Making THE CRUCIAL Distinction between Fact and Fiction

Lately, almost every potential client who sits across my desk from me has – to paraphrase their words – felt they were duped by their previous advisors into doing things that ended up hurting rather than helping their goal of a financially comfortable retirement. While their specific issues vary, the one thing common to everyone I’ve spoken with – and many others I’ve never met – is that their advisors completely failed to separate “opinions” from “facts.”

This may sound pretty obvious, but I can’t even begin to tell you how many folks unknowingly make this terrible mistake. I have written in every one of my publications that this failure to make that distinction (between facts and opinions), whether by the advisor or by the client, is the topmost reason so many Americans find themselves between a rock and a hard place, even after saving all their lives.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that opinions are necessarily bad. The truth is, we all have them, don’t we? Personally, I have many opinions – like this one we’re discussing right now. However, we need to separate the two for the simple reason that opinions sometimes turn out to be bogus or wrong, while fact, on the other hand, is fact.

All I’m suggesting is that if you don’t want to be left with regret somewhere down the road, take the time to clearly establish this difference at the moment your advisor (even if it’s your spouse or a close friend) gives you his/her recommendations. It might sound like you are being a little pesky – or even paranoid – but wouldn’t you rather go through a little discomfort now in one conversation than experience potential retirement disaster by neglecting to speak up?

Only a few financial professionals clearly make the distinction between opinion and fact; many would rather couch their opinions in sweet-talk as if they are factual, taking for granted your unwillingness to probe. So in the name of preventing any misunderstanding, miscommunication, and had-I-known headaches later on, you have my full permission to be a pest, as long as you’re a nice one.

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Contact a professional at Laser Financial Group today to set up your complimentary, no-obligation consultation to learn the FACTS about how best to plan successfully for your retirement. 877.656.9111 or LaserFG.com

FACT: There’s Absolutely Nothing Wrong With the Stock Market

FACT: There’s Absolutely Nothing Wrong With the Stock Market

It is an understatement to say that most retirement investors are worried – and nervous. They just don’t know if the stock market is going or coming. If this generally describes you, know that I’d feel exactly the same way too (if not worse), if I were in your shoes.

However, Let’s Face Reality

The fact of the matter is that the stock market isn’t doing anything it’s not supposed to do. Sure, you may have wanted the market to do something else, but every investor who decides to dabble in the stock market must understand that the only realistic thing about the market is that it fluctuates – up and down.

So there always are two possibilities: On the one hand, you can make a ton of money practically overnight, and on the other, you could end up losing everything, including your seed money. Being human, I would always prefer the first possibility – but no matter how much or how hard I hope, it still only amounts to hoping. As a certified instructor who’s trained hundreds of other financial practitioners, and after spending almost two decades helping clients retire successfully, the one thing I can tell you without any shade of doubt is that hope is not a strategy when it comes to retirement-income planning.

Here’s the Truth You Must Understand

The strategy you’re employing – not the market – is the reason your investment is losing money, and it’s also the thing that’s making you nervous about your chances for a comfy retired life. The stock market is just one of the symptoms of the problem with your strategy. Let that sink in for a moment, and we’ll see if the light bulb is beginning to flicker to life.

I know everyday folks just like you who do not lose even a penny of their nest eggs’ values when the stock market dips, but make money – up to a certain cap – when the market increases. Their strategy doesn’t hinge their incomes on the hope that the stock market will go up, stay up, and continue to rise. They make money when the stock market does what it’s supposed to do – rise and fall.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to one question: Can you afford to keep investing the way you are right now – based on hope? Your financial advisor (and the media) are probably telling you to hang in there because “everyone” is pretty much in the same boat. Are you buying into that bizarre theory?

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Contact a professional at Laser Financial Group today to set up your complimentary, no-obligation consultation so you can ensure that your retirement strategy does more than just HOPE for the best. 877.656.9111 or LaserFG.com  

Does Your Financial Advisor REALLY Give a Damn About You?

Couple weeks ago, Yahoo News ran this press release we put out about my SET FOR LIFE report aimed at teaching investors how they can easily guarantee a lasting retirement income, irrespective of how long they end up living and regardless of stock market gyrations in their 401(k)s, Roth IRAs, or even nonqualified money.

One gentleman who came across the information quickly downloaded the report from SetForLifeReport.com. After reading it, he did what most of us would do; he contacted his financial advisor to inquire about the information he'd just read. He said that, quite frankly, it sounded too good to be true, especially given that he'd recently had conversations about this very issue of running out of income mid-stream with his advisor (who works for a big, reputable firm), but nothing remotely close to this option was presented to him. "Is this report one of those scams?" he asked his advisor.

His advisor's response was something to the effect of, "You know, we're one of the largest firms in the entire world. If there's something worthwhile for you, I'll let you know. Don't worry. We've got you covered. I wouldn't take seriously some report you downloaded from the Internet."

What Would You Have Done if It Were You?

Let me tell you what this man did and why I'm sharing his story with you today. I think this guy is definitely smart - extremely smart! He figured that between his advisor and me, someone wasn't telling the truth (and, like most, was inclined to believe his big-company advisor). BUT, what if the report were correct? He'd have walked away from a situation he knew he wanted more than anything else.

So he contacted me, gave me the rundown of events, and literally requested that I prove the legitimacy of the

information in my report, to which I gladly agreed. I LOVED it, actually. Basically, I proposed a specific contract from a very reputable carrier that is approved in his state of residence and gave him all the necessary due diligence details customary in such cases. I asked him to let his advisor review it and tell him whether it was legit or not.

To tell you the truth, I knew that the company his advisor worked for wasn't approved to offer these kinds of contracts, but I wanted to see how far the advisor would go.

Long story short, the advisor essentially responded by going around in circles, playing the "You've been with us for years ... we're one of the largest firms around ... you can trust us" card, but never directly answered two very simple questions: (1) is this legitimate or a scam? And (2) can you offer something comparable? Of course, it is legitimate and of course, he could not offer the same option.

I think that most Americans need to be reminded that majority of financial advisors fail to put all the options on the table because rarely (as in just about never) will you find an advisor who can offer ALL options. I know I can't, and I'll admit that all day long. I would not try in a thousand years to discredit something my client believed might benefit him or her for ANY reason. Not only is that professionally dishonest, but it's also morally deplorable.

The question is, how many Americans are falling prey every day to situations such as this? If you were in this man's position would you have automatically taken your long-term advisor's word and dismissed an opportunity that sounded interesting, or would you have done what this brilliant man did and get to the bottom of it? Sure, we're living in an age of scams galore, but it's not rocket science, either, is it?

Does Your Retirement Plan Pass This SIMPLE Test?

Over the many years that I've spent as an eyewitness into countless retirement plans, the one thing that has become clear is that a frightening number totally flunk what I call the simple common-sense test. Watch this brief video to see what I mean...
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Contact a professional at Laser Financial Group today to set up your complimentary, no-obligation consultation to ensure that your  retirement plan TRULY reflects reality. 877.656.9111 or LaserFG.com