By Bert Whitehead M.B.A, J.D. © 2012

"Fiat Money" is commonly defined as money that has no intrinsic value and cannot be redeemed for specie or any commodity, but is made legal tender through government decree.

I have heard "Faith" defined as the belief in the experience of others.

By Bert Whitehead M.B.A, J.D. © 2012

It is about time we called it like it is....The ethical standards of financiers across the board are notorious for being somewhere between lax and non-existent. This is so ingrained that most firms dealing don't even think that their behavior is errant.

By Bert Whitehead M.B.A, J.D. © 2012

Fee-only financial advisers have long held themselves out as being more ethical than commissioned stockbrokers. Fee-only advisers claim to adhere to a fiduciary standard which requires them to act in the best interest of their clients, meaning they must set aside their personal interest and fully disclose all of their fees and any conflicts of interest.

By Bert Whitehead M.B.A, J.D. © 2012

Some days it seems like our economy is improving, then you turn the page and major world problems (Mideast, Europe, Korea, etc.) are just getting worse.

So what if you are a baby-boomer (or older) and are starting to think that your retirement isn’t going to be as joyful as you expected? Or maybe you are younger than that but wonder about your ability to take care of your parents, put your kids through college, and ever have enough money to retire yourself?

By Bert Whitehead M.B.A, J.D. © 2011


The most popular client questions these days are about what kind of mortgage they should get. If you are somewhat knowledgeable about mortgages and just want the bottom line, you can skip to the last paragraph of this blog. If you are interested in a more detailed explanation, please continue reading.

By Bert Whitehead M.B.A, J.D. (c) 2011

With virtually all investment options so sour these days, clients are increasingly interested in the opportunities offered by investing in China. The stock market is totally unpredictable and, for many people, downright scary. Interest earned on savings accounts at banks is next to nothing, and now banks actually charge fees to large cash depositors (like corporations) for just accepting deposits. U.S. Bond returns are the lowest in history, making junk bonds tempting even though they yield less than Treasuries did 10 years ago.

By Bert Whitehead M.B.A, J.D. © 2011

Headlines scream doomsday to us: “The Dow is down 14%!” “Who can fix Europe?” “Even gold is crashing!” “Could the Dollar become worthless?”

By Bert Whitehead, M.B.A, J.D.

Politicians are commanding center stage as they debate the best way to keep the country from defaulting on our debt, and how to change the government’s finances to control the deficit. The play-by-play progress (or lack thereof) is amplified by the media. This leaves financial commentators foisting their favorite last chance investment strategies for people to avoid the worst case dreaded outcome.

By Bert Whitehead, M.B.A, J.D.

Financial chaos is so annoying. We are going along, wary but hopeful, and suddenly everything in the financial arena comes crashing down. The stock market drops 500+ points, the Euro tumbles, oil gets hit hard, and even gold is dropping. What are you going to do?

Fee-Only refers to a specific method of compensation in which financial planners are compensated exclusively from the fees paid by their clients. They specifically choose not to accept commissions, kick-backs, finder’s fees or compensation from any other source. This is significant and important because earning one’s living by selling products or services for which a commission is paid, leaves the financial planner with an inherent conflict of interest.