In the News

Thomas Ruggie, President of Ruggie Wealth Management one of the Top 100 Independent Broker/Dealer Advisors of 2010.

Thomas Ruggie of Lake County, FL Named Founding Lecturer at Esteemed Retirement Advisor Advanced Certification and Education Program.

Thomas Ruggie, President of 401K Generation was recognized as one of the Top 40 of 401kwire.com’s  "300 Most Influential Advisors in Defined Contribution" for 2010.

Ruggie Wealth Management receives recognition for one of the Top RIA’s.

Thomas Ruggie, President of 401K Generation was recognized as one of the Top 40 of 401kwire.com’s  "300 Most Influential Advisors in Defined Contribution" for 2010.

Thomas Ruggie, President of 401K Generation and Ruggie Wealth Management was invited to attend the second-annual Barron's "Top Independent Advisors Summit” Winner’s Circle at The Ritz Carlton, to attend the second-annual Barron's "Top Independent Advisors Summit” Winner’s Circle at The Ritz Carlton, Orlando, Florida, April 14-16th.

CNBC “On the Money” host Carmen Wong Ulrich seeks financial planning advice from Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management. Throughout the hour long show, Tom answers viewer questions and offers insight into issues such as investment risk tolerance and college financing.

WOFL-TV Fox 35 anchors discuss breaking news affecting Americans and their finances with Tom Hepner, investment advisor representative at Ruggie Wealth Management.  Hepner shares his insight on the Federal Reserve meeting and the AIG bonus debacle.

CNBC hosts Sue Herera and Michelle Caruso-Cabrera interview Tom Hepner, investment adviser representative with Ruggie Wealth Management, on options to rebuild retirement income portfolios. Hepner comments that now is the time to make sure your portfolio is within your tolerance. Hepner offers insight on “The Ruggie Method,” a patent-pending retirement distribution strategy unique to Ruggie Wealth Management.

Kelli Zuber, retirement plan specialist with Ruggie Wealth Management, discusses retirement plan concerns during a Central Florida News 13 segment. Zuber comments that people shouldn’t panic when planning for the future. “The best piece of advice that we can give to employees is not to panic, keep your contributions as they are; if you have to lower them, go ahead, but you at least want to be doing something for yourself,” says Zuber.

Connie Hicks of Nightly Business Report speaks to David Weiss of Ruggie Wealth Management about preparing retirement finances after the death of a spouse. Weiss helped prepare a couple by putting some of their assets in a variable annuity. “We wanted something that would provide that steady income to her but also to provide her some protection on the downside,” says Weiss.

Michelle Caruso-Cabrera and Dennis Kneale of CNBC discuss the current economy with Howard Sherman, chief investment officer at Ruggie Wealth Management. Sherman says that earnings are going to be disappointing for the foreseeable future. He notes that we have a huge banking system that needs to be deleveraged. Sherman’s sector picks are health care and consumer staples.

Jeff Lennox and Syan Rhodes of WESH-TV discuss the proposed bailout plan with Tom Ruggie, founder and president at Ruggie Wealth Management. Ruggie believes that the bailout plan is good news for the average American. He says that we are teetering on a huge financial crisis if this plan is not put in place.

Melissa Francis of CNBC discusses the government’s rescue plan for Wall Street with Tom Hepner, financial adviser at Ruggie Wealth Management, live from the New York Stock Exchange. Hepner says that from a Main Street perspective, people are looking for a massive effort to deal with the issues on Wall Street. He feels that people are positive about what is happening now.

David Asman of Fox Business discusses how to prepare finances for the long term with Tom Ruggie, founder and president of Ruggie Wealth Management.  Ruggie says that individual investors have a golden opportunity.  As the turmoil began on Wall Street, main street America was looking at the news and likely to make emotional and irrational decisions, he shares.  Ruggie believes that the situation we are in now gives investors a chance to create a financial plan that makes sense.

Mark Haines and Erin Burnett of CNBC discuss financials with Tom Ruggie, founder and president of Ruggie Wealth Management. Ruggie, who likes financials, points out that there is short-term volatility. He is investing in larger companies and says a lot of bad news is already out on those companies. Ruggie offers his picks: KBW Bank ETF, Johnson & Johnson and General Electric.

