Showing results by author "Dale C. Maley" in All Categories

This short story explores the pros and cons of utilizing immediate annuities for retirement income.

Most studies have shown that asset allocation, not what stocks and when you buy stocks, is the most important determinant of future net worth. This short story explains the basics of asset allocation. This short story will help you determine what type of asset allocation strategy best fits your particular financial situation.

Although Wall Street tries to convince us that financial planning is too complicated for an ordinary Main Street citizen to understand, financial planning is not rocket science. This story provides a process map or flow chart for the entire financial planning process. Each process step in the flow chart then becomes a separate chapter. For each chapter, a list of the best books, best articles, and best short stories are given so you can explore each step in more detail. You can select the process steps that you are most interested in and then read the supporting books, articles, and short ...

Illinois has a very interesting geological history. At one time, this area was covered by an ocean. Later it had lush tropical forests. Eventually the Ice Age glaciers leveled the ground to its current relatively flat topography. The Paleo-Indians are believed to have traveled from Asia to North America at the end of the last Ice Age about 14,000 years ago. These people gradually moved south until they occupied most of the United States. These early peoples adapted over time to the changing environment after the Ice Age. By the time the first white man explored Illinois, the Kickapoo ...

Many new investors are shocked to discover there are over 8,000 different mutual funds to choose from! How do you know which fund to pick? Once you pick a fund, how do you know how well it is performing? Do you have to spend a lot of time learning about investing? This book answers all of these questions and more. It shows how regular people can simplify their investment life and beat the pro's results. Jill is a new investor who knows she must start investing for her daughter's education and her retirement. Jill turns to her nephew, a Business Major, and to William the friendly Finance ...

William T. Stackpole was one of early Fairbury's most interesting citizens. During his lifetime, he was gold prospector, pioneer, farmer, merchant, grain speculator, oil field worker, real estate sales person, inventor, writer, publisher, and visionary. His first adventure was traveling from Pekin, Illinois, to the gold fields of California in 1849. He kept a diary of this very interesting trip. This book transcribes his diary from longhand to modern typed text. It is hoped this transcription of his diary will help future Fairbury historians better understand the experiences of this very ...

The first settlers in the Fairbury area was Major Darnell south of town in 1829 and the McDowells north of town in 1832. In 1857, the Peoria & Oquawka Railroad installed new tracks which helped to create the village of Fairbury. This book is a collection of over 70 different carefully researched stories about various aspects of Fairbury history. These stories run the range from the pioneer settlers to modern efforts to preserve Fairbury history. It is hoped this book will help people better understand the almost 200 years of rich history that helped to define the community of Fairbury.

Millions of American Baby Boomers are reaching retirement age. Many of them have set up estate plans using either wills or trusts. One additional document that can save their heirs a great deal of time is a Letter of Instruction. This short story explores how writing a Letter of Instruction can greatly ease the burden on your heirs of settling your estate.

In August of 1887, the TP&W railroad began advertising for a special passenger excursion train that would take Central Illinois citizens on a short vacation trip to Niagara Falls. On August 10, 1887, the train with its 625 total passengers began it trip east across Illinois.Just past midnight, the passenger train encountered a burned out wooden bridge just east of Chatsworth. The second locomotive and several wood passenger cars derailed killing approximately 85 passengers and injuring 372 more. It was one of the worst train wrecks of that era.In 1970, Helen Louise Plaster Stoutemyer ...

This short story explores the pros and cons of investing in variable annuities versus conventional mutual funds.

Most retirement books assume you have time to save and accumulate money or you already have a significant net worth. Most of the 67 million Baby Boomers who are approaching retirement age have run out of time to save and accumulate more wealth. This short story explores the options available to people reaching retirement age who are broke. After reading this short story, you will be able to make your own well-informed decision on how to optimize your chances of being able to retire.

Fairbury is a small town located in Central Illinois. It is 100 miles south of Chicago and 60 miles east of Peoria. It was founded in 1857 when the railroad first crossed Central Illinois. In 1861, John Marsh, and son Henry Marsh, dug 180 feet down just west of Fairbury and found coal. Their discovery of coal in the Illinois prairie, prompted the discovery of more coal through-out Central Illinois. Fairbury quickly had three main operating coal mines. These mines created jobs that attracted miners all the way from Europe. The population of Fairbury exploded from 269 in 1860 to 2,324 in 1890...

The last few years I have been exploring all aspects of retirement planning. Portfolio rebalancing is one area that I have never really explored in any detail. If an investor desires a portfolio with 50% stocks and 50% bonds, over long time periods it is likely this original asset allocation will drift to a higher percentage of stocks and a lower percentage of bounds. Current popular financial planning guidelines suggest the investor should adjust or rebalance the portfolio back to the original asset allocation on some calendar basis (typically annually). Rebalancing requires effort to ...

The most critical decision involved with your retirement portfolio is the correct asset allocation. Asset allocation is the ratio between stocks and bonds in your portfolio. The higher the percentage of stocks versus bonds, the higher your expected return. Unfortunately, your risk level increases also. Financial planners recommend you lower your stock allocation as you age. This short story reveals the actual asset allocation used by Americans as a function of age group. It includes data from six different sources on typical Americans. You can compare your age and your asset allocation with...

Contributing the maximum amount to your 401K has become almost the “holy grail” of the financial services industry. I recently came across several studies which suggest that maxing out your 401K may not be the best strategy for everyone. One of these studies suggested that if you are in the lower income levels, you should not max out your 401K due to excessive taxes on Social Security income when you retire. Another article suggested that if you are within 10 years of years of retirement, you should also not max out your 401K. My goal is to further explore the issue of maxing out 401K ...

Many of the 67 million Baby Boomers who turn age 65 in 2011 want to retire. If they have chosen a high-priced financial advisor, their retirement date may be delayed indefinitely. This short story utilizes a real life example of a couple who can never retire due to excessive investment and financial planning fees. After reading this short story, you will be able to make your own well-informed decision on how to optimize investment and financial planning fees so you can retire sooner.

This short story explains how to become a financial planner or Registered Investment Advisor.

Many Americans work hard and live below their means so they can grow their wealth through saving and investing. Unfortunately, the U.S. has 50% of the world's lawyers. Umbrella insurance is an easy way to protect your hard earned wealth from lawsuits. This short story explains umbrella insurance including how much umbrella insurance you should have.

This short story explores how to find a good financial planner. After reading this short story, you will know how to find a good financial planner who meets your needs.

Many Americans have long-term financial goals including paying for their children’s college or their own retirement. Studies have shown you are more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down. This short story shows how to develop your own comprehensive personal financial plan. It includes a template that you can modify to fit your needs.