I love to research. I think I might have been a librarian in another lifetime, that’s how much I like to dig in and find out all I can about a subject. In fact, my family calls me Libby as an in-joke!
It started when I was five years old. When the other kids were just starting to read, I was already working my way through the picture book section at the local library. My mom would take me and let me wander the children’s section on my own. It was heaven.
I would see so many books I wanted to take home I could hardly decide which ones were going to make the cut. Finally, my mom made her first and only rule: I could only check out what I could carry. “We can come back anytime you want,” she promised as she took a section of my stack and put it on the book return cart.
So, I was wandering around one day, wondering what to get, when I decided to take a turn. There was a section of books past the wall of video cassettes that I had never ventured towards. That decision would change my life forever.
That section was the nonfiction section. Click here to read more about libraries. As I walked through the stacks, my eyes were overflowing with information. There were books about plants and animals. There were books about seasons and weather.
There were books about customs around the world, fun science projects to do at home, and how to draw thumbprint pictures. Imagine my surprise when I learned that there wasn’t just one book about big cats, there were dozens! I loaded up my arms and left that day full of a new kind of excitement. It was the excitement of a looming, self-created research project, and it was to become a lifelong love.
Look Closer
When my parents were looking to find out more about a possible investment, I was the first one they called. They were both working full time. They had noticed that their savings account was no longer accruing much interest and were worried about their long-term financial health.
They had spoken to several friends about their investment strategies. Their friends weren’t much help. Each of them had their own plan. Some had money market accounts. Some invested in high-profile companies that they thought were sure to make them money.
Other friends had traditional retirement funds. Check out this link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-stock-markets-drop-is-hitting-many-401-k-s-harder-this-time-11653256655 for an article about how the stock market is influencing retirement funds. Still others opted out of the whole investment strategy altogether and were spending all their money on dried beans and powdered milk in order to help them through the apocalypse.
None of these sounded appealing to my parents. They didn’t believe that Facebook was going to rise in value forever and didn’t want to bet the (metaphorical) farm on it. A money market account was too confusing. Instead of doing research on one or two stocks, they would be making mass purchases. That was too overwhelming for them.
A traditional retirement fund sounded appealing, but they were worried about the fees for taking money out early. While there are some exceptions for immediate housing or schooling needs, they had other concerns. My father had colon cancer ten years ago and came through it. Still, they were concerned with the possibility of needing money to pay for future treatments in case the sickness returned.
And the whole dry beans and powdered milk thing just wasn’t them. The combination of those two foods would have them passing gas until the world really did end. With my dad’s tender colon, that just wasn’t an option.
Another Option
Once I knew everything that wouldn’t work for my parents, it was time to find something that would.
My research methods had changed since elementary school. I went to the internet to find all the information I needed.
One of the options that I found was intriguing. It was called a precious metal IRA. Unlike a traditional retirement fund, it offered the flexibility to withdraw funds at any time. I was ready to find out more.
I Get by With a Little Help from My Friends
Once I decided I was interested in finding out more about a precious metal IRA, my next step was to research companies that offer the service.
Something that caught my eye were the Lear Capital reviews because there were so many. That automatically made me feel more at ease. With over one thousand reviews, I knew I would get a balanced look at how the company treated its investors.
A closer read only helped to cement my decision. Review after review was positive. As I browsed through page after page of satisfied customers, I knew it was time to return to my parents with the information.
Isn’t it amazing that in the age of the internet we can gain access to information we never would have had ten years ago? I would highly recommend that you research your investments before making the final plunge.
