Author Archives: David John Marotta

Those costly mistakes are a fifth of a million dollars in most cases.

You’ve opened your HSA and funded it for several years. When should you stop funding it?

David John Marotta was interviewed on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing market volatility.

The job of a financial advisor is to do what you would do if you had the time and expertise.

If you prefer to keep your down payment money invested in the markets for longer, there are two alternatives.

Six ideas to make sure you aren’t falling victim to commission-based products and services.

Here are some rules for handling your digital security.

The calculations for this are a little strange. Here is the formula and two examples of how it works to help you.

Which account you should fund depends on your circumstances, but here are some general guidelines you can follow to make your decision.

They are based on different indexes and have different expense ratios.

Umbrella insurance covers you for liability that goes above and beyond your auto and homeowners insurance.

David John Marotta was recently interviewed on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing Nevada’s universal school choice.

Every time the S&P 500 hits new highs everyone wonders if these new highs will stick.

Virginia taxpayers can give generously and offset the cost of those gifts through tax credits and the avoidance of capital gains taxes.

How often did it pay to heed the star rating? Most of the time, with a few exceptions. Is there a better method to use?

Most tax professionals don’t think of such tax planning opportunities, because they have to focus on complying with tax accounting regulations.

You shouldn’t invest in what you don’t understand.

Sometimes, there isn’t enough to do it all. Even then, fund your Roth.

Contrarian indicators have paid off historically.

The average married couple has dreams of multiple children, annual vacations, and homeownership, but planning for these expenses can be challenging.

The connection between the price of oil and the price of oil companies is loose.

Despite the headlines, the global equity markets posted gains last quarter and for the year.

Planning for your financial future is largely a question of dealing with the constant tension between living for today and saving for some future event.

You might think that you can’t qualify, but many well-paid families are eligible.

Is it a crash or just a correction? On average, the drop from peak to trough takes 85 days and the markets have recovered after another 107 days.

For those who do not want to be investors, a fast-track repayment may be best. But for those willing to save and invest, there is a better option.

Is there something I need to do today or tomorrow?

The majority of advisors make the mistake of having significant or moderate use of actively managed funds.

Careful tax planning can avoid much of the capital gains tax.

Most investors don’t understand what that means.

After automating your entire investment plan, you can save and invest without even having to watch.

If you are using Vanguard, we have created a gone fishing portfolio using only low-cost Vanguard mutual funds to help save money on transaction costs.

A high turnover rate is not something you want in a stock fund.

What should you do before a market correction? What about after? The answer is the same.

Your investment strategy is critically important but the implementation requires wise fund selection.

David Marotta was interviewed on the radio discussing how to figure out know when to realize capital gains and how much to realize when you do.

Should we have a “Free Countries Asset Class” or a “Foreign Stock Asset Class?”

There is no such thing as “over diversification.”

As with many financial decisions, our gut feelings deceive us on this matter.

Good financial planners can be worth their weight in gold in helping clients build a tax-efficient portfolio.

The process of defining your sectors is an attempt to identify the quintessential features of your strategy and formalize your selection criteria.

The greater the number of holdings the lower the turnover rate with one surprising exception.

Resource stocks represent one of the most interesting collections of diverse indexes as they do not always move in sync with one another.

Beware the turnover rate. It’s much wiser to invest in funds managed by people you trust.

Stocks less frequently traded have better returns.

The higher the correlation the greater the justification to put them in the same asset class.

It is good to take the two categories which are most similar and use them as underlying sector divisions within the same larger asset class.

Should they be over weighted in your portfolio?

The value of not running out of money when making withdrawals cannot be measured.

David John Marotta and Megan Russell were interviewed on the radio discussing ways recent graduates can make themselves more attractive to employers in today’s tough job market.