Follow my logic here…

Quotes from Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement speech @ Stanford University:
“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice… and most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”  -Steve Jobs

Fact 1: A monumental shift in the earth:
The 9.0 earthquake off the NE coast of Japan on Fri March 11, 2011 had a significant impact on the earth.  The earthquake moved Honshu 2.4 m (8 ft) east and shifted the Earth on its axis by estimates of between 10 cm (4 in) and 25 cm (10 in)…

Fact 2: NIKE’s “Just Do It” slogan:
It’s been measured and proven that this NIKE slogan and corporate tagline had a fundamental and profound impact on the way people thought of themselves – not just to go out and buy a pair of Nike shoes.  This slogan actually got people off the couch and got them more active.  People ended relationships that were weighing them down for years and finally “did it”.  There are countless other examples of how this slogan (originally designed to sell more shoes and apparel) — actually cut deeper into the fabric of our lives and conscience thought — for many years afterward.

Hypothesis:
What if Steve Jobs’ death, along with the worldwide media attention it has garnered, has actually shifted a certain percentage of the human population to think differently.

WHAT IF – there is another shift happening right now.  A change afoot that the mainstream media has missed!

WHAT IF – Steve’s passing has fundamentally caused a shift in the thinking of people all over the world to take the opportunities at hand and run with them.

WHAT IF – after reading Steve’s quotes above (and his other quotes within other social media outlets) – entrepreneurs around the world emulate his thinking and passion toward their own dreams.  Finally making their dreams a reality!

WHAT IF – many people around the world make a conscious effort to create real value in human evolution…

WOW — What a better place our global community will be!

My Take-away: I think Steve will live on in more ways than just the technological gadgets, products and solutions he brought forth.  I also believe Steve Jobs will live on in many, many qualitative and subtle ways that can not be quantified.  Thanks Steve (from my personal perspective) - as you continue to inspire me to take my next steps in life, toward the life I was truly created for.  - Mark Brogley

Final Quote from Steve Jobs:
“Remembering you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” - Steve Jobs

One of our high-quality financial planning RIA-partners has agreed to work with consumer households across the US — to help improve your financial outlook. 

Need a FREE consultation?  A second opinion?

Financial/Retirement Planning is a step-by-step process. 
Receive a FREE Comprehensive 40-page Financial/Retirement Plan from WHI Financial Services
(follow the below link to WHI’s profile):
http://www.allfinancialadvisors.com/factsheet/index/4096 

This is a Free Offer to Consumers Only
WHI Financial Services helps hundreds of families each year to reach their goals! 
See if you are on-track to retire when you expect.  

WHI Financial Services provides their Free Financial/Retirement Plan which includes:

*Age @ Retirement Analysis - see if you can afford to Retire at your desired retirement age
*Annual Contribution Analysis – see if you are investing enough for retirement
*Annual Investment Returns Analysis – pre & post retirement returns needed to meet your retirement goals

*Asset Allocation Graphs - for your investments based on your retirement goals

*Estate Planning – Current & Alternative Analysis and Tax Estimate
*Survivor Needs Analysis

*Insurance Summary
*Long-Term Care Needs

*Net Worth Statement
*Retirement Capital Analysis

To receive WHI’s FREE Retirement Plan: email your request to info@AllFinancialAdvisors.com

We hope this helps.   
The AllFinancialAdvisors Team

Today Sept 8th 2011, our newly appointed Congressional “Super-committee” will meet for the first time, on ways to reduce our nation’s overwhelming debt. 

We encourage you to educate yourself on the issues.  Your financial advisor can help you sort out the issues.

Are you a senior, who has worked hard for your Social Security and Medicare benefits all your life… paying your share into the Social Security system over your lifetime?  

Are you aware that some members want to put Medicare benefits & Social Security on the chopping block?

We know Congress needs to make tough choices to reduce the national debt, but we think you should make your opinion known by contacting your congressional representatives. 

Something has to give or our nation will go broke.  We as a nation, cannot just keep printing new money & hope our nation’s problems will go away.

Let us know what you think.

Also, if you are not working with a financial advisor, financial planning professional or wealth manager yet — maybe it’s time to connect with a good one.

Search our database and contact a few to start your conversation regarding how best to plan for your retirement years.  We hope our service helps.

