Author Archives: investsense

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About investsense

I am an ERISA/securities attormey, CFP Emeritus, and Accredited Wealth Management Advisor. I am also a former securites compliance director, I provide forensic investment analyses to help 401(k)/403(b) plan sponsors and other investment fiduciaries avoid legal liability exposure and protect their financial well-being. I am the creator of the Active Management Value Ratio metric, which analyzes the cost-efficiency of investments for investment fiduciaries and attorneys.

Wealth Preservation Saboteurs

Posted on April 30, 2013 by investsense

“Get what you can and keep what you have; that’s the way to get rich.” Scottish Proverb In a series of earlier posts, I discussed the three planning areas that I believe constitute real wealth management – wealth accumulation, wealth … Continue reading →

Posted in Asset Protection, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement, Retirement Distribution Planning, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Three Numbers Every Investor and Fiduciary Should Remember

Posted on April 7, 2013 by investsense

The abundance of investment products and investment information available today can be intimidating and confusing to many investors, both novice and professional.  Over my twenty-plus years as an attorney and investment adviser, I have tried to help others focus on … Continue reading →

Posted in Asset Protection, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Retirement, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

REAL Wealth Management – Wealth Distributions and Transfers

Posted on March 17, 2013 by investsense

This week, we address what I consider to be the third aspect of a genuine wealth management program -distributions and transfers of one’s assets.  Distribution encompasses both transfers made while one is living, inter vivos transfers, and transfers made after … Continue reading →

Posted in Asset Protection, Retirement, Retirement Distribution Planning, Retirement Planning, Wealth Distribution, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

REAL Wealth Management 2019- Preservation

Posted on March 9, 2013 by investsense

When I tell people that I am a wealth preservation attorney, I often get the obligatory inquisitive look, followed by “what’s that” question. In my law practice, wealth preservation law covers several areas of the law, primarily wealth management, tax … Continue reading →

Posted in Asset Protection, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement Planning, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Dividend Investing vs. Variable Annuities

Posted on March 7, 2013 by investsense

Excellent analysis of problems with variable annuities from the “Seeking Alpha” web site . Only thing missing is discussion of the use of inverse pricing on VA’s annual fees, producing windfall for VA issuer at expense of VA owner. “Seeking … Continue reading →

Posted in Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement Plan Participants, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CommonSense InvestSense: REAL Wealth Management 2019

Posted on February 22, 2013 by investsense

I originally ran this series back in 2013. The series has proven to be among the blog’s most popular posts. So we are going to update the original posts and re-run the entire series. Today we address the ongoing “wealth … Continue reading →

Posted in Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

3 (and a half) Common IRA Mistakes to Avoid

Posted on November 8, 2012 by investsense

Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) have proven to be a very popular investment option.  When set-up properly, IRAs can provide investors with greater flexibility and overall wealth management opportunities than traditional retirement accounts such as 401(k) and 403(b) accounts. That said, … Continue reading →

Posted in Asset Protection, Investor Protection, IRA, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Avoiding the “Missing the Ten Best Days” Ruse

Posted on July 7, 2012 by investsense

Stockbrokers and investment advisors sometimes employ the “missing the best days in the market” ruse to convince investors to stay in the market, even when economic and market indicators suggest a more defensive strategy.  In some cases, advice is simply to preserve … Continue reading →

Posted in Asset Protection, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Active Management Value Ratio™- Revealing the Undisclosed Cost of Actively Managed Mutual Funds

Posted on June 25, 2012 by investsense

Despite overwhelming evidence that actively managed mutual funds generally underperform passively managed index funds, the evidence indicates that most investors continue to purchase and hold actively managed funds.  Even when an actively managed fund does outperform its relevant index, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Simple Step to Better Protect Pension Plan Participants

Posted on April 23, 2012 by investsense

Reviewing the reported trillion dollar losses that investors suffered during the 2000-2002 and 2008 bear markets, I cannot help but wonder how much of those losses were preventable, especially for 401k investors. 401k plans are increasingly opting for participant directed retirement plans … Continue reading →

Posted in Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Wealth Management | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment