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MONEY matters

Mark Zaifman's thoughts on money, global economic trends and politics
Plan For Retirement Before, Not After You Retire
Mark Zaifman   |    Thu, Sep 06, 2018 @ 12:28 PM

According to the AARP, 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65 every single day, and this is expected to continue into the 2030s. This means that nearly seven baby boomers are turning 65 every minute.”

If you’re a few years away from retirement, the day will soon come, when after a lifetime of squirreling away money and delaying gratification, the ‘distribution phase’ of your financial life will begin.

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Is Your Financial Road Map Outdated?
Mark Zaifman   |    Thu, Apr 30, 2015 @ 05:25 PM

When was the last time you reevaluated your personal financial goals? Did you set initial goals when you were in your 20’s and haven’t looked back since?

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Think and Grow Rich for Women
Mark Zaifman   |    Thu, Jul 31, 2014 @ 04:44 PM

With so many books about money being published, how does one book set itself apart from another?

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5 Quick Tips for Setting Realistic Financial Goals
Mark Zaifman   |    Thu, Jul 18, 2013 @ 09:49 AM

If you’re the type of person that’s a planner by nature, then most likely you’re also good at establishing financial goals grounded in reality, goals that are achievable, and that also require a bit of a stretch. After all, if you’re goal oriented, setting goals that are too easy to reach can’t compare to the thrill of reaching or exceeding a personally challenging goal.

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Retirement Income Planning - Adding a Little Spice to the Recipe
Mark Zaifman   |    Fri, Apr 26, 2013 @ 02:23 PM

A couple of weeks back, I received a call from a client couple, (who I’ll call ‘Z’) who have been happily retired for a few years. During our conversation, they let me know they needed to take out some extra money for a one-time expense that their regular retirement income won’t quite cover. However, this isn’t the first time; in fact, it seems for client couple Z there’s a different one-time request more years than not.

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Quality of Life vs. Standard of Living, the Dilemma Continues
Mark Zaifman   |    Fri, Apr 05, 2013 @ 12:01 PM

Here in the wealthy enclave of the San Francisco Bay Area, it seems and feels like ground zero for the everlasting internal debate between quality of life vs. standard of living.

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The 7 Keys to a Happier Relationship with Money
Mark Zaifman   |    Fri, Jul 27, 2012 @ 09:15 AM

Investing, managing, saving, spending and earning money - these linear, left brain aspects of our money relationship offer plenty of potential for challenges. But it’s when we delve into the other dimension of our relationship with money, our feelings, that things get really tricky and mighty interesting.

Our feelings, that messy and confusing aspect of our relationship with money will often hold us hostage to our egos and prevent us from feeling the fulfillment and peace of mind we so desire. Way too many of us live our lives with feelings of scarcity and poverty consciousness. Instead of money being our servant, it becomes our master.

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Making Another Case for Choosing a Fee-Only Financial Advisor
Mark Zaifman   |    Tue, Jun 05, 2012 @ 05:41 PM

Although not news to me – you might find it shocking and certainly disturbing to discover that some financial advisors will sometimes work against their clients best interests if – guess what? If the advisor can pocket more money in fees.

According to a new study, done by Cambridge Mass. based National Bureau of Economic Research, (NBER) many advisors will encourage chasing high returns and press clients toward funds with higher fees.  This was discovered after NBER sent out auditors, posing as clients, to almost 300 financial advisors in the Boston area.

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Teaching Kids About Finances is an Important Part of Their Education
Mark Zaifman   |    Wed, May 30, 2012 @ 02:27 PM
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Sweet Financial Success is a Result of Delayed Gratification
Mark Zaifman   |    Mon, Apr 23, 2012 @ 10:43 AM

It's true - if you want to achieve financial success, you'll need to develop your delayed gratification skills.

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