Dear Reader,

Although hedge funds charge in such a manner, not many investment advisors do. The regulatory agencies do not approve of such a way of charging because it encourages the investment advisor to take a tremendous amount of risk; after all, they only make money if they make you money, and if they lose your money, well, it’s not their own skin in the game.

That manner of charging encourages risk taking, and although it may seem like it would work well, it is likely you could lose big, or win big. If it is money you don’t mind losing, then that strategy would be worth pursuing.

You may find it helpful to read my article titled What Will A Good Investment Advisor Do For Me?

Money Over 55,

Thank you for your answer.  I never thought of it that way.  It just seemed unfair to pay a percentage of assets whether or not the investment choices made money.  It’s really a hard decision to find someone trustworthy with that hard earned money one is counting on for the rest of their life after retirement.

Dear Reader,

I understand your dilemma about paying a percentage regardless of the investment performance. The truth is investment advisors don’t have any market “secrets”. Meaning they are not going to be able to accurately time which investments to own when.

What they do have is discipline, and an understanding that to see success with investments you have to follow a long-term disciplined plan and diversify. Often I tell my clients that what we are good at is not helping you make outstanding investments, but at helping you avoid making the wrong ones. A good investment advisor is great at keeping you on track throughout good and bad markets, and helping you avoid making costly mistakes.

If you can follow a disciplined investment plan by using low-cost index funds (like Vanguard) than you may not need an investment advisor. If you feel like you can benefit from having someone keep you on track and help you rebalance your investments when appropriate, and match investments with your retirement time frame, than paying 1% a year may be worth it.

If you do hire an advisor, I recommend you find a fee-only investment advisor. This article How To Find The Best Financial Advisor tells you what, specifically, to look for, and it links to search engines you can use to find a qualified advisor in your area.

Dear Money Over 55 originally appeared on About.com Money Over 55 on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 23:18:38.

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Although some retirees do not want to leave the comfort of home and family, many others have discovered the appeal to retire abroad. It became a real popular a trend that more and more Americans live their retirement years abroad. For the different number of reasons, American seniors have decided to break the air of American ways and to live life without the hustle and bustle of the United States.

One of the main reasons is that the United States scares pensioners with the high cost of living. Americans who have a fixed retirement income often look for low-cost and an active retirement community to live the rest of their lives. With growing taxes, it has become increasingly difficult for seniors to live a comfortable life with their retirement funds. Thus, their dollars have more purchasing power in foreign countries where living costs are considerably lower.

Internet boom offered seniors more choices than ever before. Information is widely available, and thus there are many ways of looking for retirement opportunities abroad. Not only the cost of living is considerably cheaper abroad, but the health care and housing is cheaper. In particular, in many Mexican towns, pensioners can afford visiting good doctors without paying huge bills.

Other countries such as Panama, are significantly below the cost of living and the environment to remind the United States a popular retirement destinations like Florida. Panama real estate market is providing housing for a price range. Options like Ocean Front, Panama City and even the mountains are quite popular. Places like Bocas del Toro offers sandy beaches, beach restaurants and a relaxed atmosphere and a relaxing retirement.

Crime in Panama is much lower than in many U.S. cities as well as flights from America and Panama are relatively inexpensive. Making the transition to a more simple and attractive is a good option for many Americans. The official currency of Panama is currently the U.S. dollar. South America has become a favorite place for American pensioners because they offer affordable living in all kinds of fun places.

Americans are not only choosing tropical retirement. Trends show that some seniors are choosing the Philippines and Thailand. Like Mexico and other neighboring countries, many doctors are trained in the United States and are able to provide health care at competitive prices. Many retirees find the culture of exotic locales friendly and kind. Most American seniors do not suffer any financial problems there due to low living costs.

Popular retirement locations, such as Florida experiences rising cost of living and real estate, it is not surprising that many Americans live their retirement years abroad. It is something for everyone-at an affordable price! Is it maybe a good option for you? Life si becoming more expensive.

