So many new clients come to me already owning an annuity or several annuities, and they do not understand them or know what types of fees are in them. I went back through my e-mails to clients and looked through the types of questions I get about annuities, and thought I would answer some of them here by explaining some of the concepts around annuities. An annuity is a product… Read More
Yesterday morning, I attended the St. Louis Chapter of the Financial Planning Association meeting to hear a presentation titled “Modern Portfolio Theory 2.0.” It was excellent, no surprise, because it was presented by Michael Kitces MSFS, MTAX, CFP®, CLU, ChFC, RHU, REBC, CASL, whom I often describe as a “walking brain” when discussing him with peers. He is also the author of a reference book I own, and to which I… Read More
Unexpected financial expenses seem to crop up at the least opportune time. The car needs a new transmission, you lose your job, or a parent or child becomes ill, and you need to reduce your hours at work in order to care for them, resulting in an unexpected reduction in income. All of these expenses, and others, can drain savings quickly. Why have an emergency fund? You can resort to… Read More
On Friday, an EF-3 tornado hit St. Louis County and City. At least five people passed away, and thousands of homes were damaged, some beyond repair. Although the official National Weather Service report isn’t complete, initial reports suggest that the tornado likely formed in Clayton, moved northeast through Forest Park, DeBaliviere Place, Fountain Park, the Greater Ville, O’Fallon Park, and crossed the Mississippi into Illinois. My home is in DeBaliviere… Read More
Last September, I wrote that I would write about the four big categories of alternative investments, as defined by the CFA Institute: Hedge funds Commodities and Natural Resources Real Estate and Infrastructure Private Equity and Private Credit Well, five months have passed, and I forgot all about it, but two articles I read recently reminded me. In January, the Wall Street Journal reported on a new study that showed that… Read More
What is the Financial Planning Association (FPA) The Financial Planning Association is the largest membership organization dedicated to supporting personal financial planning experts in the nation. While it is generally thought of as the group for CFP® practitioners, you do not have to be a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ to belong. People who support the financial planning process are able to join as well. There are about 75 chapters nationwide and tens of thousands of… Read More
Click here to view Participants Insights 2Q 2019
Click here to view 3Q 2016 Participant Insights
Click here to view 2Q 2016 Participant Insights
I am pleased to announce that for the second time, Acropolis has been named a top Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) by the Financial Times (FT). The FT starts by looking at firms with more than $300 million in assets under management, which is about 1,500 RIAs. They invite firms to fill out a questionnaire and then evaluate the companies based on six key attributes: assets under management (AUM), asset growth,… Read More
