Retiring Boomers’ Savings Fall Far Short

“The 401k generation is beginning to retire, and it isn’t a pretty sight.”

That’s the conclusion of a recent Wall Street Journal study.1 But the most shocking revelation is just how big the gap is between how much retirement income people will need to maintain their standard of living… and how much they’ve actually saved:

Many have less than one-quarter of what they’ll need

And how are they dealing with this challenge?

Facing shortfalls, many are postponing retirement, moving to cheaper housing, buying less-expensive food, cutting back on travel, taking bigger risks with their investments and making other sacrifices they never imagined.” 1

Sad Baby Boomer

Like Carol Dailey, who is continuing to work at age 71 because her 401(k) took a hit in the 2008 market crash.  She also cut back spending for entertainment and food, and is substituting boxed wine for the ones she used to enjoy from her favorite vineyards.

Sad Baby Boomer

Her financial representatives is planning to help her be able to retire by shifting her assets into riskier investments that can “return 10% a year.”

Hmmm… I wonder if that’s the same financial representatives who advised her on where to invest her money prior to the 2008 market plunge?

If people could take more risk, and do it successfully, why haven’t they been doing that all along?

Isn’t that the classic definition of insanity?

How much more evidence do we need to know that 401(k)’s and “doing all the right things we were told to do financially” aren’t working?

[Read more…] “Retiring Boomers’ Savings Fall Far Short”

AAII vs. Bank On Yourself: Total Knockout in Round One

Last week, I posted the rebuttal I wrote to the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) review of my best-selling book, which declared the concept “too good to be true.”BOY Boxing Gloves

Since AAII said they would not publish my response or correction of the misinformation contained in their review, I told them I would publish it here and let YOU be the judge of whether AAII was twisting and omitting things… or being fair and unbiased.

The response was swift, surprising and universal.  There were so many insightful comments made that I couldn’t pick only three to award prizes to, as was my original plan.

So I picked ten (the winners are listed at the end of this post – check to see if your comment was one that was chosen).  And I’ve excerpted from a number of the comments here, so I can share some of the highlights with you.

Jeffrey summarized the thinking of many commenters about AAII this way:

AAII naturally committed the typical strategic blunders essential to the charade proposed by the investment industry (Wall Street) and financial professionals (a.k.a. traders, gamblers, speculators, etc.). Any attempt to allow people an opportunity to truly grow wealth, reduce risk, and prepare for a more stable environment challenges the status quo of buy and lose (commonly referred to as buy and hold) and then industry pundits (AAII) start the negative attacks in order to establish fear of finances and preserve their base of profits. AAII omitted important aspects of your plan, distorted facts of your plan to promote obfuscation, and blatantly twisted all aspects of your plan in order to destroy your credibility.

Thank you for presenting people with an opportunity to actually prepare, plan, and realize a better financial picture.”

[Read more…] “AAII vs. Bank On Yourself: Total Knockout in Round One”

Is Bank On Yourself too good to be true?

A review of my book, Bank On Yourself, in the December 2010 issue of the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII) Newsletter declared that the concept is “too good to be true.”

The reason given was, “A life insurance policy loan is not truly a loan.  Rather, it is an advance that the insurer must eventually pay out.  Worse yet… policy loans can erode a life insurance policy over time.”  It also pointed to “potential tax liabilities.”

This review brought to mind one of my favorite quotes…

If you’re looking for an excuse, any one will do.”

– Dan Kennedy

So I wrote the editor and explained there was some misinformation in the review, and that I would like an opportunity to correct the record, pointing out that their motto is “Unbiased Investment Education.”unbiased investment education

The editor told me to let him know what I think is incorrect, and he “will take a look at it.”  I suspected he was just “humoring me,” but gave him the benefit of the doubt.  However, when I submitted my rebuttal, he replied that they would not publish it because “there are no factual corrections to be made.”

I informed AAII I would be publishing my rebuttal on this website, and let YOU decide who is taking things out of context, committing sins of omission, and twisting the “facts”… and who is being fair and unbiased.  We’ll pick three of the most interesting, insightful and/or humorous comments made on this blog and award the posters their choice of a $25 gift certificate for a restaurant in your area or a personally autographed copy of my “too good to be true” book.

Besides that, there are several points made in my rebuttal that I have not made elsewhere, so you will find value in reading this (I made it a bit more colorful for your reading pleasure)…

[Read more…] “Is Bank On Yourself too good to be true?”

