KENSINGTON, MARYLAND. April 2, 2009 - - Individuals need to realize that traditional financial advisers don’t necessarily have the solutions they are seeking, and turn to advisers who offer common-sense solutions based on investing facts. That’s the advice of Samuel N. Asare, MBA, CRPC, CMFC, and senior financial strategist at Laser Financial Group, LC.

Asare, a Washington D.C.-based financial strategist, takes a radically different approach to helping people save for retirement than many of the financial experts who are on TV or authoring financial advice columns.

Secure Investments Do Exist

“The public has been brainwashed into thinking that in order to grow a sizable nest egg, they must accept risk, volatility, and unpredictability,” says Asare. Laser Financial Group teaches that serious cash should not be invested directly in the stock market.

When people have their investments directly tied to the stock market, a decline like we’ve witnessed in recent months impacts their entire account. That can be catastrophic. Instead, Laser Financial Group recommends investments that are linked to a stock market index.

“Our methodology allows investors to make decent returns when the market is up, but not lose money when it plummets,” explains Asare. He added that none of their clients lost money last year. Instead, they earned between one and five percent, depending on their specific contracts with their respective carriers.

“We have long recommended that people utilize a more stable, less volatile investment strategy that provides some predictability in managing their nest eggs. Most Americans never expected to find themselves in this predicament. But our nation’s current economic calamity may be the wake-up call that rattles people enough to question the basic assumptions they’ve been given, and makes them consider alternative strategies,” said Asare.

Forget about traditional advice such as paying off your home mortgage as fast as you can, using a qualified retirement plan, such as an IRA or 401(k), diversifying your retirement portfolios in broad-spectrum mutual funds or stocks, and then trusting that everything will work out, says Asare.

He points out that millions of Americans have faithfully done all of that, only to see their retirement savings decimated. “But even if the current economic crisis had not hit, many Americans have and will reach retirement and find that their financial situation is much worse than they’d anticipated,” he emphasizes.

Retirement Can Mean a Higher Tax Bracket

Asare explains that one of the reasons people find their situation worse than anticipated is that they are getting clobbered with taxes due to the fact that they have fewer deductions and exemptions than ever because:

• If they have paid down or paid off their mortgage, they no longer have the mortgage interest tax deduction;
• They are no longer making contributions into qualified retirement plans;
• And they must start paying taxes when they withdraw money from their IRA or 401(k).

“In fact, the average retired couple will pay eight to 12 times the taxes during their retirement years than the taxes they saved during their contribution/accumulation years,” says Asare.

Laser Financial and a few other savvy financial planners around the nation advocate nonqualified retirement plans that are funded with after-tax dollars that accumulate and are withdrawn income tax-free. “Almost everyone in this country believes that future tax rates will likely be higher. Yet, so-called financial advisers are advocating retirement plans that postpone tax liabilities,” says Asare.

To more fully explain their investing philosophies, Laser Financial Group conducts educational seminars entitled “Wealth Optimization.” Their next seminar is scheduled for Saturday, April 25th, 1 p.m., at the Exit Realty Office, 5300 Westview Drive, Suite 105 Frederick, MD 21703. For more details and to request complimentary tickets call (877) 656-9111 or visit www.laserfg.com

About Samuel N. Asare:

A maverick in the financial services arena, Asare is a Senior Financial Strategist with Laser Financial Group, LC. He is a master at simplifying complex financial strategies and has a real passion for helping people take control of their finances by showing them how to accumulate money on a tax-favored basis so that they can achieve the highest possible net spend-able retirement income.

As a speaker and presenter who is in high demand, Mr. Asare brings to his dynamic seminars plenty of real-world examples, humor, and practical applications from his years of experience in retirement planning, equity management, accounting, mortgages, wealth optimization, business management, economics, and tax planning.

He has served as a Financial Analyst, Finance Manager, and Vice President of Finance & Operations. Mr. Asare holds an MBA and is a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC), Charted Mutual Fund Counselor (CMFC), Certified Treasury Professional (CTP), and Certified Business Manager (CBM).

KENSINGTON, MARYLANLD. June 11, 2009 – - CNBC seems to have a knack for broadcasting shows hosted by individuals with scant, shoddy, imprecise and/or misleading financial advice, according to Senior Financial Strategist Samuel N. Asare. The question Samuel Asare is asking is, “How can they keep getting away with it?”

Back in March, comedian Jon Stewart gave a highly publicized dressing down to Jim Cramer, host of CNBC’s “Mad Money,” seemingly taking him to task for all the bad financial advice the many hosts, analysts and commentators on his network had offered in the lead-up to the stock market collapse in September of last year.

