Most people do not have the same job over the course of their career. When they switch jobs, they will most likely need to look into IRA Rollovers. In the article below, you will learn about IRA Rollovers and if they are something that might benefit you in the future.

IRA Rollovers

Article From: Money-Zine.com

In this article we are going to discuss IRA rollovers.  We’ll going to start off by briefly discussing why an IRA rollover might be necessary, as well as provide you with a definition of a rollover.  We’re then going to explain the difference between a rollover and a transfer, and finish up with some of the rollover rules you need to be aware of to prevent you from encountering any income tax penalties.

What is an IRA Rollover?

Lifetime employment is a thing of the past, and so there are two things you can be pretty sure of:

• You’ll reach a point where retirement planning becomes a priority.
• There is a good chance that you won’t finish your career with the same employer that you started your career with.

Additional Resources

IRA Rollover IRA Withdrawals IRA Contribution Limits IRA Contribution Limits 2004 and 2005

While some companies will allow you to keep anyretirement savings you have with them in their plan’s account until you reach retirement age, there is a very good chance you’ll lose some flexibility in how that money is invested.

You may also wish to consolidate your retirement plans so that you don’t need to worry about managing several accounts.  If that’s true, then one day you may need to make a decision concerning an IRA rollover.

IRA Rollover Defined

An IRA rollover is a tax-free distribution from one retirement account that is contributed to an IRA.  There are several kinds of retirement accounts that can be rolled-over into a traditional IRA, including another traditional IRA, an employer’s qualified plan such as a 401(k) plan, deferred compensation plans (section 457 plan), and a tax-sheltered annuity plan such as a 403(b).

You should always check with your plan administrator to make sure you can take a rollover from your account.

IRA Rollovers versus Transfers

There are two ways of moving money between financial institutions - performing a transfer or doing a rollover.  Most of the time, it is far easier to do a transfer than a rollover - especially if your existing plan will accommodate the request.

With a transfer you would make arrangements with another financial institution to receive funds from your current institution.  The receiving institution then sends a request to the disbursing institution requesting a transfer of funds.  This is usually accomplished via a physical check.

This type of transaction does not have to be reported to the IRS, and requires very little work on behalf of the account holder’s part.  Transfers are sometimes referred to as direct rollovers, and are not subject to the 20% IRS withholding tax - which we discuss later on.

With a rollover, the retirement funds are distributed from the disbursing institution directly to the former account holder.  This means a check is sent directly to an individual, not another institution.

Unlike a transfer, a rollover is reported to the IRS.  This is to ensure that the individual receiving this money abides by the rollover rules, and deposits the money into another qualifying retirement account in a timely manner.

60-Day Rollover Rule

In general, you have 60 days to make the rollover contribution after receiving the distribution from your traditional IRA or an employer’s qualifying plan such as a 401k or 403b.  The IRS might waive the 60-day requirement if you can demonstrate that a significant hardship or event occurred that was beyond your control.  If you want to try and get a waiver, a request for a ruling must be made and a $90 fee may apply.

Rollover Extensions

You can qualify for an extension of the 60-day rule if the deposit becomes frozen at any time during the 60 days.  There are two specific rules that extend the rollover timeline.  Both of these rules have to do with frozen deposits - deposits that are held with banks that become insolvent or bankrupt.If the distribution becomes a frozen deposit, then the time during which the money is frozen does not count towards the 60 day timeframe.  Also, the 60 days cannot expire less than 10 days after the deposit is no longer frozen.

Rollover Withholding

If an eligible rollover is paid directly to you, then the distribution may be subject to 20% withholding. This rule applies even if you are merely rolling it over into a traditional IRA.  To avoid any tax penalties, you need to rollover 100% of your account money withdrawn into the receiving account

Rollover Withholding Example

Let’s take a closer look at this withholding rule.  Let’s say that you have $10,000 in an account that you want to move to a new retirement account.  If the money is sent directly to you, then you’ll receive $8,000 (20% will be withheld).  To avoid any tax penalties, you will have to send $10,000 to the receiving account.  That means you need to make sure you have access to funds to make up for the 20% withheld.  In this example, that amount is $2,000.

You can avoid the 20% withholding by have the distribution set up as a direct rollover, or transfer, as mentioned above.  This means that the money goes directly from the withdrawal account to the receiving account.  Retirement plan administrators do this all the time, and they can help walk you through the process.

