I recently had a conversation with my teenage daughter where we had reason to consider the financial situation of an elderly couple that are family friends. My daughter became aware that this family had an (undisclosed) amount of money to live on for the rest of their lives, and that was it. She made an off-hand remark that “they have that amount of money to live on, and that’s it? That would stink.” This …
A recent study from Wells Fargo and Gallup found that approximately 21% of 401(k) participants take out loans or early withdrawals from these plans. Many employees are not quite familiar with the tax consequences that go along with such behaviors. The basics of good money management, while not universally taught, can be identified and learned. Financial literacy is a necessary first step in ensuring individuals make sound financial decisions. However, it is only one …
Distrust and caution are the parents of security. – Benjamin Franklin Data Points measures skepticism in relationship to one’s overall Wealth Potential™: it is positively related to net worth regardless of age, income and percentage of wealth inherited. So, those who have the greatest potential for accumulating wealth are also those who will most likely question everything with respect to how they (or you) manage and invest money. In one of our latest studies, within a sample of …
A data point is a measurement or set of measurements of a single member of a particular population. For the financial services industry, client data typically include age, income, net worth, investable assets, risk tolerance, attitudes, and perhaps big data (with or without theory). This information is traditionally used to describe wealth groups (e.g., mass affluent, ultra high net worth) and determine relevant products and services. What’s missing? The scientific measurement of relevant wealth-building behaviors and life experiences …