Brian Fricke - America's Worry Free Retirement Expert » Blog

IT’S TIME FOR A FAIR TAX

admin — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:15:57 +0000

In this month’s article, I talked about the estate tax, the capital gains tax, and how they seem to change every year for no good reason. The really frustrating thing is, how your assets will be taxed after your time on earth is over is only one small example of how little sense our tax laws make.

The other night, my wife and I were talking about health care, and how doctor’s offices have to employ people just to fill out insurance forms. It’s a whole new profession to just navigate through the insurance claim side of the business. And I looked at my wife and said “this is wrong.” Why should we have to hire people, whether it’s a business or an individual, to fill out insurance forms? It should be simpler than that.

Well, the same holds true for taxes. Why do we have to hire people just to fill out our tax returns, or have to buy special software to fill out our taxes? The process has just gotten too complicated.

So right now, I want to ask every American taxpayer reading this to do me a favor. If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know that I’m a fan of reforming our current tax code. I personally think the country would be a whole lot better off if we just threw the current tax code in the trash can and started over with a completely different tax system.

The best one that I’ve seen out there is something called the “Fair Tax.” Which brings me to my favor.

On our website www.brianfricke.com, at the bottom of the resources page, there’s a button that you can click to see how the fair tax would affect you. You can plug in your own information and see whether a new tax system like the Fair Tax would be beneficial to your own personal situation. I’d be interested to find out how much money the Fair Tax would save you.

The other thing that I’d like to you to do is to send a note to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee to encourage him to at least have an open debate pro and con on the Senate floor regarding the Fair Tax. It’s nothing new and it’s been out and about for the past 10-15 years, but it has yet to have an open debate on the House or Senate floor.

You can go to www.FairTax.org for a link to send a letter to the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee requesting him to hold an open hearing. Please do this right now while it’s still fresh on your mind. Makes you wonder why they’re afraid of a good healthy debate, doesn’t it?

Top 5 Retirement Planning Mistakes I See People Make

admin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 21:05:52 +0000

This is the topic of next week’s (Tues Mar 9th, 2010) ‘Coffee Talk’ call. The information is Free, with no obligation on your part.

How many times in your lifetime will you retire? Once, maybe twice!?

I’ve ‘retired’ over 756 times! – via helping our clients

So I’m going to share with you the most common planning mistakes I’ve seen people make, hopefully you’ll avoid them.

I’ll also discuss my recent observations on how the definition of retirement is changing and why I think the word retirement will be a ‘dirty word’ in 10 years or less.

I’ll also reveal what some of our more successful clients are doing to make sure they’re living life on their terms. A life filled with purpose and passion.

Oh, I’ll be calling you from The Villages. I’m holding a book signing party for some of our clients and their friends. If you’re in the area stop in, I’d love to see you… Carrabba’s Italian Grill™ on Hwy 441, 3:00 – 4:30pm.

Call starts promptly at 9am & will run no longer than 30min.

Special Conference Call #: 1-800-304-3172
Access Code: 825218#

(It’s OK if you Forward this to a few of your friends and business associates. They might find the call interesting and helpful too)!

Hope to ‘See’ you next Tuesday!

Brian Fricke, CFP
Author – Worry Free Retirement
Top Wealth Manager 2004 – 2009 -Wealth Manager Magazine
Top Financial Planning Firm – Orlando Business Journal
Email: bfricke@fmcretire.com
Web: www.brianfricke.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/Brian.L.Fricke
Twitter: Twitter.com/BrianFrickeCFP

IMPORTANT: If this message was sent to you by a friend… you can grab a complimentary subscription to my Monthly print newsletter ($24.95 value). It can be fun, controversial, informative, but always worth your time. So take a moment to click here and claim your free subscription now.

Bonus: when you do, I’ll send you a signed copy of my book Worry Free Retirement, also at NO CHARGE!

***Listen To Last Week’s Call***

If you missed Last Week’s Call “It’s Not What You Know, But Who You Know” the digital Audio can be found here or you can Click on the link below to listen to the audio.

http://www.brianfricke.com/conference-calls

It’s Not What You Know, But Who You Know

admin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:32:07 +0000

This is the topic of next week’s (Tues Mar 2nd, 2010) ‘Coffee Talk’ call. The information is Free, with no obligation on your part.