Future Contributions and Rollover IRAs

There are some benefits of keeping a rollover IRA separate from any other IRAs you’ve been funding in the past, or would consider funding in the future.  That’s because once you make personal contributions to a rollover that is not from a company-sponsored plan then you will very likely lose the ability to move that rollover to a new company’s sponsored plan.

Rollover IRA Withdrawal Rules

The withdrawal rules for a rollover IRA are exactly the same as the rules for a traditional IRA.  The contributions and earnings are taxed when withdrawn after age 59 1/2.  Any withdrawals before the age 59 1/2 are taxable and subject to a 10% tax penalty.  Withdrawals from a rollover IRA must begin by the year after you reach 70 1/2.

For more information these types of distributions, including allowed exceptions to these rules, see our publication on IRA Withdrawals.

Roth IRA Rollovers

Finally, we’d like to mention that there really is no such thing as a Roth IRA rollover.  That’s because the IRS refers to the process of rolling-over a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA a conversion.  Unfortunately, the topic of converting a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA is far too complex to discuss here.

There are worksheets involved to figure out if you qualify; there are tax and withholding implications too.  Although we attempt to take fairly complex subject and explain them in plain English, this subject is best discussed with a tax professional.  For the ambitious readers out there, you can take a look at this 100 page publication put out by the IRS - Publication 590, which thoroughly discusses the topic of IRA conversions.

Paragon Wealth Management is a provider of managed portfolios for individuals and institutions.  Although the information included in this report has been obtained from sources Paragon believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy.  All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the judgment as of the dates indicated and are subject to change without notice.  This report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

It is important to understand the value of a Roth IRA when you are planning for your retirement. Below is an article that will give you more information about Roth IRAs to help you in your decision making.

Roth:  Four Little Letters Leading to Financial Security

Written by James Lange, JD, CFP
Roth IRA Advisor

Roth IRAs and their more recent cousins, the Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b), offer outstanding retirement and estate planning opportunities to most readers who qualify. Further, the chance to benefit from a Roth account does not end when employment ends, as Roth IRA conversions are favorable for many retirees. A significant change to the tax law effective in 2010 has the potential to significantly enhance the benefits of your retirement savings. The change which is now effective is that there is no income cap for Roth IRA eligibility for 2010. This means regardless of income, all IRA owners will be eligible for a Roth IRA conversion. Previously, only those with incomes under $100,000 could do a conversion.

If you are unsure about using a Roth plan, read on and discover how a Roth retirement plan can help provide you and your family with long-term financial security. In most cases, you will be better off and in many cases, you could start the foundation for a tax-free dynasty.

Roth IRA Contributions - Rules and Recommendations

In most cases, we recommend that you make a $5,000 Roth IRA contribution for yourself and (if applicable) a $5,000 contribution for your spouse for 2010. If either you or your spouse is over age 50, these amounts are increased to $6,000.

According to Roth IRA rules, to qualify for the maximum contribution, married taxpayers filing a joint return must have combined Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) of less than $166,000 (for 2009) or less than $167,000 (for 2010) and your earned income must be at least as much as the amount you want to contribute to the Roth IRA. For singles, you must have an AGI of less than $105,000 and an earned income of an amount at least equal to the contribution amount.

If you are wealthy and have qualifying children or grandchildren (i.e., the children are earning at least $5,000), please consider giving any eligible child or grandchild a gift of $5,000-with the stipulation that he or she should put the money into a Roth IRA for themselves.

Why is a Roth IRA Better than a Regular IRA?

Roth IRAs, with a few exceptions, grow income-tax free and owners are not required to begin taking minimum distributions at age 70½. Your Roth IRA can continue to grow tax-free for as long as you, or possibly your children or grandchildren, own it.

Regular IRAs grow tax-deferred, and both the original investment and the growth will be taxed when the money is withdrawn.

The disadvantage of the Roth IRA is that you do not receive a tax deduction when you make a contribution. In effect, Congress is taxing the seed (your contribution), but you reap the harvest (your withdrawals) tax free. In contrast, with a traditional IRA, you are not taxed on the seed, but your harvest is taxed.

The exception to our preference for the Roth over the regular IRA would be when you can anticipate that your income tax bracket will be lower later. However, even with a lower tax brackets in retirement, the Roth IRA can still be a better choice unless a short investment period is anticipated.