Success Tips from Sir Richard Branson

Last week I was fortunate to spend some time with mega-successful entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson and 100 other top entrepreneurs.

Pamela Yellen & Sir Richard Branson
Pamela Yellen & Sir Richard Branson

Branson conceived the Virgin Group in 1970 and it has gone on to grow very successful businesses (Virgin Mobile & Virgin Airlines to name a few) in numerous sectors.1

We had a chance to ask Sir Richard questions and here are five Success Tips he shared:

Success Tip #1…

Your business life starts at home – pick a good partner and respect them for who they are.

Success Tip #2…

The biggest challenge business owners run up against is being risk averse.  At some point, you have to just say, “Screw it, let’s do it!”

Success Tip #3…

It’s important to keep fit – you’ve only got one body.  Try to find fun ways to do it.

Success Tip #4…

Praise your team/employees – never criticize them.  Treat them right and they’ll do anything for you.

Success Tip #5…

Don’t take yourself too seriously!

I found it fascinating that when one of us asked a question of Sir Richard, he would often respond by asking a question back; he seemed genuinely interested in us as individuals and it tied right into Success Tip #4.  Sir Richard simply makes you feel that you matter.  And he always looks for the best in people.

Sounds like a blueprint for a life well-lived!

Food for thought…

Number of times the DOW has crossed 11,000 – up or down – since first breaking it on May 3, 1999: 65!2  For the record, Bank On Yourself plans have NEVER gone backwards – they only have one direction: UP!
If you haven’t already started to Bank On Yourself, please take the first step today by requesting your FREE Analysis and discover how you can take back control of your financial future!

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FREE ANALYSIS!
1. http://www.virgin.com/about-us/
2. “How to Play a Market Rally”, The Wall Street Journal, November 15, 2010 (The DOW has since crossed 11,000 at least two more times)

What side of the debt line are you on?

A couple months ago, I interviewed Dan Proskauer.  Dan lives below his means and has significant savings discipline.  But after decades of saving and investing and “doing all the right things” we’ve been taught to do, he realized he had nothing to show for it.

Bank On Yourself under a microscope

Dan is a vice president of technology engineering, very analytical, and he has spent hundreds of hours investigating .

His conclusion?  “The more I look into Bank On Yourself, the better it looks,” says Dan.  And he has implemented it for his family in a big way.

Dan shared the findings and conclusions of his research in a fast-paced interview.  I encourage you to check it out now, if you haven’t already done so.

But what if you’re in debt?

Dan told me he was talking to a friend who was complaining that he and his wife were always in debt and confessed, “There are things we want to do – we don’t want to deprive ourselves of life.  We can’t really afford them, but we do them anyway.”

Maybe you can relate to Dan’s friend’s situation.  It’s a seemingly endless cycle of living beyond your means, using high-cost borrowing, which means you have interest to pay – leaving that much less for everything else.

"Expenses rise to equal income"
C. Northcott Parkinson
Perhaps surprisingly, it has little to do with how much you make – people of all income levels suffer from this.  After all, as the late British economist, C. Northcote Parkinson noted…

Expenses rise to equal income”

It’s part of “Parkinson’s Law.” He also said that, “a luxury, once enjoyed, becomes a necessity.”  I can definitely relate to that, can’t you?

When Dan described to his friend how Bank On Yourself could be used to become his own source of financing and help free him from the endless cycle of debt, his friend’s first reaction was, “Yeah, it sounds great, but we could never do it – we have to get ourselves out of debt first.”

But as Dan explained more about it, his friend realized he didn’t have to wait.  He could start now and reduce or eliminate debt while at the same time increasing savings.  He realized Bank On Yourself could help his family move to the right side of the line.”

What side of the “line” are you on now?

What side of the line are you on?

If you’re on the “wrong” side of the line, you know it.  You’ve probably tried to get to the other side of the line, but it’s not an easy journey to make.

The good news is that if you’re truly fed up with your situation and ready to make a change, Bank On Yourself can help you get there. My New York Times best-selling book, is filled with stories of folks of all ages and incomes who have done just that.

One woman who shared her story in the book is Rose Hillbrand (Chapter 8). Rose knew the feeling of hopelessness that came with the crushing debt she had incurred.  The video below updates her inspiring story of how Bank On Yourself helped her move to the other side of the line.  It was filmed when I was in Ohio speaking to a standing-room-only crowd of over 250 people…

And, if you’d like to get a no-obligation Analysis and a referral to a knowledgeable Bank On Yourself Professional like the one Rose got referred to, who can show you how much your financial picture could improve if you added Bank On Yourself to your financial plan, simply request a free Analysis here.

