Steven Van Metre Bakersfield Life Magazine February, 2011 They have been called the “pig in the python.” They are the baby boomers who comprise a huge bunch of people born after World War II, from 1946 to 1964. They swelled the historically “flat” demographic line as they grew out of diapers, overwhelmed American schools, consumed the job market … Read more
Bakersfield Life Magazine February, 2011 A local nurse who attended a retirement planning course I conducted through the Levan Institute for Lifelong Learning at Bakersfield College, came into my office recently seeking a second opinion regarding an investment. Two years ago, she bought one of the most expensive investments on the market that had management … Read more
The Bakersfield Californian January 21, 2011 Talk about “hung over.” But I am not talking about the after effects of too much booze and too much partying. I’m talking about too much spending; too much flexing the credit card plastic over the holidays. I have been working with a man we’ll call Joe for the … Read more
The Bakersfield Californian December 24, 2010 The man sitting at my desk was 54 years old and worked as a middle manager for a local company that has experienced several layoffs over the past two years. His wife is seven years younger and works as a teacher. They have two children, one in seventh grade … Read more
The Bakersfield Californian December 10, 2010 Now is the time of year that doting grandparents begin thinking about buying “just right” presents to put under the tree. Often those presents come in the form of cold, hard cash. MetLife Mature Market Institute recently conducted a nationwide survey of grandparents age 45 and older with grandchildren … Read more
The Bakersfield Californian November 19, 2010 A 46-year-old Bakersfield teacher came into my office recently with a “funny feeling” about an equity-indexed universal life insurance policy she had just purchased. The woman was approached by a local salesman and invited to bring a group of her friends together for dinner to learn about a “surefire” … Read more
The Bakersfield Californian July 23, 2010 As boomers age, they face one of the greatest challenges in their lives: how to avoid running out of money in retirement. Many boomers are financially unprepared for retirement and may go broke. A recent study released by the Employee Research Benefit Institute found that nearly one-half (47.2 percent) … Read more