Your Stronger Financial Future: The Eight Essential Strategies for Making Profitable Investments

Book excerpt: Eight simple strategies for getting your retirement portfolio back in shape Investing Is Social Security about to collapse? (No.) Is Wall Street totally corrupt? (Nope.) Did the government bailouts benefit only “insiders”? (Absolutely not.) Is the American Dream dead? (Not on your life.) Myths, misconceptions, and misinformation perpetuated by politicians, the media, and other self-interested parties can have a devastating effect on your retirement portfolio. After all, if you’re working with the wrong information, how can you make the right investing decisions? Mike Egan, a financial advisor for both individuals and corporations, has worked on Wall Street for more than 20 years. He handles millions of dollars at a time. He knows how it all works—and he’s here to tell you that a lot of what you hear just isn’t true. In Your Stronger Financial Future, Egan busts the most powerful myths that are affecting your retirement plans and provides simple but highly effective strategies you can use to start turning your portfolio around today. Egan’s eight retirement-investing maxims include: Count on Social Security—but make it only part of your overall plan Identify the inflation-adjusted amount you need at retirement Get a licensed financial advisor who really understands Wall Street Maintain your own personal “bailout fund” Build savings rather than accrue debt Use annuities to account for longevity and healthcare Two things are standing in the way of you and your dream retirement: misconceptions and presumption. Transcending the negative psychology that misdirects your investing performance is easy—you just need the right information and new strategies to replace the old ones. Your Stronger Financial Future delivers both. Sometimes changing course midstream is a good thing. Now is the time to reassess your outlook, rethink your finances, and reposition yourself for a stronger financial future.