Posts by Colin Gerrety, CIMA®
Post Archive
Are Financial Advisors Worth the Cost?
It’s now possible to invest for basically nothing. On one side of the cost spectrum are firms like Vanguard and Betterment, who are commoditizing low-cost investing. On the other side are the old-school brokers, potentially selling expensive investment and insurance products to clients. Somewhere in the middle of the cost spectrum is the comprehensive, fiduciary…
Read MoreRisk: The Most Important Question To Get Right
This article was originally published on Forbes on June 11th, 2018. Investors often get hung up on the wrong questions. Should I buy more Apple stock? Should I sell this dog of a mutual fund? How will the Fed impact my bond fund this month? These questions can be important. But they pale in comparison…
Read MorePredicting Market Returns: When Average Isn’t the Norm
The calm markets of 2017 may have lulled investors into thinking that stock returns are a smooth ride, but make no mistake, portfolio growth doesn’t occur in a straight line. Investors and clients constantly wonder: what sort of returns can they expect? Over the next year? Three years? Ten years? While forecasting short-term performance with…
Read More2018 Best Apps and Tools for Small Businesses: Financial Advisory Edition
Innovation is integral to the way we serve clients at Glassman Wealth. The ability to adapt and implement new tools and technologies into our business has proved invaluable to helping our firm grow while continuing to provide a high level of client service. Here is a list of some of my favorite apps and websites…
Read MoreCybersecurity: The Do’s and Don’t’s of Working Online
A client recently approached us after being hacked. Her personal information was accessed through a corporate data breach, and someone logged into her bank account and requested $19,000 to be sent to a third party. This type of attack can happen to any of us. While it’s impossible to guard against every type of cyber…
Read MoreVariable Annuities: How to Get Out of a Bad Annuity
In my recent article, I discussed some of the common drawbacks of variable annuities. The hefty fees, misleading guarantees, and tax treatment can put investors in an uncomfortable spot. But what do you do if you own a variable annuity and have buyer’s remorse? There are a few options to get out of a bad…
Read MoreVariable Annuities: 3 Reasons Your Annuity Is A Bad Deal
Variable annuities are one financial product we rarely see clients purchase on their own. The initial purchase is almost always done at the urging of a broker who earned a commission on the sale, with promises of guaranteed returns and protection from market risk. Unfortunately, those returns and protection may end up benefiting the insurer…
Read MoreImplementation: Avoiding Common Estate Planning Mistakes
You met with your attorney. You signed a will, trust, or beneficiary designations that direct your assets in the manner you want. But there’s still one key piece missing – titling your accounts correctly, updating your beneficiaries, and following through on implementing your plan. One of the common misconceptions when working through an estate plan…
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