Roth IRA Conversion

Now that the $100,000 income limit is gone, you should give serious consideration to converting at least a portion of your current regular IRA to a Roth IRA. For most clients, we generally recommend a partial conversion. Making the conversion does require paying taxes on the converted amount to the extent it produces taxable income and larger conversions can result in taxes at higher rates. But, taking that tax payment into account, a strategic amount of conversion provides a dramatic increase in long-term benefits to your family.

How much better off are you? In the simple example graphed below using consistent tax rates, if you convert $100,000 today, then in 20 years, you are $51,227 ahead (using reasonable assumptions too lengthy to list).

But, then please consider this scenario: what if you die 20 years after you make the conversion and you opt to leave the Roth IRA to your 55-year-old child?

How much better off is your child? $1,537,493. To be fair, that is in future dollars. The present value of the benefit to your child or children in today’s dollars is $260,963 adjusted for 3% inflation.

But, what if you instead decide to leave the Roth IRA to your 25-year-old grandchild?

How much better off is your grandchild? $2,555,058. Again, to be fair, that is in future dollars. The present value of the benefit to your grandchild or grandchildren in today’s dollars is $433,678 adjusted for 3% inflation. This is a greater advantage than for the children because the younger grandchildren have lower required minimum distributions and thus more tax-free growth than do the children.

What if the Tax Rates Go Up?

You will be ecstatic that you made the conversion. If you convert when taxes are lower and cut taxable income when taxes are higher, the benefits of the conversion will be much better than the graphs indicate.

What if We Abolish the Income Tax?

Oops, your hot air balloon will be deflated. You would have paid income tax for nothing.

Estate Planning for Roth and Regular IRAs

While conducting your estate planning, please keep in mind that it is not your will or living trust that establishes who will inherit your IRAs, Roth IRAs and retirement plans. Those determinations are controlled by the beneficiary designations that you have chosen for each of these specific plans. Many readers have complicated wills, but they make the mistake of not doing the same depth of planning when specifying their IRA and retirement plan beneficiaries. IRA owners and retirement plan participants should consider whether they need sophisticated IRA and retirement plan beneficiary designations, in addition to sophisticated wills or living trusts. An integrated tax-savvy approach including wills, trusts and retirement plan beneficiary designations will dramatically increase the amount of the funds retained by the family.

Discover the wealth-building power of a Roth IRA!

James Lange, CPA, JD, is a nationally recognized tax and retirement and estate planning attorneywith a thriving practice in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  He is also the author of the bestselling book Retire Secure! Pay Taxes Later:  The Key to Making Your Money Last as Long as You Do. He offers well researched, time tested recommendations focusing on the unique needs of individuals with appreciable assets in their IRAs and 401(k) plans.  His plans include tax-savvy advice, will and trust preparation, and intricate beneficiary designations for IRAs and other retirement plans.  Jim’s advice and recommendations have received national attention from syndicated columnist Jane Bryant Quinn, his recommendation frequently appear in the Wall Street Journal,  and his articles have been published in Financial Planning, Kiplinger’s Retirement Report and The Tax Adviser.

Paragon Wealth Management is a provider of managed portfolios for individuals and institutions.  Although the information included in this report has been obtained from sources Paragon believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy.  All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the judgment as of the dates indicated and are subject to change without notice.  This report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

 

As a follow up to last week’s brief overview of custodial IRAs, the following article gives additional details on how custodial IRAs work and the benefits of setting one up for your child.

Start Good Saving And Investing Habits Early

from CharlesSchwab

If your child works and has earned income, he or she may be eligible for a Custodial IRA. As a parent, you can open a Custodial IRA for your child. There are lots of great reasons to consider this, including:

Opening a Custodial IRA for your child can be a great way to teach important lessons about the value of saving and investing.

As with all IRAs, funds invested in a Custodial IRA qualify for special tax treatment. With an early head-start, your child’s earnings could potentially benefit from many years of tax-deferred compounding.

A Custodial IRA can also provide an additional source of funds for your child’s college education-or even help them to buy their first home.

