Author Archives: David John Marotta

At the end of the year, you want to have something to show for all of your hard work.

I have enjoyed rereading the journal of my maternal grandfather, Donald Mortlock. He started writing it on his 75th birthday.

Rebalancing from stocks into bonds reduces your returns on average since bonds have a lower average return. But, as this 2015 article reminds us, there are decades of very choppy markets where even rebalancing an allocation of stocks and bonds can boost returns.

It is possible to be prepared for financial emergencies by living 10% more frugally and saving for the inevitable eventuality.

This 2007 post offers us a bit of timeless advice. Funding a Health Savings Account can be as much about your present medical bills as it is about your end of life care.

We write frequently about the value of having a fee-only fiduciary as your financial planner. In this article, I compiled others’ voices on this same issue.

Even Fidelity says that their Secure Message Center is hidden and they should have a tutorial to find it.

93 years ago there was only one mutual fund. Today, there are thousands. This 2003 article tells the story of how this staple of the financial services world got its start.

Even the most brilliantly crafted investment plan has to be given time to work.

There are at least four different capital gains tax rates. This 2017 article has how to minimize your tax owed at each one.

Only recently has Main Street been so fully invested. This 2007 article chronicles how it all got started.

The capital gains tax is economically senseless. This 2014 post has fourteen of the loopholes the government’s gain tax unintentionally incentivizes.

These are all reasons why it is best to ignore strange text messages entirely.

This 2016 article reminds us that “there is a very simple place to start the process of changing our destiny: Each day notice the things that make you happy and try experiencing more of them.”

The immediate post-election trades in the markets appear to include a number of speculative trades based on expectations of what might do well now that Trump has won the presidency.

Did you know David wrote a Christmas novel? This 2020 book by David John Marotta and Brendon Marotta makes you rethink what is happening in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

This 2008 article is an uplifting, timeless sermon.

Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is one of the best stories for talking about economics. This 2003 – 2012 series uses the classic tale to illustrate different financial personalities, principles, and philosophies.

In “A Christmas Carol,” Ebenezer Scrooge calls Christmas a “humbug” because of the foolish way people celebrate it. This 2008 article reminds us that it is sometimes wise to simplify Christmas.

Within a matter of days my HSA and all of its investments were transferred from my Schwab account to a new Fidelity account with no charges.

This article should give you something fun to discuss this year.

You deserve an advisor who will help you with these five and more.

Don’t let your political emotions impoverish your financial well-being.

Wealth management is in your control and there are actions you can take regardless of who wins today.

You can distribute any amount of money to the account owner for any reason, but only distributions which are reimbursing for qualified education expenses are tax and penalty free.

This 2017 article reminds us, “Stock market returns have little to do with which party holds the White House.”

You can distribute any amount of money to the designated beneficiary for any reason, but only distributions which are reimbursing for qualified education expenses are tax and penalty free.

Election results should not change a well crafted investment strategy.

If you are curious about how the online process works for distributing funds from your College America 529 plan, this article is for you.

Any qualified education expense for the benefit of the designated beneficiary which is paid to an eligible educational institution can be paid from the 529 plan directly.

On a smart phone, you can prevent the phone from ringing unless the person calling you is listed in your phone.

A short quote from this 2004 inspiration, “Time is so much more than money. If you have time, you can acquire more money. But money can’t buy you more time. Time is a great equalizer. You can’t go into time debt. Every day the rich and the poor alike are given twenty-four hours to spend.”

This 2015 article reminds us of the benefits of umbrella insurance. We recommend $2 to $5 million of umbrella coverage for typical families with assets over $300,000.

This 2014 article is a good reminder of how interest rates work in our country.

With a savings waterfall, you immediately know which buckets to fill when there is excess and which should remain dry if there isn’t enough for all your goals.

Sometimes the costs are actually benefits when it comes to Roth conversions.

Here are three lies you must stop telling yourself in order to build a solid financial foundation.

If you are close to either side of 60, this 2020 article will outline the ideal scenario to help you make your own financial assessment.

The best way to ensure that you save and invest is to automate the process.

As David Marotta writes in this 2012 post, “If I had to pick one learned skill that has served me the best in my career, it would be learning to grab my mind by the scruff of the neck and drag it back to the task at hand.” This piece reminds us that hard work can sometimes be your best doctor.

Many adult children are returning to live at home somewhat involuntarily. What can parents do to help? This 2011 article offers some wisdom.

The CFP Board is compensation neutral, but it is only because of how they are paid.

This simple example demonstrates the importance of expense ratio.

We recently had a client fall prey to a sophisticated Schwab Bank scam. They gave us permission to share this fraud story with you to hopefully prevent others from being scammed.

For our standard gone-fishing portfolio, we made two changes.

This gone-fishing portfolio is our default portfolio which can be used at any custodian.

We recommend this gone-fishing portfolio for investors with brand loyalty to Vanguard.

In 2003, David stopped to rescue a snapping turtle from 250 West. Even now, the financial planning lessons from that turtle are still sage advice.

It is common for investors to be surprised by movements in their portfolios. This 2019 article reminds us though that even volatile movements can be quite normal.

Here are several tips on how to live richly on your own.