Transparent Compensation vs . . . Not “An astounding 75 percent of consumers believe, incorrectly, that all financial advisers already have to act in their best interest.” –“Is Your Financial Adviser Making Money Off Your Bad Investments?”; The NYT (Sept. 29, 2015). Want one more reason why millions of Mom-and-Pop investors are opting for low-cost index...Read More
Giving Agents a Green Light to Go to Bat for Their Clients “No man can serve two masters.” –New Testament [Editor’s Note: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced.] Unlike, say, many financial advisors, Realtors owe their clients a...Read More
Taking Advantage of a 1st-Time Buyer (Or Trying To) First-time Buyers may not know prevailing lender fees — but experienced Realtors do. In that vein, a colleague recently reported that, to his chagrin, he discovered that the lender he referred his client to quoted her lender fees (origination, underwriting, appraisal, etc.) easily double the industry...Read More
“Put the Interests of the Client First. No Excuses. Period.” In a world where individual investors have few friends (sadly), Vanguard founder John Bogle — now 83 years old – is a true champion. What does he propose doing now to fix the stagnant economy and (still) battered financial system? Bogle advocates taxes to discourage...Read More
The Virtue of a Well-Stocked Pipeline If you’ve never made a living 100% on commissions — and not selling apparel or widgets, but big-ticket, capital items like homes — it can be terrifying. Not only are the paydays few and far between, but, especially in today’s housing market, there seem to be more steps along the...Read More
Real Estate Pronouns: ‘Yours,’ ‘Mine,’ and ‘Ours’ There are Realtors out there who, once you’ve hired them, refer to everything in the plural. As in, “our” house, “our” listing price, “our” offer, etc. Unh-uh. When the deal is done, it’s my client’s house — and their mortgage payment. I explicitly take pains not to blur the distinction...Read More
