Fall is upon us and we are quickly approaching the holiday season. During this time of year we always reflect on how quickly time passes as the New Year comes rushing toward us. Bear Mountain Capital Inc. invites you to reflect on the year as it pertains to your long-term goals. The first article in this newsletter can provide you with perspective when it comes to retirement planning. The second…
As we enter Fall, we are planning ahead for the upcoming year and beyond. With the Holiday season right around the corner, it may be time to revisit your financial plan. Bear Mountain Capital encourages you to keep the future in mind as we approach the latter half of the year. There is still time to reach your New Years resolutions (made oh so long ago). We invite you to…
Finding ways to save money is not an easy exercise. There are ways to make it less painful, such as setting up automatic savings plans. However, if you haven’t done a long-term plan to determine what you are saving for and how much you need to save, then the commitment to maintaining a savings plan is greatly diminished.
My wife and I have a 5 year old. In fact, he just turned 5 this month. We also have a 3 year old (“3 and a half!”, he likes to say). We could not love them more. No matter how much time we spend together, soaking in these precious years, I can’t get past how fast they grow up. It amazes me how quickly they go from newborns to…
We often get questions about the various ways to save and pay for college expenses. Many people are aware of the benefits and availability of 529 plans (either pre-paid tuition plans or college savings plans). However, did you know you can also use Roth IRA funds for educational expenses?? In fact, for purposes of Qualified Higher Education Expenses (QHEE), you can withdraw funds from a Roth IRA prior to the…
In the media there is a lot of talk about the Federal Reserve Board (“the Fed”) and its chairman, Ben Bernanke. The Fed is often charged with managing the country’s monetary policy. Monetary policy helps manage the amount of actual money in the financial system and helps establish interest rates for US borrowers. Currently, the Fed is taking extraordinary steps to keep interest rates low in order to help facilitate…
Clients have been listening to us discuss the record low interest rate environment and what it means for the future of their investments. Interest rate declining since the 70’s have fueled economic expansion, equity returns and bond returns alike. However, rates cannot decrease below zero, and if you have a savings account, you know we are near zero. This article highlights how clients who need to live off their investments…
Traditional investment asset allocation exposure has been built upon the securities country of domicile. So, if you were looking to gain exposure to China, you would buy securities of companies domiciled in China. However, a more interesting approach is beginning to go more mainstream, where asset allocation is now built not upon domicile, but upon how much revenue a specific company generates from a certain region or country. This means…
Have you ever thought about making a charitable donation but want to give to several different charities? Navigating the paper work for each individual charity and its restrictions on what can be donated can prove to be no small task. What if you could donate to a single fund and then have it gifted out to all of the charities you choose in a streamlined fashion at the time and…
Ever met anyone over the age of 100? Do you plan to live past 100? Most of my life I would have answered no to both of these questions, but more and more as I meet or hear of people living to a ripe old age, I figure what the heck- I guess I will shoot for 101. So, what next? I better plan for my money to last. This…
