If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, you know I’ve written about a tetter totter (or see saw if you prefer) in the past when explaining any number of market dynamics. I’ll risk repeating myself this week as it is such a good visual. It works especially well when thinking about investor sentiment. […]

When it comes to income taxes, there is no shortage of rules, acronyms, and best practices. One such “tax term” came up this week as I worked thru a retirement plan distribution for a client. Find out what “safe harbor” means in terms of estimated income tax payments and why it’s a strategy you should […]

2023 is quickly becoming the year in which I discuss topics I never imagined would come up with such frequency, if at all… topics such as bank failures (see March 2023 publications) and now the potential of a US default. But in life it seems we should expect the unexpected! The United States is a […]

Undoubtedly, our clients are free to do what they choose with their invested funds. However, it is not uncommon for them to seek my advice when it comes to withdrawals – especially those that are above and beyond their planned/recurring distributions. Taking funds out of savings runs contrary to what our actions have been most […]

I onboarded a new client this week, and within minutes of looking at his pre-existing Roth IRA and tax returns for the given years, I realized he had made improper contributions to his account (due to exceeding the income limit). While he had an advisor helping him, that individual did not confirm my new client’s […]

I receive a weekly newsletter from Jesse Itzler, a serial entrepreneur and speaker who has a unique and compelling take on many topics. In a recent newsletter, he took readers thru a quick exercise to illustrate an innate human instinct. I’m about to put my own spin on this same exercise to reiterate the point […]

***** Most clients know how much I respect Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, so it goes without saying that I tuned into the annual meeting this past weekend. A client asked what I thought of the meeting and after that brief discussion, I thought it was worth summarizing five top lessons I gathered (with a […]

Here we are again – another month, another set of inflation readings. April’s reports were both very encouraging. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) report for April was released this week, and it showed clear progress in the ongoing battle against inflation. CPI rose 0.4% in April and 4.9% year over year – both 0.1% lower […]

In reviewing a portfolio with clients this week, we were discussing a particular holding that was under water (valued at less than they paid for it). We had a good discussion about how to approach positions in an unrealized loss status and I thought it would be worth sharing Investing in public markets is a […]

Here we go again. Earlier this week, as expected, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) raised the fed funds rate by 25 basis points to a range of 5.0-5.25%. This is the tenth increase in this rate cycle (that started just over a year ago) and brings rates (from zero) to levels last seen before […]