[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Boomer

Yep. One day I was having lunch with Mr. Boomer in my favorite back home restaurant. (Trio — for those of us from my hometown. )

Anyway, in the booth across from us was an older woman who was being double-teamed — not just one, but two annuity salesmen.

This was several years ago and I did not yet have silver hair, but she did. I could hear enough of the conversation to figure out she had been widowed and probably had been left in good financial shape but did not know what to do with what she had.

Mr. Boomer saw me tuning into that conversation. (Yes. I was eavesdropping but I could not help it. I accept it as my curse/gift to be able to filter conversations while still carrying on a conversation of my own.)

It was all I could do to restrain myself from moving over to sit next to her, across from those 2 “charmers” sitting opposite her in that booth and laying it on thick — with words like “guaranteed” and phrases like “no more worries.”

My skin was crawling and being who I am, it was really hard to keep myself from intervening.

(In my hometown, there are a lot of people who have worked for and have long held stock in a local behemoth that has been belching out dividends for over 100 years and has increased that dividend annually, consecutively, for almost as many years as I have been alive. Annuity salesmen just love to get their hands on those shares and they often do.)

For years, every time I have heard a woman say, “Oh I don’t know anything about all that stuff. HE takes care of it for us,” I want to scream…….

Boomer

Good story lady Boomer. I hate that type of double-teaming myself. It's OK in basketball, however.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Rwirish

Not sure I would be putting all this on a social media site.

I don't see ANY problem. She has NOT said how much money she has invested and she is NOT giving out her account numbers. There is NOT a Russian financial troll behind every bush here at TOTV.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by spinner1001

Gigi:

First, I strongly suggest that you edit your original message in this thread and delete the numbers referring to your assets. These TOTV messages are public and even show up in Google searches. You can click the edit button in your first post of this thread and then edit what your wrote. If you make that change to your message, hopefully other people in the thread who quoted your original message with your numbers will do the same.

Second, since you have been to a fee-based financial planner before, talking again to them with your question is likely a very good idea since they already have some idea of your circumstances. Many personal factors ought to go into the kind of investment decision you want to make. Alternatively, Boomer’s suggestion about talking with a planner in Fidelity’s Lake Sumter Landing office might work for you. (Also, I believe that you can transfer your Vanguard funds to Fidelity without be required to move them into Fidelity funds. Fidelity can hold a person’s Vanguard funds.)

Lastly, if your original question is motivated by wanting to lower your risk to volatile stocks, be aware you may be taking on new risks by switching (e.g., inflation risk, longevity risk). A competent financial planner can help you learn and balance the risks.

Stocks are always somewhat volatile, but we are coming into a more volatile period.

[Gigi3000]

[QUOTE=rsmurano;2213797]That’s been true for the last 10 years but if the economy is going to tank like 2097/2008, you will see companies stop paying dividends. Most dividends are in the 2-3.5% bracket, so with the risk of stocks/funds going way down later this year, MM funds that pay 4-5% with no risk is a no-brainer[/Q

this is my thinking too. VTSAX and VTTVX have returns at 5% plus but i sure dont see that in dividends paid. Share price makes up most of that i believe.