Let’s start by saying: Debt itself isn’t a bad thing. If we’re in a period of low-interest rates, and we expect our earnings to increase over time, the use of debt can be very helpful. It enables us to buy houses, cars, appliances, furnishings and all the other accouterments of The Good Life without denying […]
Technology is changing. And, while many of us still own shoes older than our first Web browser, the act of reading text on a computer is outmoded as a platform for communication, according to many (i.e., our kids). And if you still own a landline phone and a cable TV box, well bless your heart. […]
We’ve spoken a lot in this space about IRAs: traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, backdoor IRAs and so on. And we’ve always presented these vehicles as fairly conventional, plain-vanilla places to save for your golden years. After all, IRA stands for individual retirement arrangement. Or does it? There are any number of ways you can take […]
We’ve spoken a lot in this space about IRAs: traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, backdoor IRAs and so on. And we’ve always presented these vehicles as fairly conventional, plain-vanilla places to save for your golden years. After all, IRA stands for individual retirement arrangement. Or does it? There are any number of ways you can take […]
The second substantive financial legislation of Donald Trump’s presidency is now law. The SECURE Act – named the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act by someone who needed to put the acronym cart before the nomenclature horse – was signed by the president in December 2019. As you recall, Mr. Trump’s signature accomplishment […]
It’s hard to get nostalgic about the 1970s. We remember what we wore, how we had our hair done up and the stupor-inducing sitcoms we considered appointment TV. And we also remember the way the economy was going. The 1970s’ economy wasn’t bad per se, but it was a disappointment – a ‘’bummer” if you […]
There sure have been a lot of big-name initial public offerings (IPOs) so far this year, and a lot more in the pipeline. Already we’ve seen Zoom, Slack, Beyond Meat, Chewy, Fiverr, Pinterest, Uber, and Lyft. Still on deck are AirBNB, Postmates, Robinhood, and WeWork parent The We Company. Traditionally, retail investors have been unable […]
It’s hard to gauge the point at which you’ve entered a recession – two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth. It’s much easier, though, to figure out when you’ve hit a bear market because a bear market occurs when the stock market, usually defined as the S&P 500 index, falls 20% from its peak. It’s […]
We’re going to discuss, rationally and without political vitriol, the shortcomings and virtues of the wealth tax proposed by presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). This critical evaluation will be rooted in what Warren’s campaign website calls the “Ultra-Millionaire Tax.” Our assessment is not favorable, but unlike many who denigrate the plan, we actually read […]
In normal times, investment advisors often tell you to diversify your portfolio into three broad categories: equities, fixed income, and cash equivalents. What proportion you put into each bucket is a judgment call, as is the frequency with which you rebalance your portfolio. And of course, the art lies in picking the right vehicles within […]