Sue Herera and Bill Griffeth of CNBC discuss the market with Howard Sherman, chief investment officer at Ruggie Wealth Management. Sherman believes, that by definition, the U.S. is not in a recession. He says that the U.S. is competitive in world markets and points out massive slowdowns in Asia and Europe. Sherman feels that the financial crunch we are in was created by greed, not by economic factors.

Larry Kudlow and Erin Burnett of CNBC discuss the outlook on the market with Tom Ruggie, founder and president of Ruggie Wealth Management. Ruggie has been bullish on financials for the past six to eight weeks. He is using the exchange-traded fund KBE for diversification within the financial sector.

David Martin of WOFL-TV Fox 35 discusses the 401(k) debit card with Tom Hepner, financial adviser at Ruggie Wealth Management. Hepner, who is not a fan of the 401(k) debit card, feels that one of the worst things a person can do is create the flexibility to have easy access to his or her retirement plan. He comments that the 401(k) debit card is good for a person who has the discipline to use it appropriately, as it offers the ability to withdraw funds and pay them back on one’s own schedule.

Howard Sherman, chief investment officer at Ruggie Wealth Management, makes his CNBC debut. Regarding the recent decline in oil prices, Sherman says, “Fifty years in the business has taught me that nothing goes straight up and nothing goes straight down.” He says that oil is a depleting natural resource, and the demand for it will continue to grow.

CNBC's Michelle Caruso-Cabrera discusses the rising dollar with Tom Ruggie, founder and president of Ruggie Wealth Management. Ruggie comments on exchange traded funds, saying they are bullish on the dollar and have plenty of liquidity. He shares that there are sectors that can benefit from the rising dollar, such as retail, pharmaceutical and biotechnology.

Sue Herera of CNBC speaks with Tom Ruggie, founder and president of Ruggie Wealth Management. Ruggie says that financials are at a low, but they are not at the low. According to Ruggie, the next question is where to invest now. He has turned to exchange traded funds to minimize the risk.

Worth magazine listed Ruggie Wealth Management among the top 250 wealth advisors in the Country.

Karen Blumenthal of The Wall Street Journal features Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management, in an article discussing how to achieve favorable returns on investments. Tom explains that in order to garner solid returns Ruggie Wealth builds investment portfolios of fixed-income funds for money that clients will need within the next decade.

Janet Paskin of The Wall Street Journal quotes Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management, on finding secure investments in a volatile market. Ruggie comments that bonds have turned to more of a risk than usual. “I never told clients to expect this kind of negative return on a bond portfolio…I never thought it’d be an issue,” says Ruggie.

David Gaffen of The Wall Street Journal quotes Tom Ruggie, founder and president of Ruggie Wealth Management, on his opinion on shorting oil. Ruggie has thought about shorting oil, saying “as long as you’ve got a six-month-plus timespan, and with the understanding that the value of the short portfolio still may go down before it goes up.”

The Wall Street Journal’s David Gaffen quotes Tom Ruggie, founder and president of Ruggie Wealth Management, on the growth in the second quarter for the S&P’s information technology sector. “The growth pattern is extremely strong on many of the companies we look at,” he says.

Ian Salisbury of The Wall Street Journal quotes Tom Ruggie, founder and president of Ruggie Wealth Management, on what he is doing about the thin yields caused by interest rate cuts.  “We’re struggling with what to do, considering the money-market alternatives,” Ruggie says.  “We’re shopping rates on these things on a weekly basis and making adjustments,” he adds.

Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel Bernard of The New York Times feature Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management, on smart investing. Ruggie comments that many firms are open about their investment strategies. “If they are not willing to be fairly open, that typically causes us to shy away from moving forward with that company. We have two hedge funds that send us quarterly audited reports on everything they’ve done,” says Ruggie.

