Educating Heirs on Student Debt

One of my favorite television shows is Shark Tank, which shows aspiring entrepreneurs pitching their business plans to seasoned investors, the “sharks,” in hopes of an investment.  The sharks use their own money to invest, so they ask tough questions to help evaluate the business’s potential.  Have they demonstrated sales?  How much does it cost […]

Should Business Owners Raise Their Salary to Earn More Social Security?

Key Takeaways: Lower taxes are better, right?  We spend a great deal of time planning around the tax code to help people accomplish their goals in the most tax-efficient manner.  However, lowering taxes today often has consequences down the road.  Sometimes there is a clear mathematical break-even, and other times a complex web of behavioral […]

Should Business Owners Raise Their Salary to Earn More Social Security?

Key Takeaways: Pass-through entity owners can choose to take profits as wages or distributions Increasing owner salary raises payroll tax liability but also increases future Social Security benefits Older owners and owners with non-working spouses and/or incomplete earnings records stand to benefit the most from increasing their salaries       Lower taxes are better, […]

Two Ways to Combat Household Inflation

Inflation is not a one-size-fits-all all phenomenon Inflation is the increase in prices over time Increasing prices means decreasing purchasing power How we choose to spend our money dictates how we experience inflation   Inflation has been top of mind for every participant in our economy for three years straight: households, businesses, and policymakers. Inflation […]

The End of an Era – What We are Watching For in ‘24

For many years until the last, investors had been living under the same mantra of “There Is No Alternative” (TINA) to owning equities, helping prop up stock prices as yields on fixed income were too paltry to bother with. Times have changed; TINA ushered out and TARA welcomed in. Positive real rates are achievable, meaning […]

US Markets and Elections – It may matter less than you think.

With the primary season among us, attention is being increasingly paid to the 2024 Presidential election.  Like most historical Presidential elections, emotions and fears of potential political outcomes tend to run high and increase as we approach November.  Political views aside, it is our job to understand the political environment, both historic and current, and […]

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The Importance of Asset Allocation and Diversification

As we flip the calendar and enter 2024, many people create New Year’s Resolutions, largely designed to improve an aspect of their lives.  Many of these goals are exercise, diet, or financial based.  One area we always encourage people to review at the start of each year is their investment portfolio, the risk associated with […]

Is Bad News in the Economy Actually Good News for Markets?

The notion of a slowing economy equating to rising stock prices qualifies as counterintuitive, but that is exactly what we’ve seen over the last few months.  Typically, positive stock market performance is aligned with strong economic growth, as seen in the chart below.  This makes sense as GDP growth means individual companies are producing more, […]

The Markets & Economy – A Diverging Narrative

With the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both entering “Correction Territory,” the media has once again focused its attention on markets and everyone’s best prediction on when or if a looming recession may be coming.  For the majority scratching their heads right now, a “correction” is simply defined as an index decline of 10% or more […]

Is it Time to Cash in I-Bonds?

The golden deal of I Bonds has subsided.   Watch Cameron here: https://youtube.com/shorts/HbPnqumYc9Q?feature=share   As I make my way about town this week and enjoy the wonderful palette displayed by sycamores, maples, poplars, and oaks in Lexington, I’m reminded of Robert Frost’s poem, “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” which was originally published in October 1923 in the […]

Medical Professionals

COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES “…They assist with advice and solutions that meet our unique situation…” This testimonial is from a client of Ballast, Inc. Clients are not compensated for sharing their opinions and experiences with our firm.  Any compensation creates a conflict of interest and any client’s comments may not be representative of any other person’s experience […]