-
What is a “Fee-Only” Financial Advisor and Why is it Important?
- January 13, 2020
- Posted by: Parker Evans
- Category: Brokers, Financial Planning, life insurance
No CommentsAccording to the CFP Board, a “fee-only” financial advisor must not receive sales-related commissions.
A life insurance agent, who accepts commissions, from an insurance agency or insurance company, for example, is not a “fee-only” only advisor. Likewise, a Series 7 Registered Representative paid a sales commission by a Broker-Dealer for selling investments.
Here’s why we believe the “Fee-Only” method of compensation to be the most transparent and objective model of advisor compensation.
-
Your Financial Planning To-Do-List for 2020 and Beyond
- January 8, 2020
- Posted by: Parker Evans
- Category: Financial Planning
It’s a concise, useful, and all-around fantastic checklist with relevant links. Here’s Successful Portfolios’ twelve-step Financial Planning To-Do-List for 2020 and beyond. It’s a must-read for anyone serious about personal finance.
-
Does Your Financial Advisor Measure Up?
- January 2, 2020
- Posted by: Parker Evans
- Category: Financial Planning, Wealth Management
When someone says they are a financial advisor, what does that mean? What’s their background? What qualifications do they have? Do they focus on selling insurance products? Or do they have extensive education and training in investments and comprehensive financial planning?
-
How to Fix a Costly, Broken Annuity
- December 17, 2019
- Posted by: David Bennett
- Category: Annuities
A deferred annuity, unlike an immediate income annuity, is not a buy and hold investment. Most important, it’s not an investment you should buy and ignore.
-
Yes, You Can Invest Directly in an Index
- November 27, 2019
- Posted by: Parker Evans
- Category: Brokers, Financial Planning, Financial Planning and Investment Blog, Stocks, Wealth Management
Mutual fund marketing material often makes the spurious claim: “You cannot invest directly in an index.” We disagree. You can, in fact, invest directly in an index-based stock portfolio. No mutual fund or ETF needed. This paper begins with a brief history of the Dow Jones Index and its methodology. We review historical index returns. You will learn how to create your own portfolio that precisely replicates the Dow Jones Composite Average™ . We then provide seven clear and concise tips on how you might customize a index-based portfolio to seek superior investment returns.
-
Seeking Alpha: Practical Application of Modern Portfolio Theory through Technical Analysis
- November 27, 2019
- Posted by: Parker Evans
- Category: Brokers, Financial Planning, Financial Planning and Investment Blog, Stocks, Wealth Management
In his influential book, A Random Walk Down Wall Street, Burton Malkiel makes his case for efficient market theory and passive investing all while excoriating technical analysis through straw man argument. About Beta he writes, “Beta really looks suspiciously like a tool of technical analysis in academic drag – a bastard cousin of the technician’s charts”. We believe beta looks like technical analysis because it is technical analysis as is, by extension, alpha. To whit, alpha and beta estimates can be derived solely from historical price action of securities and indices. Moreover, alpha and beta are indicators that can be effectively analyzed by charts. Most important, it is apparent to us that alpha in particular has useful predictive properties for securities selection and portfolio construction.
-
Rotational Trading using the %b Oscillator
- November 27, 2019
- Posted by: Parker Evans
- Category: Brokers, Financial Planning, Financial Planning and Investment Blog, Stocks, Wealth Management
Academic finance is replete with studies supporting or denying the existence of serial correlation in securities prices1. In effect, such studies test the weak form efficient market hypothesis (EMH). Simply put, can investors use technical analysis to beat the market?
-
Interactive Brokers + Independent Advisor = Smart Investing
- July 22, 2019
- Posted by: Parker Evans
- Category: Brokers, Financial Planning, Financial Planning and Investment Blog, Stocks, Wealth Management
Watch this striking, scenic video! Remember, at Successful Portfolios, our credentialed, pros always have your back. As of July 2019, we managed over $92,000,000 in client assets at Interactive Brokers. Our viewpoint as an independent advisor ensures a fiduciary focus on your financial best interest.
-
Schwab Dominates Wall Street in Customer Accounts and Assets
- July 22, 2019
- Posted by: Parker Evans
- Category: Financial Planning and Investment Blog
In 2018 on average, Schwab gathered $624 million of new customer assets per day—more than its three biggest Wall Street rivals combined according to @wsj. Half of Schwab’s customer assets are managed by independent advisory firms that use Schwab as custodian.
-
Key Financial Data for 2019 Including Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 – Free Download
- February 27, 2019
- Posted by: Parker Evans
- Category: Factsheet, Financial Planning, Financial Planning and Investment Blog, Research, Retirement Planning, Tax Free, Taxes
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 reduces tax rates on individuals and increases the standard deduction among other changes. Successful Portfolios is pleased to present our popular fact sheet, Key Financial Data for 2019. This handy and concise tax reference covers many items affecting your finances, including: