2006 Sept/Oct

• The boom in wealth management

  Investment group Merrill Lynch and consulting company Capgemini recently calculated that there are 8.7 million millionaires worldwide. A large number live right here on Cape Cod.

• We keep getting richer

  There is a reason national brokerages such as Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch have moved to bigger, more lavish offices in Hyannis.

• A financial planning checklist

  Once you’ve finished with your tax planning for the year, and your return is safely on its way to the IRS, you’re at an excellent point for a quick financial check-up.

• How do you find the right financial adviser?

  There is a deep and diverse pool of talented financial advisers on Cape Cod. But finding just the right one for you and your circumstances is a challenge.

• House of cards

  Just how easy is it to have credit card debt take you down? Very easy, according to Jennifer Morrow of Consumer Credit Counseling Services in Hyannis.

• Young, smart and rich

  It’s possible for young people to get ahead – if they have a good financial background.

• When is a Roth IRA right for you?

  A tax-free source of retirement income would seem to have almost universal appeal. Yet only 13 percent of U.S. households own a Roth IRA, a retirement investment vehicle that offers tax-free qualified withdrawals.

• Long-term care insurance

  If you read many consumer finance articles, you might wonder whether long-term care insurance is a necessary protection or merely profit for insurers.

• Options for long-term care insurance

  There are a variety of options when selecting long-term care insurance.

• The economics of assisted care

  The cost of assisted living ranges from $1,500 to $5,000 a month, with the average around $2,500 to $3,500 per month. Base monthly rent also depends on whether the accommodations are semiprivate or private rooms, suites sharing bathrooms, studios with kitchens or one-, two- or three-bedroom apartments.

• Why women need to plan for their retirement

  If you’re looking forward to enjoying a peaceful, comfortable retirement someday, you’re not alone. By age 65, five out of six people have hung up the briefcase or tool belt and retired. The fly in the ointment: If you are a woman, you may have to put in more effort before you get to enjoy a worry-free, financially secure retirement.

• Cape Codopoly: Maximizing real estate investments

  Real estate holdings on the Cape are great investments, despite boom-bust cycles. But there are more decisions to make than simply location, location, location.

• Financing college – with retirement not far behind

  At 47, this successful Hyannis businessman knows a bit about planning ahead. With three young children speeding toward college, he and his wife recently sat down to consider their financial future.

• Your stock portfolio: How to avoid risky concentration

  Despite the proven risk-reducing benefits of diversification, many portfolios are under-diversified. A concentrated stock position is natural for the founder of a company or for executives who are expected to own stock to keep their interests aligned with shareholders. Inheritance and exercise of stock options also can lead to concentration in too few stocks.

• Survivorship life insurance

  If you haven’t looked at your life insurance in a few years, do so now to find new ways it can work for you.

• The latest housing market trends

  September 20, 2006 -- After a drop in housing inventory, September has seen the supply of unsold property on Cape Cod spike once again. From a peak of 6,873 properties in mid-summer, the inventory number dipped as low as 6,765 during the first week of September. But as of this week, that number had risen again – to just above 6,850, according to Cape Business’ partner, Cape Property Search.
  

• Dennisport revitalization showing positive signs

  Nearly two years after voters approved a visionary rezoning of Dennisport, redevelopment of the aging village along Route 28 is beginning one property a time. Planning efforts have won two awards, several properties have changed hands and major development proposals are starting to emerge.

• Route 134: The new Mid-Cape hub

  Fortune smiled on Charlie Chamberlain long before he developed Patriot Square, one of the most successful shopping centers on the Cape. During his service in Korea, he woke one night to the sound of a fellow soldier screaming because spiders had bitten his eyelids. “He spent six months in the hospital,” Chamberlain said, shrugging as he added, “They don’t bite me.”

• Spotlighting Dennis institutions

  Like all Cape towns, Dennis has seen quite a bit of growth over the last several decades, with residential development accompanied by an increasing number of businesses that take care of the myriad needs and desires of the growing number of full- and part-time residents. Some of the businesses in town, however, predate the boom, and have managed to survive and grow in the face of change. We talked to the proprietors of several long-time businesses that have become veritable institutions.
  

• Q&A on ... The 2006 real estate market

  Cape Business asked veteran real estate brokers John C. Ricotta and Beth Wade to share their perspective on the 2006 real estate market, which has seen a dramatic drop in demand for residential housing and an uncertain pricing outlook.

• Reading people on the golf course

  The one question I’m asked more than any other is: When is it appropriate to talk business on the golf course? Unfortunately, there’s no easy answer. You can lose by talking business too soon. But opportunities are also lost by not reading the clues and failing to talk business when the client is receptive to it. So you’ll want to know how to read people on the golf course before you head out to play with a prospect, client or the boss.

• Work, the law and your business

  Cape Business is collaborating with Beth O’Neal, Esq., a partner in the Boston law firm of Masterman, Culbert & Tully LLP, to provide our readers with a new column, The Law at Work.

• Summer ’06 goes down as ‘challenging’

  SEPT. 1, 2006 -- The summer of 2006 proved to be a continuing chapter in the uneven and volatile world of tourism on Cape Cod. One official described the season as “lumpy” – not uniformly good or bad, but one where some businesses did better and others not quite as well as last year.

• ABWA names Leslie Fishlock Woman Entrepreneur of the Year

  As part of its mission to recognize the special contributions women bring to the business table, the American Business Women’s Association of Cape Cod has collaborated with Cape Business to honor the Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. This is the inaugural year for the award, which was bestowed on Leslie Fishlock of Genevate Corporation at a special ABWA ceremony held August 8 at the Radisson Inn.

• CDs offer competitive rates for savings

  With interest rates rising, that can spell bad news for homebuyers and other borrowers. But investors are seeing a benefit, in the form of higher rates of return on Certificates of Deposit and other savings and investments.

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