How It Works

• A Custodial IRA account can be opened as either a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA.
• The account is managed by a parent or guardian for the benefit of the child.
• Funds in the account belong to the child and must be turned over to the child at the age of majority. Although the general principles for custodial accounts are the same across the country, the age of majority when the child is entitled to control the account and take the assets varies from age 18 to 21 depending on the state. Some states allow the designation of a higher age under certain circumstances.¹
• Assets placed in the account are considered an irrevocable gift and immediately become the property of the child. In other words, you aren’t allowed to change your mind and take the assets back, and the money in the account must be turned over to the child once the custodianship ends, usually at age 18 or 21, depending on your state.
• While the objective of an IRA is to save for retirement, the child may be able to use funds earlier for qualified higher education expenses, first-time home purchases or other qualified reasons.

Investment Choices

Custodial IRAs give you the same investment choices as our regular IRA accounts. With a Custodial IRA, you will have the freedom to:

• Invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and more. 
• Trade online, by phone, or in a branch. 
• Use online research and planning tools.

Visit CharlesSchwab for answers to frequently asked  questions about custodial IRAs.

Paragon Wealth Management is a provider of managed portfolios for individuals and institutions.  Although the information included in this report has been obtained from sources Paragon believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy.  All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the judgment as of the dates indicated and are subject to change without notice.  This report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

 

photo by josipbroz

Understanding your options to save for retirement can be daunting. The following article gives basic information about the different types of individual retirement accounts (IRAs) to help you prepare for your financial future.

Invest in an IRA to build your savings and get tax benefits

Provided by Charles Schwab 

An IRA is an easy way to save for retirement. You get to choose the investments you want, your earnings can grow tax-deferred and withdrawals you take at retirement may be tax-free. Select your IRA from the list below or use the Schwab IRA Analyzer to help you decide.

Traditional IRA

A traditional IRA is a great way to build your retirement nest egg while enjoying tax benefits. You won’t pay tax on your earnings until you make withdrawals, and your contributions may be tax-deductible. This could be the right choice for you if you are under 70 ½ and have earned income.

Roth IRA

With a Roth IRA, your contributions aren’t tax-deductible- but your earnings grow tax-deferred and withdrawals can be made tax-free. Unlike a traditional IRA, you don’t have to make annual withdrawals at a certain age. A Roth IRA could be the right choice for you if you expect to be in a higher tax bracket in the future.

Rollover IRA

If you have assets in an old employer-sponsored retirement plan, it’s easy to move them into a Schwab Rollover IRA. You keep the tax benefits and get to choose how your money is invested. This could be the right choice for you if you’ve changed jobs or retired.

Inherited IRA

If you’re the beneficiary of an IRA, opening an inherited IRA will preserve the tax-deferred status of the account. This could be the right choice for you if you don’t have an immediate need for the cash and you want to avoid taxes that would be due if you were to take the assets as a lump sum.

Custodial IRA

A custodial IRA makes it possible to set up a retirement account for a minor so that he or she can benefit from tax-free or tax-deferred growth. Custodial IRAs require that an adult be named as custodian of the account until the minor reaches the age when he or she can take control of the assets. This could be the right choice for you if you’re the parent of a child under 18 who has earned income.

Paragon Wealth Management is a provider of managed portfolios for individuals and institutions.  Although the information included in this report has been obtained from sources Paragon believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy.  All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the judgment as of the dates indicated and are subject to change without notice.  This report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

photo by ydocnameloc

Only a small percentage of financial advisors are Registered Investment Advisors (RIA). Federal and state law requires that RIAs are held to a fiduciary standard. Most so called “financial advisors” are considered broker-dealers and are held to a lower standard of diligence on behalf of their clients. The following excerpt discusses how evaluating the way an advisor is compensated can help you determine their fiduciary standard.

How Compensation Is Related To Fiduciary Conduct

To view the complete article visit FOCUSonFiduciary

One of the best ways to judge if your financial advisor is held to a Fiduciary standard is to find out how he or she is compensated.

Fee-Only Compensation -
This model minimizes conflicts of interest. A Fee-Only financial advisor charges clients directly for his or her advice and/or ongoing management. No other financial reward is provided, directly or indirectly, by any other institution. Fee-Only financial advisors are selling only one thing: their knowledge.

Some advisors charge an hourly rate, and others charge a flat fee or an annual retainer. Some charge an annual percentage, based on the assets they manage for you.

Fee-Based Compensation -
This popular form of compensation is often confused with Fee-Only, but it is very different. Fee-Based advisors earn some of their compensation from fees paid by their client. But they may also receive compensation in the form of commissions or discounts from financial products they are licensed to sell. Furthermore, they are not required to inform their clients in detail how their compensation is accrued. The Fee-Based model creates many potential conflicts of interest, because the advisor’s income is affected by the financial products that the client selects.