Now many people are concerned about retirement investing. Beyond any doubt there are no universal solutions on retirement investing market that can please everybody. But if you do your due diligence of what is available on this market – it will be much easier to make a wise and well balanced retirement program choice.

If you want to make stock market investing to be part of your
retirement plan, please make a nice use of these stock market news.

Nowadays we live in the world where knowledge makes life easier.

That is why if you are properly armed with the knowledge in your topic you can be sure that you will always find the way out from any bad situation. So, please make sure to track this blog on a regular basis or – best of all – sign up to its RSS feed. Thus you will have your hand on the pulse of the freshest info updates here. Blogging can be helpful, you just need to know how to use them.

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Automated forex trading is conducted by means of special software programs that allow for non-stop transactions of currencies. Private investors, brokers and global markets interact on Forex, exchanging money in direct relation with the international real-time events. Risks can hardly be controlled on Forex because of the way conditions change, but an automated Forex trading tool could reduce losses. If you want to buy and sell currency, you need money, a PC, Internet connection and a software tool to assist you. Without the right signals you will not know what mechanisms are at work, and you will lose money.

What can an automated Forex trading tool do for you? IT specialists and financial experts have designed software programs that enable the automatic analysis of currencies markets. Starting from these indicators, you can determine the moments to sell or buy currency. Time frames are necessary for these applications, and you can tailor the systems so as to match your objectives. Thus, you can select to receive the signals daily, several times a day or weekly. Some investors use several time frames for the maximization of the profits.

Automated Forex trading saves time and earns you money. Some people have started with a minimum $1 investment and have multiplied it to really make a profit. With zero knowledge on how to operate the system, you can start making profit. You can be a total newbie to the system and still be successful at it. Automated Forex trading is conducted with many kinds of tools, program versions and special softwares that constantly track and analyze the movements on the foreign exchange market. The system is designed to work for everyone, everywhere.

Before buying an automated forex system trading tool, make sure the investment is noteworthy. Such a software does not come cheap and even if you see it as a promise for future fortune, common sense and a firm grasp of reality are essential for staying out of debt. Mistakes are common occurrences on Forex. If you are unfamiliar with the system, start by reading about the major traps to avoid and the risk of hazardous speculations. You can try manuals, e-guides and even courses to learn more.

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Have you ever wondered "Do I need life insurance during retirement?" Find out the answer and, quite possibly, save some money in the process.

Retirement Insights

What many people don’t know is that with Forex online currency trading systems, losses are higher than gains for the average user. People usually lose money out of ignorance, because they think that luck is the only thing that matters in this speculative business. The choice of the trading system is important for the success in this business, because most advertisements make claims without substantiation. Ignore from the start ads that promise you ‘to make a living’, ’scalp 30 pips per day’ and have ‘90% success rate. Remember that nobody knows tomorrow’s prices, it is all pure speculation. Therefore, the purchase of real time track records is ineffectual and a waste of money.

How much confidence do you have in forex currency trading online forex? Do you know where you place your money? Prices drop occasionally, which usually happens in relation with major world events. Unless you have a firm grasp of the currency trading system venturing into an investment could be a financial suicide. One suggestion to keep major losses away is to avoid those Forex online currency trading systems that don’t reveal their operating methods. Plus, if you are a newbie, don’t jump into day trading! Always start from the premises that the system is at the worst when you open the business day.

Market analysis is relevant for real business and it will be less affected by subjective perception and negative feelings like greed and impatience.The work time per day could be somewhere below twenty five minutes if you use a financial automatic tools for registering the market fluctuations. Then, you can work independently or hire a dealer to operate on your behalf. Even with dealers, there is no escape from risks. Avoid contracting service vendors that don’t provide information on their history, their mode of operation and who don’t answer your questions.

Fear and greed usually move people into action in any Forex online currency trading, and calculated investors who don’t live by their impulses and carefully analyze transactions will profit most. If you become knowledgeable in Forex online currency trading, you considerably reduce risks and expect great gains. Use Forex charts to identify the price trends and spikes and in time you’ll learn how to decode the signs that indicate a turn in the direction of prices. You may thus avoid going with the market and losing money with foolish rush actions.