More recently, famed money guru Suze Orman seemed to be backpedaling from her much touted “10 years consistently” advice about how to win in the stock market. In a recent mishmash, confused and difficult-to-interpret segment on her CNBC show, Orman seemed to be shifting to a message that investors with less than a 10-year window should be moving their money out of the market into “safe, consistently high-yielding” CDs and money market accounts.

“Where is she coming from? What does that even mean?” asked Asare on seeing Orman’s pseudo mea culpa. “I’m not convinced this woman has any financial training because the advice she is giving is just wrong. How can she – and all the rest of them – continue to get away with it?” Asare questioned.

The FCC regulates television shows for things like nudity and language, and it prohibits advertisers from making false claims – but where is the regulation when it comes to false, erroneous or misleading claims made by TV financial advisors? FINRA and, ultimately, the SEC regulate the advice a financial professional can offer an individual client and the kinds of claims he or she can make about their results. So why is no one regulating the advice proffered by advisors, pundits, analysts and others who use the TV to influence the decisions of millions of American consumers?

“The problem is that people listen to these TV gurus,” Asare said, “and in doing so, some have lost vast portions of their wealth. The worst thing is those who’ve seen huge percentages of their retirement funds just vanish. It’s time we get serious about who is allowed to offer televised financial advice, at the very least screening them for credentials, if not regulating them just like the rest of the industry is regulated.

“I’m not sure what that looks like, but I’d sure like to be on the advisory team that puts a plan together or testifies before Congress on the need for this type of regulation. As Jon Stewart told Jim Cramer that day on his show, ‘This isn’t a [expletive] game.’”

FREDERICK, MARYLAND. August 6, 2009 – - Investors don’t have to lose any of their portfolios when the stock market plummets, says Senior Financial Strategist, Samuel N. Asare, MBA, CRPC, CMFC. Mr. Asare will speak at a free seminar at the C. Burr Artz Public Library in Frederick on Saturday, August 29 at 11:30 a.m. to outline, among other topics, a simple investment strategy that provides downside protection against market risk, yet earns competitive equity-linked returns when the market is doing well. To register for the no-obligation seminar, call (877) 656-9111 or visit www.LaserFG.com

“Americans have been brainwashed into thinking that to grow a sizable nest egg they must accept risk, volatility, and unpredictability as part of the process. That’s not true,” says Mr. Asare

“Not a single one of our clients have lost even a dime during this economic tsunami” says Mr. Asare. “While it is true that no financial expert can predict the exact future movements of the markets, there’s absolutely no need to gamble and risk losing everything,” he explains.

What’s even worse, tens of millions of investors have faithfully followed the conventional rules that told them they’d be okay in the long term. Now, their retirement accounts are decimated. “Those young enough may be able to rebuild, but what about those who are already retired or are just a few years away from retiring? When exactly is the long term?” Mr. Asare asks.

The overwhelming majority of investors are not aware that the type of strategy advocated by Mr. Asare even exists. “Every time we share this information with investors, their response is one of awe,” Asare says. “I talk to local residents every day who are feeling confused and powerless because they think there’s no way out. That’s why we host these types of free, informational events,” he added.

KENSINGTON, MARYLAND. October 21, 2009 - -Investors need to take a longer view of the stock market and their investments, and not just look at the recent gains in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, says Samuel N. Asare, a senior financial strategist with the Kensington, Maryland-based Laser Financial Group, LC.

“While it’s true that the Dow closed above 10,000 on October 14, it is also truethat the same Dow was at 10,323.16 in October of 1999. Given a more complete picture, would investors be excited that the money they invested 10 years ago is worth two percent less today?” said Asare.

Although the Dow is up 53 percent since March of 2009, it’s worth notingthat on that date the market declined to its lowest level in 12 years, pointed out Asare. Perhaps investors should not be ecstatic about that 53 percent gain, given that all the gains they had made over the previous 12 years were wiped out, said Asare.

“Back in March, when investors were upset and uncertain, the very same experts and advisors who are now telling them to jump back in because the water’s fine were telling investors that they should focus on the ‘long-term.’ The implication was that what happens day-to-day is not really all that important. Apparently their definition of “long-term” is about seven months, because now they say it’s time to dive in, based on what happened on October 14. Investors need to be wiser than this,” emphasized Asare.

