The Investor Taxation Lifecycle
We are not CPAs nor are we tax preparers, but a great deal of our time is spent working with clients and their professionals honing a financial plan that is tax efficient. We advise our clients to hire a CPA with whom we can work together to manage their financial plans. The financial plan and […]
Alternative Uses of Social Security Income
Key Takeaways: If you live a longer than average life, you will very likely receive more in Social Security if you wait until age 70 to claim. However, in numerous situations, we have advocated for earlier enrollment if the client’s situation justifies doing so. In most of these instances, the rationale is a combination of […]
The Inverted Yield Curve of April 2022
Key Takeaways: The 2-year/10-year yield curve inverted for the first time since 2019. This type of inversion has preceded the last eight recessions. Proper portfolio allocation can help insulate investors from the negative outcomes of recessions. Three years ago today, on April 4, 2019, I wrote about the Inverted Yield Curve […]
How Much Cash Should I Hold?
Key Takeaways Rising inflation increases the opportunity cost of holding cash We believe the benefits of cash outweigh any loss in purchasing power Market drawdowns like today are relatively good times for long-term investment The question we are getting more than any other these days is, “What should I do with […]
Top 10 Personal Finance Best Practices
As more investors seek out and embrace personalized asset management and individualized financial advice, industry tycoons Vanguard and Russell Investments researched the value created by professional advice. Both companies measured the impact on investor returns when partnering with an advisor who provides skilled management and guidance. Russell Investments identified up to an additional annualized […]
Asset Allocation Factors: Time and Emotion
When we meet with a new client, one of our tasks is to determine an appropriate asset allocation for the funds they invest. At a very basic level, the question we are trying to answer is “what percentage of the investment portfolio will be comprised of equities (stocks), and what percentage will be fixed-income (bonds)?” […]
Asset Allocation Factors: Time and Emotion
When we meet with a new client, one of our tasks is to determine an appropriate asset allocation for the funds they invest. At a very basic level, the question we are trying to answer is “what percentage of the investment portfolio will be comprised of equities (stocks), and what percentage will be fixed-income (bonds)?” […]
Some Perspective on the Fed’s Latest Meeting
Key Takeaways With ongoing inflationary pressures and a continued decline in the unemployment rate, the Fed appears ready to pick up the pace of normalizing monetary policy. The Fed confirmed that at this point they plan to raise the fed funds rate at the March meeting but reiterated that the pace and frequency of rate […]
Getting Creative with College Funding
In our previous discussions about college planning, we’ve discussed where and how much to save while acknowledging that these questions require several assumptions. Is it sensible to make saving for college a major financial goal when there’s no guarantee the child will attend? That’s a tough question for families and for this reason, we favor educating […]
Counteract Inflation with Your Financial Assets
Key Takeaways Inflation in October 2021 was 6.2%, the highest in nearly 30-years. From 1914 to 2021, average inflation in the U.S. has been around 3.2% and the average return of the market (i.e., S&P 500) has been around 10-11%. While not without risks, investing in equities is a tested long-term hedge against inflation. […]
The Complicated Calculations of College Costs
Parents of college-bound students are dealing with a chicken-or-egg dilemma. When it comes to student aid calculations, it just about requires a Ph.D. to understand how to fund a Ph.D. Different schools use different methods to evaluate different families, and when they get the results, they interpret them differently! Let’s wade into the wishy-washy world […]
Tax Management in Bull Markets
How do we manage accounts when everything is up? With cooperative markets, many investors have accumulated substantial capital gains in their investment accounts. We analyze the trade-off between ideal allocation & paying tax to achieve it. In general, we advocate paying tax along the way to avoid over-concentration. When I was growing up, my granddad […]