Walter Brandimarte of Thomson Reuters features Tom Hepner, financial adviser at Ruggie Wealth Management, on his views of the financial sector. "If you look at the financials, they have been surprisingly strong despite the volatility in the market. You see Citigroup getting its act together and certainly Merrill doing house cleaning," Hepner says.

BusinessWeek picks up an article by David Pitt of The Associated Press that quotes Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management, on rebalancing your asset allocations. Ruggie comments that people are afraid to get into a down market. "Investments are the only thing in the world where people don't want to buy things on sale," says Ruggie.

Ben Levisohn of BusinessWeek features Tom Hepner, financial adviser at Ruggie Wealth Management, on starting his career as a financial adviser at an older age. After Hepner retired in 2007, he moved to Florida where he ended up working for Ruggie Wealth Management. His goal is to help Ruggie grow from $300 million in assets to $1 billion in four years. "That's our report card," he says. "That means we're successful."

Tom Ruggie, David Weiss and Dianne Webb of Ruggie Wealth Management answer reader questions on Estate and Gift Tax Law, income taxes and stimulus check qualifications.

Scott Powers of the Orlando Sentinel quotes Tom Hepner, investment adviser representative with Ruggie Wealth Management, on how you can keep yourself employed. Hepner comments on being discreet about job searches that could result in firing. "I am more concerned about having something get back to your employer that might accelerate that process," says Hepner.

Martin E. Comas of the Orlando Sentinel discusses the financial crisis with Tom Ruggie, founder and president of Ruggie Wealth Management.  Ruggie answers questions on what’s happening on Wall Street and how it will affect Americans.

Forbes.com picks up an article by David Pitt of The Associated Press that quotes Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management, on rebalancing your asset allocations. Ruggie comments that people are afraid to get into a down market. "Investments are the only thing in the world where people don't want to buy things on sale," says Ruggie.

Walter Brandimarte of Thomson Reuters features Tom Hepner, financial adviser at Ruggie Wealth Management, on his views of the financial sector. "If you look at the financials, they have been surprisingly strong despite the volatility in the market. You see Citigroup getting its act together and certainly Merrill doing house cleaning," Hepner says.

Barbara Miracle of Florida Trend features Tom Ruggie’s, founder and president at Ruggie Wealth Management, sector likes and dislikes and his tax strategy. Some of Ruggie’s favorites include financials, biotech and healthcare, while he dislikes oil, commodities and emerging market equities. Ruggie, who believes there will be a tax increase no matter who becomes the next president, is particularly concerned with capital gains rates.

Orlando Business Journal banking and finance reporter Christopher Boyd features Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management, in an article offering readers advice on where to invest money during the recession. Ruggie cautions against buying stocks now “unless you’re willing to put it away for at least a 10-year period.”

Tom Ruggie, founder and president of Ruggie Wealth Management, is named one of Central Florida’s top nest egg managers.

Consumer Research Council selected Tom Ruggie as one of the top Financial Planners in the Country for 2009.

Wealth Manager listed Tom Ruggie among the top wealth managers in the Country for 2009.

PLANADVISER magazine reporter Ellie Behling includes commentary from Ruggie Wealth Management founder and president Tom Ruggie in an article about how to target specific demographics when pitching retirement plan services. Ruggie explains that credibility is a very important factor when bringing in a participant of any demographic.

Bankrate.com reporter Laura Bruce features Ruggie Wealth Management founder and president Tom Ruggie in an article about automatic retirement plans. Ruggie explains that default accounts usually represent a one-size-fits-all approach, which isn't always good for the participant. “Different employees have different risk tolerances and retirement goals. It's ridiculous to assume we need to give them the exact same accounts just because of their age," explains Ruggie.

SmartMoney magazine reporters Elizabeth O’Brien and Reshma Kapadia feature Tom Hepner, investment adviser representative with Ruggie Wealth Management, in a cover story about when to put money back into the market. Hepner explains that today, "It's about 15 to 1 in terms of calls from people who want in versus out.”

Laurie Kulikowski of TheStreet.com quotes Tom Hepner, investment adviser representative with Ruggie Wealth Management, in an article discussing JPMorgan’s success. Hepner asserts that while Citi and BofA have been "chasing" the problem of ever-increasing loan losses, "JPMorgan has been in front of it.”

