During my tenure as Director of the United States Mint (2006–2011), I witnessed the largest single bank collapse in U.S. history when Washington Mutual shut down in 2008 in the midst of the Financial Crisis of 2007–2008. I also saw how many Americans reacted during...
I Was the Director of the U.S. Mint During the Great Recession. Here’s What Happens to Gold During a Recession.
Given the current economic climate, it’s no wonder that the topic of economic recession has been on many people’s minds—and no wonder that when we think recession, many of our minds think back to 2008. This is especially true for me because during the 2008 downturn, I...
How Risky Is Buying Gold, and Is Buying Gold a Good Idea for Retirement?
Whether you’re purchasing gold coins or setting up a gold Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to prepare for retirement, you’ll find it’s important to consider the risks of buying gold. As one of the oldest commodities still traded today, gold remains popular for many...
Safe-Haven Assets: Stable Value Funds vs. Gold
Recently, I read an article by MarketWatch that reports stable value funds as today’s most popular asset to include in a 401(k), despite what MarketWatch calls the “complex risks” involved. As the article puts it, these funds are both “widely seen as a safe haven” and...
Is a Market Crash Coming? What the Bond Market Is Telling Us.
There have been recent discussions about the sell-off of U.S. bonds and what the bond market is telling us about the potential of a major crash ahead for the American economy. Is this business as usual? Is it a sign that the bottom is about to drop out? Or is it...
9 Financial Retirement Terms You Should Know Before You Retire
If you’re starting your retirement planning journey, you might be confronted with a lot of finance jargon. Even armed with a degree in economics, I sometimes find it hard to read through material on retirement planning. Cash surrender value, charitable remainder...
Diversifying Your Retirement Portfolio Is Important. A Precious Metals IRA Can Help.
Scan the headlines today, and one thing becomes clear: Current economic conditions are still creating worry among consumers. On May 13, 2022, Fox Business reported that “consumer confidence tumbled more than expected, to a fresh 11-year low in early May, reflecting...
Can You Over-Diversify a Portfolio?
When you diversify your portfolio, you help lower its overall risk exposure by allocating funds among various asset classes. Diversification avoids relying too much on the performance of a single asset class, helping you weather economic uncertainty and grow your...
What Are the Different Asset Classes?
Understanding the different asset classes is essential to achieving portfolio diversification—a must-have for long-term portfolio performance and something I’ve witnessed the need for firsthand. As the son of immigrants, I grew up watching my parents pursue the...
9 Things You May Want to Do One Year Before Retirement
A realization struck me on my birthday last year: I was one year away from the traditional retirement age of 65. I didn’t feel like I was almost old enough to retire, and with two young daughters I don’t think I’ll be retiring anytime soon—but it got me thinking about...
What’s the Average Tax Refund, and How Are People Using Theirs?
A tax refund is a reimbursement of taxes that you’ve overpaid to the federal or another government. The U.S. Treasury Department estimates that nearly 75% of federal taxpayers wind up with tax refunds because they overpay their taxes. As of April 15, 2022, the average...
Can I Combine Multiple 401(k) Accounts?
In their working life, the typical baby boomer has held 12 jobs from age 18 to 54, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics study. Those 12 jobs translate to potentially a dozen 401(k) retirement accounts. I can speak from personal experience—I still maintain...