Author Archives: David John Marotta

When you get out of the markets, you have made a huge gamble with your retirement money, and now the stakes are high.

Don’t let your political emotions cause you to be fearful about the economy. Those misplaced fears may impoverish your financial well-being.

If you ever wondered how the stock market works, this 2006 article is for you. It is both the personal story of David Marotta’s maternal grandfather, Donald Mortlock, and an explanation of how the market of the stock market is made.

These notices are best viewed as reminders that your account is being managed with care and compliance in mind.

This 2006 article shares the personal story of David Marotta’s maternal grandmother who lived to age 99 1/2.

In this video, David used examples from our tax planning service to demonstrate what a Roth conversion plan might look like and how systematic Roth conversions can create a higher after-tax net worth in the future.

Our gone-fishing portfolios stay the same for 2025.

It is always a good time to be reminded that an immediate fixed annuity is not an investment; it is an insurance product. This 2015 article by David John Marotta is a methodical unraveling of annuities and a description of the far superior alternatives.

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.

Using the analogy of a peach orchard farmer compared to a doomsday weather watcher, David Marotta reminds us in this 2004 article that “For the speculator, speed is everything. Not so, for the investor.”

Without rebalancing, the all-stock Marotta 2024 Gone-Fishing Portfolio had a 1-year return of 11.21% and the all-stock Marotta Vanguard 2024 Gone-Fishing Portfolio had a 1-year return of 10.72%.

An overwhelming number of failed marriages cite financial troubles as a major factor in their breakup. See if this 2006 article can help make finances a place of union rather than separation.

By adopting these practices, you ensure that both you and your advisory team can work efficiently, securely, and in alignment with regulatory requirements.

Three generations explain this family saying which teaches one method of mitigating risk.

Punishing people for inflation is neither fair nor good economic policy.

Everyone needs some fun in their life, and sometimes fun costs a little money. This 2004 article shares six guidelines for dealing with purchases that might be considered frivolous.

For most families, the largest purchase they make will be their house. This 2011 post reminds us that the house you and your family live in is not an investment, but real estate can be.

Whenever the IRS challenges you, the burden of producing evidence that your claims are true rests entirely with you.

The selection of what products we purchase or avoid for clients is based solely on what we believe gives our clients the best chance to meet their goals.

The addition of stable investments can help dampen the risk and increase the chances of meeting your spending goals.

Even though there is some political and tax uncertainty this year, our funding priorities remain nearly identical to last year on purpose.

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.

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