Alexandra Twin of CNNMoney.com features Tom Hepner, investment advisor representative at Ruggie Wealth Management, in an article about recent market performance. "The glass is being seen as partly full instead of empty, even when we have bad news," says Hepner. "As the run continues, people become fearful of missing the train."

Alexandra Twin of CNNMoney.com quotes Tom Hepner, investment advisor representative at Ruggie Wealth Management, in an article about Government imposed bank stress tests. Hepner discusses why the stress tests caused a surge in bank stocks due to relief that banks needed less capital then originally expected.

InvestmentNews staff reporter Jed Horowitz interviews Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management, for a feature story about Ruggie’s recently established RIA firm.

CNBC.com web producer Carlo Dellaverson features Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management, in an article about investment risk tolerance. “The “cash is king” mentality won’t get you far on a long-term basis,” says Ruggie.

Reuters analyst Jim Christie quotes Tom Hepner, investment advisor representative at Ruggie Wealth Management, in an article about the municipal bond market. "If somebody is going long to maximize their yield, they could well regret that," asserts Hepner.

Yahoo News UK & Ireland publishes an article by Reuters analyst Jim Christie. In the article, Christie quotes Tom Hepner, investment advisor representative at Ruggie Wealth Management, in an article about the municipal bond market. "If somebody is going long to maximize their yield, they could well regret that," asserts Hepner.

BankingMyWay.com editors feature Tom Hepner, investment advisor representative at Ruggie Wealth Management, in an article about how much of an investment portfolio should be allocated to cash. Hepner says, “I think that...based on circumstances it would be more prudent to look at a year’s worth of operating expenses…In today’s environment, most people should have more liquid assets than less.”

Alexandra Twin of CNNMoney.com quotes Tom Hepner, investment advisor representative at Ruggie Wealth Management, in an article discussing the recent stock market rally. “I think it's a classic bear market rally and we're near the top of it," Hepner says. "That having been said, we are in a bottoming-out process."

David Donald of the Daily Commercial features Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management, in an article about a three day rally on Wall Street. Tom explains that, “Smart money is starting to get back into the market. There are some wonderful buying opportunities right now.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune publishes an article by Karen Blumenthal of The Wall Street Journal featuring Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management. The article discusses how to achieve favorable returns on investments. Tom explains that in order to garner solid returns Ruggie Wealth builds investment portfolios of fixed-income mutual funds for money that clients will need within the next decade.

Yahoo Finance publishes an article by Karen Blumenthal of The Wall Street Journal featuring Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management. The article discusses how to achieve favorable returns on investments. Tom explains that in order to garner solid returns Ruggie Wealth builds investment portfolios of fixed-income mutual funds for money that clients will need within the next decade.

MSN Money picks up an article by Emily Brandon of U.S. News & World Report that features Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management. Ruggie discusses several companies cutting 401(k) matches in 2009. “Whether or not your employer is able to match your contribution, it is still of the utmost importance for American workers to continue contributing,” says Ruggie.

Laurie Kulikowski of TheStreet.com quotes Tom Hepner, investment adviser representative with Ruggie Wealth Management, about BB&T's large commercial loan exposure. Hepner comments that the next big problem for banks is commercial loans. “With concentration in these they are probably going to show some exposures to loans that were approved in a very dynamic growing period,” says Hepner.

Barron’s listed Ruggie Wealth Management among the top 1,000 financial advisors in the Country.

Janet Paskin of SmartMoney quotes Tom Ruggie, president of Ruggie Wealth Management, on finding secure investments in a volatile market. Ruggie comments that bonds have turned to more of a risk than usual. “I never told clients to expect this kind of negative return on a bond portfolio…I never thought it’d be an issue,” says Ruggie.

TheStreet.com quotes Tom Hepner, investment adviser representative with Ruggie Wealth Management, on Citigroup's discussions to sell a portion of its brokerage. Hepner comments that with the unloading of Smith Barney, it is possible that Citi could become a large regional player. "We could have a completely new landscape in terms of banking," says Hepner.