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FREE ANALYSIS!

Better than debt free?

Most financial experts say that the way to avoid getting into debt is to save up and pay cash for things.

They are wrong! There is actually a better way to purchase things.  I call it the “better than debt-free” method, and it actually beats paying cash.

How is that possible?!?  The conventional wisdom says that paying cash for things is the answer.  But this ignores an important, but little-known principle of finance…

you finance everything you buy

What do I mean by that?  Let’s say you’ve decided you’re going to beat the financing and leasing rackets by paying cash for major purchases.  So you start putting money aside into a savings or money market account.  When you hit your savings target, you pull your money out to pay cash for that item.

Rose on vacation in croatia

Now how much interest are you earning on that money?

You’re earning ZERO interest, of course.  Which is why financing, leasing and paying cash are all losing scenarios.

Fact:  You’re either going to pay interest to others to finance things, or you’re going to lose the interest or investment income you could have earned, had you kept your money invested instead.

When you Bank On Yourself, you do pay interest on your policy loans.  But the interest you pay ends up in your policy, as I explain in detail on pages 100-102 of my book.

But far more important, as Dan Proskauer puts it…

The Bank On Yourself method offers something you truly deserve, but may not have – financial security and peace of mind.  With Bank On Yourself, you can sleep well knowing your savings can only grow, never shrink.  With Bank On Yourself, you know, rather than hope.”

Bonus:  Some companies have a feature that allows you to continue to earn the exact same interest and dividends – even on the money you’ve borrowed!

However, only a handful of companies offer a dividend-paying whole life policy that meets all the requirements to maximize the power of this concept AND pay you the same interest and dividends, regardless of whether you’ve borrowed from your policy .

And if your policy isn’t structured properly, your cash value won’t grow nearly as fast, you could lose the tax advantages, or both.

When you request a free Analysis, you’ll get a referral to one of only 200 financial representatives in the country who have met all the rigorous requirements to be a Bank On Yourself Professional.

So, whether you’re on the side of the line that Dan Proskauer is on, and you want to strengthen your financial position and have predictability and peace of mind… or you want to be on that side of the line, chances are excellent that Bank On Yourself can help!

Why not find out today, if you haven’t already started to Bank On Yourself?REQUEST YOUR
FREE ANALYSIS!

What If Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey Discussed Bank On Yourself?

It seems like every week now, someone writes us to let us know they forwarded one of my blog posts to Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey, or urged them to take me up on my standing offer to debate them about Bank On Yourself.

As I’ve said numerous times, I know Suze and Dave have helped many people get out of debt and get their financial act together.  However, there are two critical areas we strongly disagree on.

Neither of them has taken me up on the offer to debate me – yet. But I can’t help but wonder if they’ve ever actually checked into Bank On Yourself.

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What would it be like to be a fly on the wall as Suze and Dave discuss Bank On Yourself? No need to wonder any longer, as our hidden video camera captured it all. Just click on the play button…

In case you’re wondering, the statements made by Suze and Dave in the video about why you should invest in mutual funds and why you should avoid whole life insurance are direct quotes from their books.

And Suze really did tell the New York Times she doesn’t follow her own advice about investing in the market.

[Read more…] “What If Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey Discussed Bank On Yourself?”

Bank On Yourself under the microscope

Dan Proskauer
Dan Proskauer

It was almost two years ago that Dan Proskauer – a Vice President of technology engineering for a major health care company who holds three U.S. patents – first heard of Bank On Yourself.

Dan lives below his means, has significant savings discipline, and is a sophisticated investor.  But when the financial crisis hit, Dan realized he had nothing to show for decades of saving and investing his hard-earned money and “doing all the right things” we’ve been taught to do.

Dan Proskauer
Dan Proskauer

He felt angry, betrayed… and willing to open his mind and find out if there was something better out there.

Dan is very analytical and has since spent literally hundreds of hours investigating Bank On Yourself.  He has already started seven Bank On Yourself-type policies because, as he puts it, “the more I look into Bank On Yourself, the better it looks.”

