AKIN INVESTMENTS

Schwab, TD Ameritrade merger is spot on! check out my blog posts about the race to zero commissions.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Registered Investment Advisor’s are independent and objective. We serve clients in a fiduciary capacity that is not presently possible within a traditional commission brokerage format. HOW LONG HAVE I BEEN SAYING THAT Back in the day, with PaineWebber the financial consultant (Registered Representative) was often referred to as the "Customers Man" because we were the face of the firm that the customer knew. Today, another large investment house, Fidelity announced they are jo

Even at a European conference about fintech, one country dominated the conversation: China. This week, hundreds of fintech companies, from startups to tech giants, gathered at the Money 20/20 conference in Amsterdam, Netherlands. One key theme at the gathering was China's leading role in the fintech industry. "Alibaba and Ant Financial, we are literally the world's largest fintech company, and we are the world's largest e-commerce company, and these two massive machines still

Small business week April 29 to May 5 2018. It brings focus to the many professionals and small business owners that serve the Greenwood area in many ways. As we move through the week there's going to be lots of interesting and fun things to get involved in an learn more about the people who are bringing life to our community. As a Registered Investment Advisor based in Greenwood, South Carolina. Financial Planning services begin with a "Free-No Obligation" highly confidentia

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

Walter Todd III, president and chief investment officer at Greenwood Capital provided a 2018 economic forecast Friday. ADAM BENSON | INDEX-JOURNAL Be smart, but be creative too. That’s the advice financial advisers have for people looking to diversify, re-calibrate or expand their 2018 investment portfolios. Officials forecast a brisk economy against the backdrop of a strong stock market and massive federal tax reform. “In some ways, this market reminds me of the period from