American Express Membership Rewards - Ameriprise

So I decided to meet with a Ameriprise. What is the current/best offer in terms of MR points I can get?

Ben

ive only seen 7500 for Plat sometimes, and make sure to have a printed copy of the offer when you go in, in addition to mentioning it when making an appointment

20k spg

I wouldn't waste my time if I were you. They have been rather worthless for me. Just wasted money on no results.

20k spg really? details?

I wouldn't waste my time if I were you. They have been rather worthless for me. Just wasted money on no results.

^ A bunch of numpties.

I wouldn't waste my time if I were you. They have been rather worthless for me. Just wasted money on no results.

Investing as advised by my Ameriprise advisor has resulted in consistently good returns for me over the past 5 years.

Investing as advised by my Ameriprise advisor has resulted in consistently good returns for me over the past 5 years.

I agree--I moved the balance from a former employer's 401(k) to Ameriprise 3+ years ago, and feel the flexibility to choose funds was worth the switch and fees. (The 10,000 MR points I received for the initial consultation wasn't bad either...)

What is your definition of a good return?

401K thru work has averaged 8.1% since it's inception in 1980. It is diversified as best as possible via the measy 8 stock/bond mutual fund choices offered by my company's plan. This 401K comprises approximately 60% of retirement savings.

Started self-managing personal IRA account (which was established before work started the 401K) thru Ameritrade in 2003. Since then it has averaged 14.8% annual return thru December 2006. IRA has had some real ups and downs during this time (2003-2004 were great, 2005 ok, and 2006 not so good) but overall the return seems decent to me. Recently (late 2005-early 2006) an inheritance added some additional funds which are also being self managed via Ameritrade. These had a poor 2.2% return in 2006. IRA and other Ameritrade accounts comprise approximately 30% of retirement savings. The other 10% is in misc real estate holdings, cash accounts, etc.

FYI - All returns above are after expenses were deducted.

Plan to retire in mid-2007 and am looking for some assistance to ease the stress of doing all my own research and investment decisions.

Target is an 8.7% or better return which would allow my wife and I to reach our retirement income goal without requiring us to use any of our investment equity to subsidize income.

Ameriprise was on my list to talk to .... what have your experiences been with Ameriprise?

Over the last 3 years, average annual return on non-IRA account has been around 17%. I think the IRAs have averaged around 11-12%, invested more conservatively. All invested as advised by Ameriprise rep for the most part.

Over the last 3 years, average annual return on non-IRA account has been around 17%. I think the IRAs have averaged around 11-12%, invested more conservatively. All invested as advised by Ameriprise rep for the most part.

Thanks, wallaby .... I was hoping some worthwhile investment help resources were available!

Anyone else care to share their Ameriprise experiences .... good/bad/in-between?

Thanks, wallaby .... I was hoping some worthwhile investment help resources were available!

Anyone else care to share their Ameriprise experiences .... good/bad/in-between?

I've spoken to the Ameriprise advisors for a couple of times. Both
were company sponsored.

First one was sort of an advisory session for our 401k plans and benefits,
while the second one was the "Initial Consultation" for personal finance.

Two people I talked to for the first time, actually learned something from me..
go figure, but the second person I spoke to was fairly senior and had some good knowledge about the global financial knowledge in general.
I'm still not convinced about using their services though. What I was told
was nothing more than obvious for me and their charges were steep
for my scenario.
(they have charges based on complexity of your finance)

But if you think you are just starting out, you can use them and I think
its worth it to start somewhere. They can help you with wax planning...
and its a very important factor.

As an alternative, CUNA Mutual also has similar services through your
local credit union. I found their individual trading costs to be a bit high, but
if you have a local person who is good, he/she can help you out better.

Shop around, and speak to a few people before you decide to settle with
one. Ask how long they have been inthe business and how many clients they
manage.

You may also want to look into a Personal Financial Advisor who works
independently. They are generally very good who worked for a financial firm
for a while and branched off on their own. Generally they have a very high
minimum funds that they accept for management, but you may get a better
personal attention and service. Its better if you get a personal referral.

If you want to just do it on your own, there are plenty of funds out there
that are based on retirement goals. Based on the year you plan to retire.
They automatlcally balance those based on the time to retire and manage
the risks. This could be an economical way to manage your portfolio and the
costs could be significantly lower. I don't have any personal opinion about
them yet, but I'm looking into a few of them for pros and cons.


Its a good idea to go with an advisor, but IMO its the person that matters
more than the firm/company they represent. Go with someone you feel
comfortable with.

I put in a request for an Ameriprise consult. How do you request the points?

I've spoken to the Ameriprise advisors for a couple of times. Both
were company sponsored.

...... (see earlier post by cpx for full details)

Its a good idea to go with an advisor, but IMO its the person that matters
more than the firm/company they represent. Go with someone you feel
comfortable with.

cpx,

Thanks for the extensive reply and advice .... it makes a lot of sense and it is very much appreciated!

cpx,

Thanks for the extensive reply and advice .... it makes a lot of sense and it is very much appreciated!

You're welcome. I'm glad I could help! :)

Non-IRA account since 2003-19.8% . . . this guy has never steered me wrong. I think I only got 2500 MR points for the initial consultation, though, but I'm not complaining!

Got a mailed offer from them yesterday and was thinking about doing intial meeting -- mostly for the bonus miles but you never know what you might learn.

But then when I was reading the letter that came in the mailing, the bonus amount is stated as 3,000 miles for the initial consultation. This is substantially less than the 5,000 bonus miles promised in the "Complimentary Consultation" form that came in the same envelope with the letter.

Hmmm. If they can't get this right....