We’ll be sharing some of the resources we use to help our clients save thousands of dollars on things like Cars, Real Estate, Insurance, Legal fees, Healthcare issues, Long Term Care.

Over the years we’ve documented savings that easily exceed $1,000,000!!!

And…we’ll be here to answer any questions you may have about this… or any other financial matter.

Call starts promptly at 9am & will run no longer than 30min.

Special Conference Call #: 1-800-304-3172
Access Code: 825218#

(It’s OK if you Forward this to a few of your friends and business associates. They might find the call interesting and helpful too)!

Hope to ‘See’ you next Tuesday!

IMPORTANT: If this message was sent to you by a friend… you can grab a complimentary subscription to my Monthly print newsletter ($24.95 value). It can be fun, controversial, informative, but always worth your time. So take a moment to click here and claim your free subscription now.

Bonus: when you do, I’ll send you a signed copy of my book Worry Free Retirement, also at NO CHARGE!

***Listen To Last Week’s Call***

If you missed Last Week’s Call “Do Your Kids Need A Financial Bailout???” the digital Audio can be found here or you can Click on the link below to listen to the audio.

http://www.brianfricke.com/conference-calls

BOND Buyers Beware! Secrets Your Broker Hopes You Never Learn About

admin — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:17:02 +0000

In my recent article, “Bond Strategies in a Rising Interest Rate Environment,”
I talked about bond strategies for the current fiscal environment, in which interest rates are almost sure to rise. But while we’re on the subject of bonds, I also wanted to warn you about a specific trick bond traders use to up their commissions.

The buying and selling of bonds is totally different from the buying and selling of stock. When we go to buy a stock, we can buy it from a multitude of places – an internet broker, a discount broker, a full service broker, etc. And you’ll pay the same price for the stock or fund regardless of where you buy it. The only difference in price is the level of commission you pay based on what type of broker you’re using. The share price itself is pretty transparent.

This is not the case when it comes to bonds. Bonds typically are bought by the brokerage firms, held in their inventory, marked up and then resold to their customers. And this is the case whether we are talking about discount brokers like Schwab, Fidelity and TD Ameritrade or the full service brokers like Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and UBS.

So if you are buying bonds from a broker and the broker tells you there’s a half percent or quarter percent commission, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the only money the brokerage firm is making. They could very easily have a two, three, even four percent profit markup added to the price when they sell you the bond. So it pays to shop around.

When we identify a bond that we want to own, we check with multiple sources and compare prices to make sure that we are getting the most competitive price. We’ve had instances where we’ve had a swing of as much as two to three percent in pricing from one broker to the next.

So if you plan on investing in bonds, do your homework before you buy. That way you’ll make sure you – and not your broker – comes out with the best deal.

Do Your Kids Need A Financial Bailout???

admin — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 22:05:45 +0000

This is the topic of next week’s (Tues Feb 23rd, 2010) ‘Coffee Talk’ call. The information is Free, with no obligation on your part.

Thanks to the economy and 2008 Market Meltdown we are getting more and more questions about ‘helping’ (financially) family members, especially grown kids.

I’ll be discussing some:

1. Real life examples (details etc. changed to protect confidentiality) where it makes sense to step in and ‘help out’.

2. How to set things up so those you choose to help don’t suffer a blow to their self worth, self esteem and independence. And how to avoid family squabbles.

3. I’ll explain why we’ve recommended NOT helping out in other situations, even though you could afford to financially.

4. Some mistakes we’ve seen that could create a financial disaster…for You!

And…we’ll be here to answer any questions you may have about this… or any other financial matter.

Call starts promptly at 9am & will run no longer than 30min.

Special Conference Call #: 1-800-304-3172
Access Code: 825218#

(It’s OK if you Forward this to a few of your friends and business associates. They might find the call interesting and helpful too)!

Hope to ‘See’ you next Tuesday!

Bonus: when you do, I’ll send you a signed copy of my book Worry Free Retirement, also at NO CHARGE!