Commissions -
An advisor who is compensated solely through commissions faces immense conflicts of interest. This type of advisor is not paid unless a client buys (or sells) a financial product. A commission-based advisor earns money on each transaction-and thus has a great incentive to encourage transactions that might not be in the interest of the client. Indeed, many commission-based advisors are well-trained and well-intentioned. But the inherent potential conflict is great.

Paragon Wealth Management is a provider of managed portfolios for individuals and institutions.  Although the information included in this report has been obtained from sources Paragon believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy.  All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the judgment as of the dates indicated and are subject to change without notice.  This report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

photo by yewenyi

Choosing an advisor with fiduciary responsibility who, by definition, implements prudent financial management practices, is like taking precautionary life saving measures while in the water. An advisor with fiduciary responsibility will minimize short and long-term financial risk and identify investment opportunities that will lead to increased value, while always placing the clients’ best interest ahead of their own. The following excerpt discusses what fiduciary responsibility means for the 21^st century.

New Directions in Fiduciary Responsibility

by Stephen Viederman.  To view the complete article visit Institutional Shareowner

This vision of fiduciary responsibility carries new and redefined obligations for fiduciaries.

• Fiduciaries should be knowledgeable about the social, environmental, political and cultural issues that affect their portfolios and which are analytic tools integrated with more conventional financial analysis. These issues include among others climate change, labor conditions and human rights worldwide, diversity on boards and in the workforce, and product safety.
• Fiduciaries should use investment managers who have the skills and resources to implement an investment program that incorporates the interrelationships between financial decision-making and social and environmental issues, and who are also knowledgeable about these issues. This is not portfolio screening.
• Fiduciaries should review their entire portfolios, not individual assets or even individual asset classes. Single decisions affect total portfolios that in turn have societal effects. For large institutional investors the bottom line is portfolio-wide. This requires awareness that negative economic externalities (e.g. pollution) and positive returns in a single company (e.g. pharmaceuticals) may benefit a particular firm they own, but will likely damage the asset value of other firms they own.6
• Fiduciaries should develop proxy-voting guidelines, make them available to their beneficiaries, and disclose their actual votes on proxy resolutions. Fiduciaries are the stewards of capital entrusted to them to look out for all their beneficiary interests.
• Fiduciaries should demand greater transparency and disclosure from the companies in their portfolios on social and environmental issues as well as issues of corporate governance. They will also need to encourage best practice, and better practice.
• Fiduciaries should practice the same levels of transparency and disclosure they demand of companies on all aspects of their activities. Fiduciaries should explore the potential of alternative investments and alternative investment strategies to channel funds into new areas that are socially just and environmentally sound, as well as financially viable.
• Fiduciaries should ask their lawyers how to accommodate these new responsibilities and obligations, rather than ask if they can. Even in situations where a legislature has directed that the highest financial rate of return is the sole purpose of a pension fund, such as the case of New York, this new analytical approach to financial decision-making need not be an obstacle. Substantial research shows that consideration of the risks and opportunities that social, environmental, political and cultural issues raise can improve financial performance, or at least have no negative effect.

This view of fiduciary responsibility and the obligations of fiduciaries is not a radical approach to institutional investing. In fact it is very conservative because it makes best use of all available information that can positively and negatively affect financial returns. The transparency of analysis and action that results should help address not only long-term societal impacts of investment decisions, but also immediate needs for greater disclosure from companies.

The transition from the present view of fiduciary responsibility to a new view may take some time. But the debate on these issues must begin now to the benefit all beneficiaries, shareholders and stakeholders alike.

Paragon Wealth Management is a provider of managed portfolios for individuals and institutions.  Although the information included in this report has been obtained from sources Paragon believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy.  All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the judgment as of the dates indicated and are subject to change without notice.  This report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

photo by souloyster

Navigating the waters of selecting a financial advisor can be difficult, but by choosing one who has fiduciary responsibility, you are choosing an advisor that has a legal responsibility to put your needs ahead of their own. There are a number of important differences that separate advisors who have fiduciary responsibility from those who don’t. The following article outlines those basic differences.

Financial Advisors are Fiduciaries, so what?

Taken from Paladin Registry

Very few investors know the critical importance of selecting an investment fiduciary as their financial advisor. That’s because the financial securities industry deliberately blurs the distinctions so lower quality sales representatives can sell you inferior investment and insurance products for big fees and commissions.

