Bedel Blog

With the sound of holiday bells in the air, don’t turn a pleasant ring into a dreadful ding! Overspending on credit cards for all that shopping and merriment could turn that nice ring into a credit score “ding” in January.

According to Dalbar, people who managed their own investments over the last twenty years achieved a 2.5% return while the S&P 500 went up 9.2%. Why such a disparity?

Who you hire to manage your money may be one of the most important decisions you make. Many investors have been devastated by fraudulent or incompetent investment advisers.

Many 401(k) plans allow participants to borrow money from their accounts. It may be a convenient way to get access to cash, but it comes with a price. Read on for the pros and cons that should be considered.

In today’s world everything comes with a “rule of thumb”. It’s a way to simplify a more complex formula into an easy-to-remember application. “If you spend 4% each year from your investment portfolio, you won’t run out of money.”

What stops you from getting financial advice? The three barriers that I hear most are fear of the price; guilt that you should “do it yourself”; and lack of confidence in choosing a trustworthy advisor.

Divorce is a traumatic experience. Financial aspects can create great stress. Settlement decisions are hard to make if you don’t have a clear and complete understanding of the family’s current financial situation and what your future may look like.

To most of us, inflation means higher prices. The grocery bill goes up, it costs more to go to the movies and to buy a car. But, what else is impacted by inflation?

The GDP for the fourth quarter of 2013 was just released. It was lower than expected.

All it takes is 15% of your gross income to make a huge impact on your standard of living and choices during retirement.

Connie got taken by a shyster after her husband died. The supposed "financial advisor" sold her inappropriate investments, while collecting over a quarter million dollars in commissions.