Category Archives: Common Sense

James W. Watkins, III, quoted in new 401(k) article

Posted on July 6, 2016 by investsense

I was recently quoted in an article addressing best practices of leading 401(k) plans. The article raises a number of relevant issues regarding providing a meaningful plan to help plan participants accomplish their financial goals. The article, “Is your 401(k) … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Sense, ERISA, Fiduciary, Investment Advisors, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, pension plans, portfolio planning, Retirement, Retirement Distribution Planning, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Uncategorized, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Insurance Companies and Payments to Beneficiaries

Posted on April 21, 2016 by investsense

From time to time I find interesting and relevant articles online that I post to various social media sites, except my blog. Makes no sense, since purpose of this blog is to provide meaningful wealth management information to help consumers … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Sense, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation, Wealth Recovery | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Those “Great” Stable Value Funds Exposed

Posted on March 6, 2016 by investsense

So many 401(k) plans and plan participants have fallen in love with these products without truly understanding how they work, especially how they can benefit the companies offering them at the plan participant’s expense. This Morningstar article by Scott Simon … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Sense, ERISA, Fiduciary, Investment Advice, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, pension plans, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Retirement, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Uncategorized, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

This Investment Is Up 7.11% Year to Date (3-3-2016)

Posted on March 4, 2016 by investsense

Subscribers to this blog know that I subscribe to Charles Ellis’ philosophy that properly practiced, wealth management is not about the management of returns, but rather the informed management of investment risk. That’s not to say that investors should ignore … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Sense, Investment Advice, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

‘Nuff Said

Posted on February 14, 2016 by investsense

While I enjoy writing and providing educational information to investors, sometimes you have to defer to others more eloquent than yourself. I openly admit to being a fan of Charles Ellis. As I have mentioned in this blog, I believe … Continue reading →

Posted in Asset Protection, Common Sense, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Fraud, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, IRA, Portfolio Construction, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Interpreting “Marketing” Returns From “Real” Investment Returns

Posted on June 1, 2015 by investsense

I am often asked how to make sense out of the return data that is online. For instance, morningstar.com posts various return data. Some of their return data is adjusted for any front-end load that a fund charges. Morningstar’s return … Continue reading →

Posted in Asset Protection, Common Sense, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, portfolio planning, Portfolio Planning, Retirement, Retirement Plan Participants, Uncategorized, Wealth Accumulation, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Advisor Advertising Disguised as an Award

Posted on August 16, 2014 by investsense

From time to time I run across articles that share my concern about certain issues in the financial planning and investment industries. This article from Russ Thornton, a friend and a colleague, addresses an issue that I have also written … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Sense, Investment Advice, Investment Advisors, Investor Protection, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wealth Preservation and Those Pesky 401(k)/403(b)/IRA Beneficiary Forms

Posted on March 9, 2014 by investsense

Everybody hates paperwork. So when employees and investors are asked to fill out all the paperwork associated with 401(k) plans and individual retirement plans (IRAs), most people just enter something without giving it  much thought. When I was a compliance … Continue reading →

Posted in Asset Protection, Common Sense, ERISA, Investment Advice, Investment Portfolios, Investor Protection, IRA, Life Advice, pension plans, Retirement, Retirement Distribution Planning, Retirement Plan Participants, Retirement Planning, Wealth Distribution, Wealth Management, Wealth Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lagniappe

Posted on January 19, 2014 by investsense

While I normally write about investing and strategies that investors can use to improve their chances for success, every now and then I come across a non-investing piece that I think is worth sharing. Over the years I have seen … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Sense, Life Advice | Tagged , | Leave a comment