***Listen To Last Week’s Call***

If you missed Last Week’s Call “Can Your Money Market Fund Stop You From Withdrawing Your Money” the digital Audio can be found here or you can Click on the link below to listen to the audio.

http://www.brianfricke.com/conference-calls

Can Your Money Market Fund Stop You From Withdrawing Your Money… The Answer Will Shock You!

admin — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 21:00:06 +0000

This is the topic of next week’s (Tues Feb 16th, 2010) ‘Coffee Talk’ call. The information is Free, with no obligation on your part.

Yes, it’s true!

This was a question asked by a client recently…They sent us an on-line article talking about a new SEC ruling allowing money market funds to stop you from withdrawing your money.

We’ll be talking about the article…and the scare tactics the reporter used to get readers attention (mission accomplished) and creating undo worry and concern.

I’ll explain the true story behind the attention grabbing headline.

And…we’ll be here to answer any questions you may have about this… or any other financial matter.

Call starts promptly at 9am & will run no longer than 30min.

Special Conference Call #: 1-800-304-3172
Access Code: 825218#

(It’s OK if you Forward this to a few of your friends and business associates. They might find the call interesting and helpful too)!

Hope to ‘See’ you next Tuesday!

Brian Fricke, CFP
Author – Worry Free Retirement
Top Wealth Manager 2004 – 2009 -Wealth Manager Magazine
Top Financial Planning Firm – Orlando Business Journal
Email: bfricke@fmcretire.com
Web: www.brianfricke.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/Brian.L.Fricke
Twitter: Twitter.com/BrianFrickeCFP

Bonus: when you do, I’ll send you a signed copy of my book Worry Free Retirement, also at NO CHARGE!

***Listen To Last Week’s Call***
If you missed Last Week’s Call “What’s Your Number? And Why It Doesn’t Matter” the digital Audio can be found here or you can Click on the link below to listen to the audio.
http://www.brianfricke.com/conference-calls

What’s Your Number? And Why It Doesn’t Matter!!

admin — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 20:21:02 +0000

This is the topic of next week’s (Tues Feb 9th, 2010) ‘Coffee Club’ call. The information is Free, with no obligation on your part.

Everyone seems to have a number. What’s your number?

I’m talking about the amount of money people have in mind that they feel like they need to have (or keep), in order to sleep well at night.

Thinking this way can create big mistakes that could severely affect the quality of your lifestyle, now and into the future.

I’ll explain a better way to look at your finances, one that lets you make smart choices about your money, without causing you to make mistakes you don’t even realize you’re making…until it’s too late.

Call starts promptly at 9am & will run no longer than 30min.

Special Conference Call #: 1-800-304-3172
Access Code: 825218#

Invite your friends to listen in on this call. It will definitely challenge their thinking. Making sure they’re making smart choices about their money!

More importantly…we’ll be here to answer any questions or concerns you may have about this… or any other financial matter.

(It’s OK if you Forward this to a few of your friends and business associates. They might find the call interesting and helpful too)!

Hope to ‘See’ you next Tuesday!

IMPORTANT: If this message was sent to you by a friend… I invite you to sign up to receive a complimentary subscription to my Monthly print newsletter ($24.95 value). It can be fun, controversial, informative, but always worth your time. So please take a moment to click here and claim your free subscription now.

Bonus: when you do, I’ll send you a signed copy of my book Worry Free Retirement, also at NO CHARGE!

***Listen To Last Week’s Call***
If you missed Last Week’s Call ” Bond Strategies In A Rising Interest Rate Environment” the digital Audio can be found here or you can Click on the link below to listen to the audio.
http://www.brianfricke.com/conference-calls

Bond Strategies In A Rising Interest Rate Environment

admin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 14:39:07 +0000

This is the topic of next week’s (Tues Feb 2nd, 2010) ‘Coffee Club’ call. The information is Free, with no obligation on your part.

Call starts promptly at 9am & will run no longer than 30min.

Special Conference Call #: 1-800-304-3172
Access Code: 825218#

We’re starting to get more calls, questions and concerns about how bonds will perform (or not) when interest rates start going up.

We’ll be going over our strategy, plus an easy way to ‘short’ the bond market (make money when bonds lose value)

We’ll also reveal tricks & traps brokers use (including all the discount brokers) that could cost you thousands in hidden fees & expenses. All ‘legal’. But never fully disclosed or explained…until now.

Invite your friends to listen in on this call. It will definitely challenge their thinking. Making sure they’re making smart choices about their money. And maybe helping their children too!

More importantly…we’ll be here to answer any questions or concerns you may have about this… or any other financial matter.

(It’s OK if you Forward this to a few of your friends and business associates. They might find the topic and information interesting and helpful too)!

Hope to ‘See’ you next Tuesday!

IMPORTANT: If this message was sent to you by a friend… I invite you to sign up to receive my Monthly print newsletter ($24.95 value) at NO CHARGE. It can be fun, controversial, informative, but always worth your time. So please take a moment to click here and claim your free subscription now.

Bonus: when you do, I’ll send you a signed copy of my book Worry Free Retirement, also at NO CHARGE!

***Listen To Last Week’s Call***
If you missed Last Week’s Call ” 529 College Savings Plans Have Are A Disaster For Most Families Discover Better Option(s)For Your Children & Grandchildren” the digital Audio can be found here or you can Click on the link below to listen to the audio.
http://www.brianfricke.com/conference-calls

Warning! Best Stock Fund of the Decade Makes 18%… While Investors Lose 11%???

admin — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 20:44:17 +0000

This is the topic of next week’s (Tues Jan 26th, 2010) ‘Coffee Club’ call. The information is Free, with no obligation on your part.

Call starts promptly at 9am & will run no longer than 30min.

Special Conference Call #: 1-800-304-3172
Access Code: 825218#

We’ll be covering how investors end up losing money in most of the top performing mutual funds…the mistakes they make… and how you can avoid them.

I’ll also reveal why we STOPPED using the popular Morningstar mutual fund rating system. And how you can outperform 85% of all mut5ual funds and even the so called professional/institutional high priced money mangers

Invite your friends to listen in on this call. It will definitely challenge their thinking. Making sure they’re making smart choices about their money. And maybe helping their children too!

More importantly…we’ll be here to answer any questions or concerns you may have about this… or any other financial matter.

(It’s OK if you Forward this to a few of your friends and business associates. They might find the topic and information interesting and helpful too)!
Hope to ‘See’ you next Tuesday!

IMPORTANT: If this message was sent to you by a friend… I invite you to sign up to receive my Monthly print newsletter ($24.95 value) at NO CHARGE. It can be fun, controversial, informative, but always worth your time. So please take a moment to click here and claim your free subscription now.

Bonus: when you do, I’ll send you a signed copy of my book Worry Free Retirement, also at NO CHARGE!

529 College Savings Plans Are A Disaster For Most Families – Discover Better Option(s) For Your Children & Grandchildren

admin — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 20:32:45 +0000

This is the topic of next week’s (Tues Jan 19th, 2010) ‘Coffee Club’ call. The information is Free, with no obligation on your part.

Call starts promptly at 9am & will run no longer than 30min.

Special Conference Call #: 1-800-304-3172
Access Code: 825218#

529 College Savings plans just haven’t lived up to the hype…I’ll explain why. More importantly I’ll reveal 3 superior options! We’ll also discuss whether it makes sense to enroll in the pre-paid tuition plans available in most states.

I’ll also tell you what I did to encourage my boys to save and invest. The mistakes I made and the lesson’s I’ve learned.

Do your friends a favor and have them listen in on this call. It will definitely challenge their thinking. Making sure they’re making smart choices about their money. And maybe helping their children too!

More importantly…we’ll be here to answer any questions or concerns you may have about this… or any other financial matter.

(It’s OK if you Forward this to a few of your friends and business associates. They might find the topic and information interesting and helpful too)!
Hope to ‘See’ you next Tuesday!

Bonus: when you do, I’ll send you a signed copy of my book Worry Free Retirement, also at NO CHARGE!

***Listen To Last Week’s Call***
If you missed Last Week’s Call “How much of Your Money is Going to Those Fat Cat Wall Street Bonuses?” the digital Audio can be found here or you can Click on the link below to listen to the audio.
http://www.brianfricke.com/conference-calls