Thanks, The AllFinancialAdvisors.com Team

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Do you even have a Financial/Retirement Plan?  Receive a FREE Comprehensive 40-page Financial/Retirement Plan and see if you are on-track to retire when you expect. 

Will you be able to fulfill your retirement dreams…?

This Free Financial/Retirement Plan includes:

*Age @ Retirement Analysis - see if you can afford to Retire at your desired retirement age

*Annual Contribution Analysis – see if you are investing enough for retirement

*Annual Investment Returns Analysis – pre & post retirement returns needed to meet your retirement goals

*Asset Allocation Graphs - for your investments based on your retirement goals

*Estate Planning – Current & Alternative Analysis and Tax Estimate

*Insurance Summary

*Long-Term Care Needs

*Net Worth Statement

*Retirement Capital Analysis

*Survivor Needs Analysis

To receive this Retirement Plan free: email your request to info@AllFinancialAdvisors.com

Thank you for your interest. 
The AllFinancialAdvisors Team

What Should You Look For In a Financial Planning Firm, Wealth Manager and / or Financial Advisor?

Just a few items to have on your check list:

* Review the advisor’s methodology prior to committing your time, efforts and most importantly your hard earned investment dollars.
* Ask for a copy of all compensation, fee and/or commission schedules.
* Ask if they have been subject to any legal and/or disciplinary actions or have received any client complaints in the past.
* Is the financial advisor using an institution to “clear” or execute trades?  If so, become familiar with that institution and double-check the fees associated with this activity.  Know all the details first…

* Ask for their current client list of references, specifically from clients who have similar retirement goals as yours.
* Inquire about the financial advisor’s education, industry experiences, professional affiliations, credentials and general background.
* Make sure any financial planner and/or wealth advisor you are meeting with is properly licensed, bonded and insured in the states where they do business.

What is a financial advisor’s Fiduciary Duty? 

A fiduciary duty is a legal or ethical relationship of confidence or trust between two or more parties, most commonly a fiduciary or trustee and a principal or beneficiary (from Wikipedia).  Do you know what it means to you?

NOTE: Some experts recommend contacting 2-3 financial advisors or financial planning firms, so that one may compare/contrast each firm, thus making the best-qualified choice for you & your loved ones. 

Best wishes in your search. 
The AllFinancialAdvisors.com Team

Finding the right financial planner and/or financial advisor for you…

Financial Advisors and financial planning professionals all have different experiences, education, and varied specializations. 

Finding the right financial planner and/or financial advisor takes the right resource.  We hope our free online directory helps you conduct this research easier.  You can trust us as an unbiased resource.

Many of the financial planners within our directory explain how their financial planning process works within their profiles. 

Our financial advisors take fiduciary oaths and pledge to uphold the highest standard of ethics. 

Many of our advisors are members of good standing within the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA); which advocates a Fee-Only compensation model.  Quite a few of these featured advisors are also associated with the Financial Planning Association (FPA).

After reviewing their profile pages, one can request a meeting, introductory call and/or their fee schedule.

Experts recommend contacting several advisors to be able to make a good comparison of services.  We hope this helps. 

Thanks!

 
Passive VS. Active Account Management:

Ever since the inception of the first “index fund” – a fund that tracks a particular index, such as the SPY ETF that seeks returns equal to the returns from the S&P 500 index – the debate over “active” versus “passive” asset management continues to rage on. 

“Active management” refers to any portfolio management strategy in which the manager “makes specific investments with the goal of outperforming an investment benchmark index.”

Picking individual stocks, for example, represents “active management.”

“Passive management,” on the other hand, refers to investment strategies that seek to match a particular stock or bond index – the idea being that by investing directly in index funds, trading costs are minimized, and there is essentially no risk of “underperforming” relative to the corresponding.

Many financial advisors take a stance on this issue, and there are compelling arguments on both sides.

On the passive management side, proponents point out that, “Over the last ten years, 82% of all money managers in the large-cap universe under-perform the market averages.”

Several advisors that support passive management believe that picking individual stocks, or investing in actively-managed mutual funds, is futile; they cite the relatively high management costs that come with actively managed investments, as well as the fact that approximately half of all mutual funds do not outperform their respective benchmark every year.

On the “actively managed” side, advisors will point out that, “the returns of funds with well-known managers that have outperformed the market significantly, and may argue that there are inefficiencies in the market that make certain stocks more appealing than others.”

