Blog | Akin Investments | United States

Oct 3, 2019
3 min

Eye of the Storm

Those of you have read and followed this blog for years know that I've been writing and speaking about for a very long, long time... The race to the bottom of commission rates, no more customers man and more https://www.akininvestment.com/post/2018/08/21/disruptive-price-free https://www.akininvestment.com/post/2019/03/08/fintech-embrace-the-future https://www.akininvestment.com/post/2018/08/01/no-more-customers-man Advice in a Stormy Financial Sea Some of Stephen Akin’s jarg

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Stephen H Akin

Mar 25, 2019
1 min

Is your retirement plan on course?

There's still time to fund your 2018 IRA contribution and receive the Tax Benefit if you've not yet filed your 2018 return. Longer life spans and potentially lower investment returns mean you need to save more to cover your retirement needs. The exact amount you should be saving depends on your age and spending needs, but a good rule of thumb is to save at least 10% to 15% of your pre-tax income each year. As a Registered Investment Advisor my only interest is my clients succ

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Stephen H Akin

Feb 22, 2019
1 min

Good News!

If you did not fund an Individual Retirement Account in 2018 there's still time. For 2019, your total contributions to all of your traditional and Roth IRAs cannot be more than: $6,000 ($7,000 if you’re age 50 or older), or your taxable compensation for the year, if your compensation was less than this dollar limit. For 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, your total contributions to all of your traditional and Roth IRAs cannot be more than: $5,500 ($6,500 if you’re age 50 or older), o

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Stephen H Akin

Jan 19, 2019
1 min

2019 Financial Checkup

Four must do items for a healthy financial life in this new year! 1) Review your investment plan. The beginning of each year is an excellent opportunity to closely evaluate performance. Rebalancing is important to maintain proper asset allocation. Risk tolerance is also very important. Investors tend to take on uncomfortable levels of risk in rising markets. When market volatility returns they realize that the hard way. 2) Review Retirement Account Contributions. Be sure that

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Stephen H Akin

Jan 1, 2019
1 min

Moving forward in 2019

The recent market activity has opened up some unique investment opportunities. I've been investing in financial markets since the early 1980's We always hear "It's different this time". As we move forward though time, experience new innovation and geopolitical change it really is different. Technical analysis and the study of the aerodynamics of markets provide navigational tools and insights as to when and where investment opportunities are. Markets always tend to go too

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Stephen H Akin

Dec 10, 2018
3 min

Year-end tax tips to boost your refund

Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Now, an individual will need total itemized deductions to exceed $12,000, the new standard deduction for individual taxpayers, up from $6,350. Married couples would need deductions exceeding $24,000, up from $12,700. Here are some of the best ways to lower your tax bill for 2018: Unload losers After the recent market downturn chances are you have some investments that lost value this year. You can use those losses to zero out capital gains, an

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Registered Investment Advisor Vs Stockbroker

Stephen H Akin

Oct 22, 2018
2 min

Registered Investment Advisor Vs Stockbroker

If you are like many people you may not be confident in making financial and investment decisions on your own. Enter the investment professional. There are two main categories of professionals who can help you: the Stockbroker and the Registered Investment Advisor. They differ in two ways, A) their level of responsibility to you and B) how they get paid. A stockbroker is an employee at a financial firm who is paid a commission based on what you invest. He/she is basically a s

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Stephen H Akin

Oct 10, 2018
1 min

Market per·spec·tive

NO WAY! TODAY IS NOT October 19, 1987. I was there, working for PaineWebber in the trenches, talking with Art Cashin on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on our company squawk box! That was a 22% drop! If you look at todays 831 point drop thats only a little over 3% A 22% drop in todays numbers would be around 5,720 points in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. If you have questions about your Investments, the financial markets or want to learn how to get started in inv

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Expert: Take caution before choosing financial adviser

Stephen H Akin

Oct 8, 2018
3 min

Expert: Take caution before choosing financial adviser

It’s one of the most significant decisions a person can make: Who can I trust to monitor my investments? A five-letter acronym known as FINRA can be a good place to start. Known as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, FINRA offers a tool called BrokerCheck that offers free background checks of investment professionals. In the case of Lee Wimmer, the disgraced head of now-bankrupt Cornerstone Enterprises of Greenwood, a run of his name through the database reveals that

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Stephen H Akin

Sep 21, 2018
3 min

Changing Retirement Plan Rules

President Trump recently signed an executive order to make it easier for small employers to offer 401(k)s through multiple-employer plans and to review the rules on required minimum distributions (RMDs). Expanding access to multiple employer plans is a good idea and a central component of the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act of 2018, which is winding its way through Congress. The recommendation regarding RMDs, however, seemed to come from left field. Left-field proposal

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Stephen H Akin

Aug 21, 2018
1 min

Disruptive Price: Free

It was just the other day I wrote about Fidelity cutting fees. This morning JP Morgan another Wall Street Powerhouse followed. The trend in the fast moving evolution of the Artificial Intelligence automated financial services platform is continuing. As my friends and clients know this is why I started my Firm. To offer a way through the nuanced world of investing, a/k/a the personal touch. You may have the fastest split second trading system in the world, but if you don't kno

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Reduce Your 2017 Tax Bill With an IRA Contribution

Stephen H Akin

Mar 7, 2018
4 min

Reduce Your 2017 Tax Bill With an IRA Contribution

There's still time to reduce your 2017 tax bill. You can make a tax-deferred individual retirement account contribution that can be applied to your 2017 tax return any time before April 17, 2018. Here's how to take advantage of this tax break for IRA participants. Max out your IRA. You can defer paying income tax on up to $5,500 that you contribute to an IRA. A worker in the 25 percent tax bracket who maxes out his IRA could reduce his tax bill by $1,375. But you don't need t

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Stephen H Akin

Aug 25, 2017
3 min

Advice in a Stormy Financial Sea

Some of Stephen Akin’s jargon stems from his days spent on waters. He grew up in Houston, Texas, boating and fishing, and became certified as a Merchant Marine Master. So when he uses terms like “stormy” and “coasting” when referring to his multi-decade career in the securities business, it is often because of his lifelong affection with the sea. “When helping clients with their financial lives, you must monitor their position and the progress toward their goals,” says Akin.

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Fee Only Financial Planner: What's the Difference?

Stephen H Akin

Aug 24, 2017
2 min

Fee Only Financial Planner: What's the Difference?

September 23, 2016 Fee-only financial planners are registered investment advisors with a fiduciary responsibility to act in their clients’ best interest. They do not accept any fees or compensation based on product sales. Fee-only advisors have fewer inherent conflicts of interest, and they generally provide more comprehensive advice. Commission-based agents and brokers often take offense at this distinction. Blurring the difference, they created the category dubbed “fee base

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AKIN INVESTMENTS

Monolith

Eye of the Storm

Is your retirement plan on course?

Good News!

2019 Financial Checkup

Moving forward in 2019

Year-end tax tips to boost your refund

Registered Investment Advisor Vs Stockbroker

Market per·spec·tive

Expert: Take caution before choosing financial adviser

Changing Retirement Plan Rules

Disruptive Price: Free

Reduce Your 2017 Tax Bill With an IRA Contribution

Visit our Uptown Greenwood Office

Advice in a Stormy Financial Sea

Fee Only Financial Planner: What's the Difference?

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