Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat’s commentary for the week of April 30, 2013?

Article Excerpt

At any age, it’s a good idea to arrange your affairs so that you have someone you trust to take charge of your finances and investments if you can’t handle them yourself. However, it’s best to choose someone you trust thoroughly, and give that person as much latitude as possible. The alternative—leaving fixed instructions—introduces a random element that can only hurt you. After all, it won’t add to your wealth to set up fixed instructions (such as “If I lose the ability to make sound investment decisions, then convert all my holdings into T-bills, and reinvest them as they mature in new T-bills, until my death or recovery”). But these or any fixed instructions may force your representative to make bad choices. This subject came up a while ago with a portfolio management client who is 82 and is now in excellent health. She recognizes that at her age, things can change quickly. So she asked about leaving fixed instructions…