Asare cited this example to illustrate his point: Say John Smith had an investment worth $100,000 in the Dow at the beginning of 2008. By the end of the year, Smith’s investment would have been worth $66,200 because he would have lost $33,800, or 33.8 percent. In order for Smith’s investment to return to its original value of $100,000 by the end of 2009, the Dow would have to gain 51 percent! So far this year, the Dow is up about 14 percent. It was at 8,776.39 on New Year’s Eve 2008, and as of October 16, it closed at 9,995.91. (That was below the 10,000 mark – the psychological tipping point – just two days later.)

For investors who lost money in the stock market, that money is gone forever, says Asare. “Although other advisors may have described the situation as ‘simply paper losses,’ that is not the case. There is no such thing as a paper loss in investing. There really are only two ways to go: gain or lose. When the market “recovers” and investors start making gains again, it is entirely new money. Only someone who did not lose in the downturn will make new gains, in addition to their existing balance,” said Asare.

Instead of the stock market, Laser Financial Group recommends investments that are linked to a stock market index.

“Our methodology allows investors to make decent returns when the market is up, but not lose money when it plummets,” explains Asare. He added that none of their clients lost money last year. Instead, they earned between one and five percent, depending on their specific contracts with their respective carriers.

KENSINGTON, MARYLAND. December 8, 2009 - - An overwhelming number of retirees experience huge disappointments and, more importantly, they usually realize it too late, says Samuel N. Asare, senior financial strategist with Laser Financial Group, LC., and the author of a new book, 5 Mistakes Your Financial Advisor Is Making. Free copies of the book are available at http://www.laserfg.com.

“On an almost daily basis, we talk to seniors who are flabbergasted that things did not turn out as they’d expected, even after following their financial professionals’ advice for many years. What’s even deadlier is that most advisors truly have good intensions, which means they are unaware that they are offering misguided advice,” comments Asare.

The book dispels five personal finance myths, including:

· The amount of income tax someone pays depends simply on the amount of money they earn.

· The stock market is the best place for long-term wealth accumulation.

· Investments with the highest returns will produce the most spendable income.

“No one appreciates getting to retirement only to realize that they’ve basically wasted all those years and dollars following myths. Our goal is to ensure that investors receive the best possible guidance, which should in no way conflict with that of any financial professional. This book is not a witch hunt project – we’re not about that, at all,” emphasizes Asare.

The 20-page, easy-to-read book is formatted with “Eyeball-to-Eyeball Questions” that investors are encouraged to pose to their financial professionals. “That is the best and surest way to provoke the candid answers that will confirm these myths and affirm the simple truths the book exposes,” Asare explains.

KENSINGTON, MARYLAND. January, 12, 2010 –- Investors must be extremely cautious and seek thorough analyses before converting the money in their qualified plans to Roth IRAs , says Samuel N. Asare, a senior financial strategist with the Kensington, Md.-based Laser Financial Group, LC.

“While it’s true that a new federal rule eliminates income limits on Roth IRA conversions beginning in 2010, the bulk of Americans being lured into such conversions could have done so under the old rules, given their modified adjusted gross incomes,” said Asare. “In other words, this is, in reality, nothing new.”

Unfortunately, many so-called financial advisors seem to have been unaware for all these years that by maximum-funding a permanent life insurance policy, within the confines of sections 7702 and 7702A of the Internal Revenue Code, their clients could have achieved the same general benefits offered by Roth IRAs, Asare explained.

“More importantly, anyone – regardless of their income – could have utilized this approach even before the introduction of Roth IRAs in 1997. The more serious question investors need to answer is, if they could have achieved the same result in years past, why make a change now?” emphasized Asare.

Investors should be particularly mindful of advisors who create a false sense of urgency based solely on generalizations. Instead, they should seek advisors who offer suggestions only after carefully reviewing the investor’s specific set of circumstances. Although most advisors have good intensions, the less scrupulous among them tend to place commission checks above honesty and diligence.

“An overwhelming majority of investors we have spoken to were unaware of basic facts, like that the gains on those converted funds become tax-free only after the account owners attain age 59½ and have also satisfied the five-year baking period. Otherwise, they are subject to taxes and a 10 percent penalty,” explains Asare.

FREDERICK, MARYLAND. August 13, 2010 –- Regardless of how anyone slices and dices it, the two most critical threats retirees face are stock market downturns and rising taxes, says Samuel N. Asare, a senior financial strategist with Laser Financial Group. Asare will speak at a free educational workshop at the C. Burr Artz Public Library in Frederick on Saturday, September 18 at 11:30 a.m. Participants may register for this no-obligation event by calling (877) 656-9111 or visiting www.LaserFG.org

While it is true that most Americans are very nervous about their retirement strategies –and rightly so – these perplexed investors are completely unaware that proven, secure, and quite frankly, sensible alternatives exist. “The fact is, some investors did not lose even a cent of their nest eggs during the recession and its associated market crash. And better still, they are positioned to earn decent stock index-based gains when the market improves,” explains Asare.

