by Jeff Bell

Inflation & deflation and their many meanings, should be carefully dissected. Although both have similar meanings, deflation can differ a bit. Deflation can often be found to be the very reason for inflation. The solution for money inflation is the same for deflation. Deflation however often looks for increasing the value of money, but can in turn doing so, cause supply and demand to dwindle.

Inflation and deflation can cause many problems other than just a fall in the economy. It can have devastating effects on people and their means to survive. Sounds serious you might say, well it is. More often than not people find their health failing both emotionally and physically. This occurs from the worry of and inflated economy and what it may mean for a person and their family. Monetary inflation and deflation shows no mercy, and can affect anyone from any …

by David C Lewis, RFA

Most Americans rely on employer 401k plans for the bulk of their retirement. A serious problem with 401K plans is the investor’s reliance on employer matching for the plan. This may cause an employee to rely too much on the employer and not contribute enough to savings. But, if you have not taken a serious look at retirement planning yet, nothing will give you a wake up call like using one of the many retirement calculators available on the internet. Retirement planning, which is essential for every adult, certainly is a difficult task and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Even if a professional financial planner is helping you, the financial planning process is hard. There are a lot of variables. The age you want to retire at, when you start saving money, how much you save, and the interest rate you earn are …

by David C Lewis, RFA

Good mutual fund returns are hard to come by these days. Most actively managed funds are don’t give their investors market-beating returns. It shouldn’t come as a surprise though. Regulations have have helped this industry (and also hurt it), and as a result, this has pushed down returns for many individuals.

While you may find a few ways to get better mutual fund returns, keep in mind that these products will almost certainly not be the panacea that you’re told they are.

You can boost the returns on your mutual funds by not paying attention to past performance numbers that are posted by the fund company. These are, many times, inflated. By using simple averages instead of compound averages and effective yields, the fund can show you returns that are higher than the actual returns posted by the fund.

If you have a scientific calculator …

by Dustin Jefferson

Right now, a lot of people are suffering financially because of the state of the economy. For that reason, proper financial planning is more important than it has ever been. It is all too easy to imagine something going wrong. There are any number of things which leave you and/or your family in the lurch. As such, it definitely pays to know not only the importance of proper financial planning but also what you specifically can do to plan accurately.

First and foremost, we need to discuss personal finance. This is unquestionably important. If you cannot save money at home, then you may not have luck saving it anywhere else either. So, you need to start by working up a budget. By doing this, you will actually be in a position to either start up or significantly add to your retirement plan.

How do you create a budget? …

by David C Lewis, RFA

Most people today are looking for 401k help. That’s because one of the most popular (if not the most popular) retirement plan is a 401(k) plan. Another popular plan is the Roth IRA. Of course there are more options than this, but these are the two most common.

Think about what you are trying to do when making a choice between various Government plans. Usually, you are attempting to save up enough money so that you can live comfortably in your old age. However, if you plan on saving enough for retirement, then a 401k will likely have you paying back more in taxes than you saved. Even an employer match may not help.

Focus on one of the “facts” you are constantly told about these plans. You are told that you’ll be in a lower tax bracket. Do you think that …