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Normally at the end of each week, I post a new thought in my “What Would I Do” blog series. Today, however, I shall tell you what I am doing…

I have the luxury of living across the street from a decent-sized park. There’s always something going on; soccer games, flag football, kids, dogs… This morning there was the cutest little girl on what was obviously her first bike, all pink, with training wheels and tassels, dad walking beside her in his pajamas and slippers. Adorable! I could sit at the front window with my Bailey’s and Coffee and watch the kids come out and play with their new toys all day.

Just before I saw her, I had been wondering what it is that causes what we call “holiday spirits?” After all, it does seem everyone is in a jolly, celebratory mood at year end. What is it, exactly, that we are celebrating?

As I watched the little girl, the answer became clear. Life. That is what we celebrate each year. The successful navigation, learning, maturity, heart aches and joys that come along with another year.

So what would I do today, and for the next week? Celebrate life. Relish in it… and smile .

A Brand New Bike originally appeared on About.com Money Over 55 on Friday, December 25th, 2009 at 12:52:11.

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If you would look for the most profitable and advanced ways to gain money, you have to remember about the stock market trade. It is obviously one of the most suitable and profitable measures to gain good stuff, but in the same time it presents you the high degree of risk. So, if you are still interested in the very question, please keep on reading the article and you would find the information that is expected to be of great use for your future profit at the stock market trade. Any way, there is the huge number of ways to gain additional stuff, but if you have choose the very one, you have to be accounted with the great deal of details that should know everyone, who is going to deal with the stock exchange. The first thing you have to know about, is related to the stock market is that it is the mutual organization, created in the eighteens century with the aim to make more money for its founders. The main principle of gaining stuff at the stock exchange is to sell and buy shares of different companies and in the same time, to increase the profit of the existing stock exchange. As it is commonly to think, the stock market is expected to do three significant tasks that are under condition to regulate the process of trades at the stock exchange. In the common meaning, they are the following: the transfer of payment in the stock exchange, the other is the directing the savings that should be invested with the profit, that has the aim to use them in the future stock exchange trade, and the next one is the process of reducing the financial risk of the members of the very stock market you are dealing with. There are also additional events you have to be attentive for. If you made up your mind as for the fact that the stock market is worth of being joined, you have to choose the very one stock exchange among the great amount of the stock markets presented in our country. Therefore, you have to be attentive as for the visibility, stability of the stock exchange. As for its international exposure and of course as for the dividends of the very stock market you are going to deal with. Each of the characteristic features of the stock market that are named bellow is of great value for your future profit. It goes without saying that you have also be attentive as for the kind of trade the stock exchange uses in the process of gambling. However, you have to know that there are three main types of trade presented at the stock markets. Nevertheless, more detail characteristic of them you would find in our next item.

No matter if you are making the first steps on the stock market or if you are a seasoned trader – all you cannot survive without stock market news.

Do not harass your success, especially in case stock trading is part of something serious like retirement investing. Be armed with the latest info, with professional stock market strategies – and the odds will be in your favor.

Right now we are living in the world where knowledge makes life easier.

Due to this if you are properly armed with the knowledge in your sphere of interest you can rest assured that you will in any case find the solution to any bad situation. So, please make sure to get back to this blog on a regular basis or – the least time consuming way of doing it – sign up to its RSS. In such an easy way you will have a direct shortcut to the freshest informational updates here. Blogs can be helpful, you just need to understand how to use them.

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The last Blogging Boomers Carnival of the year is brought to you by John Agno at So Baby Boomer and has, unsurprisingly, a festive theme.  So I'll take the opportunity to offer my compliments of the season to all my fellow blogging boomers and our readers.  Have a happy, peaceful holiday and a Happy New Year.  See you in 2010!  Here's the link you need.   

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