Dan recently contacted me and generously offered to share his findings with you.  Whether you already use Bank On Yourself, or you’ve been considering adding it to your financial plan, you’ll learn something of value from this interview. You can listen to the interview by pressing the play button below, or you can download the entire interview as an MP3 and listen on your own player or iPod…


You can also download a transcript of the interview here.

In this fascinating interview, you’ll discover…

    Bank On Yourself under a microscope
  • Why Dan has cut back his 401(k) contribution to what his employer matches… and why he’s considering stopping funding it altogether
  • What he discovered were the problems with traditional college savings plans, and why he believes Bank On Yourself is a better option
  • Bank On Yourself under a microscope
  • The surprising result of Dan’s research into the rate of return of a Bank On Yourself-type policy – and why he feels the additional “intangible” benefits make it the best way to build a financial foundation in both good times and bad
  • Why Dan has seven different policies – and is getting ready to start more
  • Where Dan found the money to fund his policies
  • Why Bank On Yourself will hold its own against things people worry about – including inflation, deflation and fluctuating interest rates
  • The two downsides to Bank On Yourself that Dan found
  • Why Dan believes it’s critical to use a Bank On Yourself Professional to set-up your policy… and how getting knowledgeable, on-going coaching and advice can result in your having far more wealth over your lifetime, while ensuring you don’t lose the tax advantages of Bank On Yourself
  • Why Dan – like hundreds of thousands of others who use the Bank On Yourself method – says the only regret he has is that he didn’t know about this sooner
  • Dan’s advice to anyone who’s still sitting on the fence and hasn’t started yet

You can listen to the interview by pressing the play button below, or you can download the entire interview as an MP3 and listen on your own player or iPod…



You can also download a transcript of the interview here.

The more I look into Bank On Yourself, the better it looks.”
– Dan Proskaur

The ultimate financial security blanket

If you haven’t started to Bank On Yourself yet, it’s free and there’s no-obligation to request an Analysis and find out what your bottom line numbers and results could be if you added Bank On Yourself to your financial plan.
REQUEST YOUR
FREE ANALYSIS!

When you request your Analysis, you’ll also get a referral to one of only 200 financial representatives in the country who have taken the rigorous training and meet the requirements to be a Bank On Yourself Professional, like the one Dan is working with.

Request your free Analysis now, so you can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your financial future will be one you can predict and count on!

We want your feedback! Tell us what below what YOU think of Dan’s interview below…

The truth about investing in mutual funds

Investors earn returns over time that are far lower than those quoted by mutual fund firms.  In fact, it’s not even a close race.”

This is the conclusion of DALBAR, Inc., the well-respected independent investment research firm.1

For the past 20 years, “the average equity investor barely managed to eke out an annualized return that outpaced inflation.”  The average return was 3.49% per year – just slightly more than the inflation rate for that period!

Asset allocation and fixed income investors weren’t so lucky (if you can call that “luck”); they lost ground after adjusting for inflation.

Why most investors don’t come close to getting the returns touted in mutual fund prospectuses…

There are plenty of reasons for this.  For starters…
[Read more…] “The truth about investing in mutual funds”

Bank on Yourself hits The New York Times Best Seller List!

Buy your copy today...The recently released paperback edition of Pamela Yellen’s first book on the Bank On Yourself concept will debut at #3 on the coveted New York Times Best-Seller List on April 11.

It also hit #2 on the USA Today Money Best Seller list for the week ending March 28th.

The hardcover edition was released a year ago and immediately hit the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Business Week best seller lists.

Find out what all the buzz is about and learn more about this proven, time-tested way to grow a nest egg, so you can take back control of your money and finances today.

Bank On Yourself success story video

In my best-selling book on Bank On Yourself, a number of folks shared the personal and intimate details of how they’ve been using Bank On Yourself to reach a variety of short-term and long-term personal and financial goals and dreams.

Perhaps one of the most inspiring stories was shared by Greg and Christy Gammon. Since I interviewed them, their lives have taken some interesting twists and turns, and their Bank On Yourself policies have come to the rescue in surprising ways.

This short video update, filmed during my national book tour, reveals the details. Just click the play button below…

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No two Bank On Yourself plans (policies) are alike. Each is custom-tailored, so yours would be uniquely suited to your goals and dreams. It’s easy to find out what your bottom-line numbers and results could be. Simply request your free Analysis here… and take the first step towards taking back control of your financial future. Why not do it now, while it’s fresh on your mind?
REQUEST YOUR
FREE ANALYSIS!