‘Lost Decade’ Behind as Investors Search For Opportunities

Many of you, like me, are waiting patiently for February, 2010 to come when the final season of one of American TV’s best written and acted series begins – “Lost.” This column, while not about the adventures of fictional characters, is about real-life investors confused and looking for advice on how best to make up for lost time and the trillions of dollars in lost retirement savings.

“The reality is that, financially speaking, we are emerging from a ‘lost decade’,” said AARP Financial Inc. President Richard “Mac” Hisey. “It can be argued that it was a combination of Wall Street’s own risk-taking and extreme over-leveraging, individuals spending way beyond their means, using their homes as ATMs, and borrowing to consume, and the Federal Government keeping interest rates too low for too long, that contributed to a binge that ultimately led to a credit crisis and the worst recession since the Great Depression — and we’re all dealing with the hangover. Now that the economy and the markets are bouncing back, perhaps the rest of us can begin our own financial recovery process.”

AARP Financial research found most respondents (55%) said it’s hard to find financial information and guidance that they can trust.

Guidance you can trust? Here’s guidance you can trust: if you are blessed enough to have an IRA account, self-direct (some of) it and your IRA moneys into real estate. There are as many real estate investment possibilities as there are many different investors and portfolios. The idea is to find someone who has your best interests in mind and can trust. Research, due diligence and market timing can go a long way to finding the right professional to partner with – and t finding the best real estate opportunity for you and your portfolio as well.

If interested, I can offer you an IRA Builder to get you started from two associates that I trust (and have become good friends of mine): Jeremy Hanks and Michael Madsen of Real Source Retirement Services.