They may also point to the recent recession, during which “passively managed” funds typically plummeted.

So how does one choose between “active” and “passive” financial advisors?

1) First of all, costs and fees are very important; even if a certain fund outperforms the market consistently, it most likely charges high fees that aren’t reflected in its return figures.

2) Secondly, the line between the two camps doesn’t have to be absolute; financial advisors may invest directly in indexes (passive investing), as well as picking individual stocks and funds as well.

Asking a potential advisor about his or her view on this topic is always a useful indicator of their investment philosophy and strategy.

We hope this helped.  Thanks for visiting AllFinancialAdvisors.com

 
There is an ongoing debate in the securities industry about the extent to which insurance agents are qualified (and should be sought out) to provide investment advice.

Because of products like annuities – which are financial products that accept investors’ money in exchange for securing a steady future (or immediate) cash flow, and are often used for retirement saving – fast-talking insurance agents have been known to blur the lines between financial advisory and insurance.

While annuities can be an excellent addition to any investor’s retirement plan, let’s face it – insurance is a business driven by sales commissions.  Insurance agents are definitely NOT financial advisors. 

Insurance agents will often tout and/or promote the insurance products that charge the highest fees and generate the greatest sales commissions – NOT products that an independent advisor would likely recommended, especially if those financial advisors are bound by a fiduciary duty and are seeking the best interest of their clients.

So when making your retirement decisions, or if you’re considering purchasing an annuity product, we recommend you work with independent financial advisors whose primary goal is to protect and grow your wealth.

While insurance or annuities may be a part of your financial plan or investment portfolio, your finances and retirement planning should not be left to an insurance salesman.

In addition to investment expertise, and ideally objective advice, financial advisors will be able to advise you on the most appropriate insurance or annuity products, and can often provide insight regarding those products that are safest and have the lowest fees.

We also recommend choosing 2-3 financial advisors to interview before selecting one to work with.  This will allow you to see the various expertise each advisor has and give you choices to base this very important decision on.  A decision that will most likely be one of the major ‘partnering’ decisions in your retirement years… 

We hope this helps!  Thanks.  The AllFinancialAdvisors.com team.

Getting Started and Taking a Step Back: Financial Planning

In our world of ubiquitous financial information, it is easy to get caught up in short-term trends when thinking about our money:
* What are the hottest stocks?
* Which mutual fund managers have the best performance this year?
* What is Jim Cramer telling me to sell today?
* What is Suze Orman telling me to do this week?

However, turning your hard-earned cash into more cash is only the tip of the iceberg. 

Knowing how to manage and budget your spending, income and saving is crucial, and in the long run trumps returns of any size.  This is where financial planning comes in. 

Think of stars like M.C. Hammer, Michael Jackson, and Mike Tyson.  Each of these individuals made tens (if not hundreds) of millions of dollars, and had access to high-end investment solutions – yet managed to wind up broke and bankrupt before the middle age of 40.  Why? Because of a lack of financial planning!

Contrary to popular belief, the easiest way to become rich is not to start a company or win the lottery, but instead to start saving from an early age and create a financial plan that maximizes tax efficiency and suits your lifestyle needs.

If you begin saving for retirement at 25, putting away $2,500 per year, you will have an astonishing $700,000 by age 65 (assuming annual growth of 8%).  By contrast, if you put away $2,500 per year, but wait until age 35 to start, you will have only $306,000 by age 65 (assuming the same growth rate). That is the magic of compounding and saving – or as Warren Buffet likes to call it, the “snowball” effect.

So… instead of chasing the latest financial trend, start by choosing a financial planner or a financial advisor who provides this service.

Financial advisors or a financial planner will examine your situation individually, create a customized financial plan, and help you achieve the future you desire.  Financial planners typically charge an hourly or fixed fee for their services; some financial advisors offer financial planning solutions in-house as well. 

Don’t expect this kind of personalized help and service from a mutual fund!

NOTE: Experts recommend contacting 2-3 financial advisors or financial planning firms, in order for an individual to contrast and compare each financial advisor or firm; thus making the best-qualified choice for their unique situation.

AllFinancialAdvisors.com is an online resource of financial advisors, financial planners and wealth managers.  It is a independent 3rd party directory of Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) managed by FINRA and the SEC (United States Securities and Exchange Commission).