It is important to know there are two primary types of investment advisors and not one. Following is a brief description of each type so you know the differences.

Fiduciary advisors have the following characteristics:

• They are Registered Investment Advisors or Investment Advisor Representatives
• RIAs and IARs are held to the highest ethical standards in the industry
• They frequently use job descriptions such as: Financial Advisor, Investment Advisor, Financial Consultant, Financial Planner, Money Manager
• They provide financial advice and services for fees
• They acknowledge they are fiduciaries when they provide investment advice and services
• Fiduciaries are required to always put their clients’ financial interests first versus their own needs for revenue and income

Non-Fiduciary advisors (sales representatives) have the following characteristics:

• They hold securities licenses, such as Series 6 and 7
• There are held to much lower ethical standards than RIAs and IARs
• Their job descriptions are sales representative, investment representative, financial consultant (noteoverlap with fiduciary advisors)
• Their licenses limit them to selling investment products for commissions
• They are not allowed to charge fees for their advice and services
• They are not fiduciaries because they are not RIAs or IARs
• The critical question you should be asking yourself is do you want a sales representative investing assets that will impact your standard of living during retirement and your financial security late in life? If your answer is no, and it should be, then you should limit your selection to fiduciary advisors.

Paragon Wealth Management is a provider of managed portfolios for individuals and institutions.  Although the information included in this report has been obtained from sources Paragon believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy.  All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the judgment as of the dates indicated and are subject to change without notice.  This report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

There are a number of questions that need to be answered in order to put together a long-term investment strategy that will align your risk tolerance with your portfolio. We invite you to watch this short video that discusses these questions.

You can schedule a complimentary portfolio review with one of Paragon’s financial advisors if you have additional questions about aligning your portfolio with your risk tolerance.

Paragon Wealth Management is a provider of managed portfolios for individuals and institutions.  Although the information included in this report has been obtained from sources Paragon believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy.  All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the judgment as of the dates indicated and are subject to change without notice.  This report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

Your investment risk tolerance is the amount of stress you experience when your account declines. If you invest too aggressively for your risk tolerance, then at some level of decline you may reach a breaking point. When that point is hit, many investors feel the need to sell their investments in order to protect themselves. As a result, they make the classic mistake of selling out right at the market bottom just before the market rebounds. This causes them to lock in their losses and miss out on future gains.

We invite you to watch this video and then take a short 10-question survey to determine your risk tolerance.

Paragon Wealth Management is a provider of managed portfolios for individuals and institutions.  Although the information included in this report has been obtained from sources Paragon believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy.  All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the judgment as of the dates indicated and are subject to change without notice.  This report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

 

 photo by E l u s i v e E y E

Finding a financial advisor can be daunting. This is because the title “financial advisor” is not regulated, and advisors range the gamut from annuity sales people to insurance agents to registered money managers.

Who you select to be your financial advisor is largely dependant upon your goals, financial situation, state of life and investment style. If you are just looking to buy insurance, there are certainly no problems buying from an insurance agent. But, if you are interseted in investing in your 401k or other funds for long-term growth, it is crucial that you understand how to select the top money managers that will help you grow your instement portfolio over time.

You should ask the following 7 questions before you select a financial advisor. We also invite you to watch a short video for additional information on How To Select A Financial Advisor.

#1 - Is the advisor a fiduciary advisor? Do they have the legal obligation to put your interest ahead of their own?

#2 - Does the advisor have at least 10 years of experience? 

#3 - Can the advisor produce a clear report that shows exactly what their track record has been over the years?

#4 - Does the advisor have a conflict of interest? Are they paid based on a commission for selling you a product you may not need?

#5 - Do they have a surrender charge? Are you free to move your money out of an investment if you are not satisfied?

#6 - How will your funds be protected? 

#7 - Will the advisor work with you to determine your risk tolerance and make sure your investments are in line with your ability to tolerate risk? 

To download the complete article visit paragonwealth.com. 

Paragon Wealth Management is a provider of managed portfolios for individuals and institutions.  Although the information included in this report has been obtained from sources Paragon believes to be reliable, we do not guarantee its accuracy.  All opinions and estimates included in this report constitute the judgment as of the dates indicated and are subject to change without notice.  This report is for informational purposes only and is not intended as an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any security.  Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.