Now more than ever, retirement investors must pursue smart, actionable, legally sound strategies to help them protect and preserve more of their assets from rising income taxes and stock market dips. “We encourage residents to reserve their seats and join us for this educational session to discover little-known yet proven, time-tested strategies that could offer them peace of mind and confidence in planning for their retirements,” Asare adds.

All workshop attendees will receive complimentary copies of 5 Mistakes Your Financial Advisor Is Making, one of the books in the “Common-Sense Wealth Building Series,” authored by Asare.

KENSINGTON, MARYLAND. October 6, 2010 - – Across the board, homeowners seem to have little to no understanding of the power of leveraging their mortgages, says Samuel N. Asare, a senior financial strategist with the DC-area Laser Financial Group, LC., and the author of a new book, Savvy Strategies for Turning Your Mortgage into a Goldmine.

“The majority of homeowners are managing their mortgages based on principles that have long become obsolete and are completely wrong,” says Asare. For instance, unlike during the Depression era, mortgage loans are no longer callable, as long as a homeowner makes their monthly payments. Most homeowners, however, aren’t aware of this and are accelerating the payoff of their loans for that very reason.

An interesting observation is that renters are often strongly admonished to purchase due to the associated tax benefit. Why, then, do homeowners immediately become convinced that it’s important to eliminate their mortgages quickly? “How many homeowners understand that even a paid-off mortgage does not necessarily eliminate their risk of foreclosure, because they still must pay property taxes throughout the life of their homes?” questions Asare.

Asare’s quick-read book presents interesting facts in an easy-to-understand format with real-life applications to help readers consider all the variables involved in successfully managing their homeownerships. 

Asare has also authored 5 Mistakes Your Financial Advisor is Making, as well as, Is Your 401K a Trap?

KENSINGTON, MARYLAND. July 27, 2011 -– The hype surrounding the ongoing negotiations about fixing America’s debt crisis is causing American taxpayers to lose sight of the fact that they face massive tax increases in the foreseeable future, says Samuel N. Asare, senior financial strategist with the DC-area Laser Financial Group, LC.

“At the end of the day, any serious and practical solution must contain some mix of spending cuts and tax increases,” Asare explains. “However, taxpayers must remember that in the past, Washington, D.C. has been unable to achieve any credible spending cuts, which makes increased revenue (i.e., tax increases) the easier, more attractive and more practical alternative, so to speak.”

Most politicians do not want to have anything to do with massive spending cuts, which must necessarily involve tampering with today’s Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid benefits, but they would vote in a heartbeat to increase taxes, especially when that increase is positioned to impact wealthy taxpayers, states Asare.

“Many pundits are completely missing the point that Republican lawmakers are NOT opposed to tax increases. As far as I understand things, they are simply opposed to the timing of the tax increases, because the fact is that taxes must increase, at some point,” Asare adds.

It would therefore behoove those American taxpayers whose nest eggs take the form of yet-to-be-taxed plans, such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s and traditional IRAs to seriously reexamine their retirement-income strategies and begin to explore nontraditional alternatives that can legally insulate their future income from tax hikes, because those days are just around the corner.

Contact Information: Laura Orsini  /  (877) 656-9111  / info@laserfg.com

KENSINGTON, MARYLAND. May 15, 2012 –- Laser Financial Group, LC., a Washington DC area retirement-income planning firm has released a special report titled “SET FOR LIFE,” aimed at showing investors how to guarantee a lasting retirement income, irrespective of how long they end up living and regardless of stock market gyrations.

According to Samuel N. Asare, the firm’s senior strategist and author of the report, “Although the information presented is nothing new, per se, it has become increasingly apparent that most so-called financial advisors are not telling investors about this proven, simple and powerful piece of the retirement puzzle.”

It is troubling to learn that outliving one’s income is the number one challenge facing Americans today, but what’s even worse is the fact that this is one of the easiest retirement worries to overcome. With this special report, we hope to show folks the solution to their foremost retirement worry in easy-to-understand language. “It is not a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security whatsoever!” adds Asare.

Complimentary copies are available at SetForLifeReport.com or by calling 877.656.9111