3Q09 vs. Q3 09 –which is better?
You probably know that Q is the abbreviation for quarter. But what’s the proper way to abbreviate “third quarter of 2009”? I prefer 3Q09 to Q3 09. It seems cleaner to separate the 3 of third quarter from the 09 of 2009. I worry that readers will get confused if the numbers in Q3 09 […]
Advisors, now’s the time to build clients’ NON-financial emergency funds
Financial advisors, encourage your clients to set up a non-financial emergency fund, says Kol Birke, financial behavior specialist at Commonwealth Financial Network. The fund will help them to make better financial decisions. Plus, it’ll strengthen their bond with you. A non-financial emergency fund consists of family, friends, and activities such as volunteering and exercise. These […]
Estate planning for unmarried and same-sex couples
Estate planning for unmarried and same-sex couples is mighty complicated, as I explain in “Unwed and Planning,” in the October issue of Financial Planning magazine. Here’s a table that got squeezed out of the story due to lack of space. This data is frequently updated on the Human Rights Campaign’s Relationship Recognition Map. Some resources […]
Guest post: "Can I replace my paper newsletter with an e-newsletter instead?"
Are you considering scrapping the newsletter you send via U.S. mail in favor of a newsletter delivered via email? If so, please read the guest post below by Tom Ahern of Ahern Communications, a specialist in fundraising, advocacy, and “persuasion” communications. It is excerpted with permission from his Love Thy Reader newsletter. Ahern writes from […]
Fixed income viewpoints from CFA Institute conference
Here are opinions on currency and CDOs that grabbed my attention at the CFA Institute’s Fixed Income conference last week. If YOU were at the conference, I’d be interested to learn what surprised or intrigued you. “The New Currency World Order” Ron Liesching of Mountain Pacific Group, LLC The U.S. dollar cannot be replaced as […]