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

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 ...

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.

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.

78 million Baby Boomers start to turn age 65 in 2011. Many of these Boomers will be seeking investments that have low risk and high returns. Equity indexed annuities are often promoted as low risk investments with high returns. This short story explores the complexities and hidden costs of equity indexed annuities.

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.

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

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 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...

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. The author developed an outline for broadcasting twenty-one short stories about Fairbury history on the local radio station. This short story converts the outline for the radio audio history segments into this written short story. It is hoped this book helps to inform current Fairbury residents about the colorful history of Fairbury. It is hoped this short story will help to educate future historians who ...

William Walton and Elizabeth Gehman had a large family of 12 children in Ohio. They both died at relatively young ages, leaving several of their younger children as orphans.Four of these 12 children moved to the Fairbury area. Mary Ann Walton married prominent Belle Prairie Township farmer David Steele Crum. They provided a home for young orphan Isaac Walton after the parents died.Benjamin Walton was a pioneer settler of the Fairbury area. He established a large elevator and grain mill at the southwest corner of First and Locust.Orphan Isaac Walton served in the Civil War, then returned to ...

Circa 1922, the book titled Livingston County, Illinois in the World War was published. It contains the names of all the people from Livingston County who served in World War I. If submitted, it also contains a brief service record for each person. Circa 1947, the book titled Service Record Book of Men and Women of Fairbury, Illinois and Community was published. It contains a photo and short biography of each person that served in World War II. Unfortunately, there is no published book containing the names of the Fairbury area people who served in the Civil War. This book utilizes numerous ...

Sixty-Seven million Baby Boomers have now started to enter their retirement years. One of their biggest challenges is making a retirement portfolio last during retirement. This is a challenge because of the fluctuating nature of future stock market returns. Hoover Dam designers faced a similar issue. They want to maximize flow from the dam while keeping the reservoir full. The amount of river flow replenishing the reservoir is dependent on fluctuating levels of annual snowfall in the mountains. This short story compares Hoover Dam’s design to the retirement portfolio income problem. After...

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.

One of the key decisions an investor has to make is what level of portfolio risk to assume. If the stock allocation is too low, the investor runs the risk of inflation diminishing the portfolio value. If the stock allocation is too high, the investor may panic and sell-out every eight years when we have a Bear stock market. This short story explores the issue of portfolio risk. After reading this short story, you will have enough information to make your own well-informed asset allocation decision.

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.William T. Stackpole came from a prominent family in the Maine coastal city of Thomaston, Maine. He was born in 1827. He grew up on the St. Georges River in Maine. At Thomaston, the St. Georges river empties into the Atlantic Ocean. He was aware of the great success of the Erie Canal, built in 1821. These factors led to a life-long obsession with improving waterway shipping, including rivers and canals.His...

The first settlers in the Fairbury area was Major Darnall south of town in 1829 and the McDowell family 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, the coal miners, enterprising businessmen, school history, banking history, Post Office locations, and modern efforts to preserve Fairbury history.It is hoped this book will help people ...

Since it's founding in 1857, Fairbury has had eight murders committed. This book reviews the history behind each of these eight murders. If you are interested in Fairbury history, this book contains almost 200 pictures and sketches of Fairbury history.

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.

James McDowell (1747-1809) was born in Ireland. He was a soldier under General Wayne in the Revolutionary War and was wounded at Brandywine. He married Sarah Gorrell (1763-1834) and they had nine children in Ohio. Families of three of these nine children moved to Avoca Township in Illinois starting in 1832. Descendants of James and Sarah fought in the War of 1812 and the Civil War.These McDowell family members were pioneers that helped establish the Illinois towns of Avoca, McDowell, Fairbury, and Gibson City. Some of the Fairbury, Illinois McDowells named and helped to establish Fairbury, ...

This short story explains how you can determine if you have saved enough to retire.