TED Community » Ron Beasley

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  A reply on Conversation: A conversation with Prudential: As people are living longer, how can we plan for a retirement that could last up to 30 years or more?

  Apr 27 2012: That is a separate, but valid, issue. It will be tricky to unwind all that low interest rate debt, and the fed's balance sheet. I hold no treasuries, they are one of the worst investments one could make at this time, in my opinion.

• A comment on Conversation: A conversation with Prudential: As people are living longer, how can we plan for a retirement that could last up to 30 years or more?

  Apr 26 2012: The most important factor is communication, and all forms of media can be used to educate. We need more objective information. Unfortunately, our government is the largest impediment. The Federal Reserve's policy of artificially repressing long-term interest rates to boost short-term economic results in an election year, and to encourage more home purchases, is disastrous for savers and for pension plans. In past economic recoveries, long-term interest rates were about 5% higher than they are now. That equates to $20,000 in additional income each year for someone with a $400,000 retirement nest egg. Pension plans are facing enormous shortfalls in funding as a result of these lower rates also, impacting government and private sector plans which need to now require higher contributions and reduce benefits. This is not being effectively communicated. The good news is that it will not last forever, long-term rates should start to rise in the next couple of years. How do we convince our government to be more honest about the downside to its policies?
  
  Ron Beasley
  Investment Advisor
  rwbi.net

• A comment on Conversation: Is it not absolutely natural to watch one's facial expressions, body posture, natural body qualities - the whole compound of them all?

  Apr 11 2012: We have to be very careful of our preconceptions.Certain body language of facial expressions may trigger unconscious memories that could positively or negatively influence our response to the other person. So our unconscious, instinctive reactions are often clouded, not a "pure" reflection of the other person, I think. If we can work our way through those things, it makes sense to me to be aware of the full breadth of qualities and characteristics of our interaction with the other person. Otherwise, we may be repressing an aspect of the interrelationship. Then it becomes a matter of choice, in how much importance we assign to each attribute.