Author Archives: David John Marotta

It is often said that the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. The IRS takes that truism to heart.

It is a simple thought experiment. Would you rather invest in South Korea or in North Korea?

How is the change in the value of the dollar computed?

“We’d be fools to underestimate their tenacity and creativity when it comes to protecting their executive bonus pools.”

Freedom investing beat the EAFE Foreign index by 7.92% in 2014.

When asset classes are not correlated that means they often move in different directions.

Regardless of income level, overspending causes poverty.

Is there a correlation which would justify talking about “the momentum of the markets”?

“Take a version of this fiduciary oath to the brokers down the street and ask them to sign it. If they refuse, ask why.”

Here is one of the most brilliant breakthroughs in all of food science and how it relates to almost every aspect of life.

The best antidote to the stress of market volatility is to understand that the markets are inherently volatile.

I love that Bob Veres thinks that labeling someone as a broker or advisor would help bring clarity. It shows his optimism.

David Leinweber calls this technique, “torturing the data until it screams.”

A gone-fishing portfolio keeps investing simple.

A review of last year’s 2014 gone fishing portfolio returns.

A gone-fishing portfolio has a limited number of investments with a balanced asset allocation that should do well with dampened volatility.

Their attorney, New York-based Barry Lax, says the two ballplayers are the latest professional athletes abused by predatory financial advisors.

A mob boss exercises absolute control over his many followers and profits from the often criminal activities of his organization.

David John Marotta and Rob Schilling discussed the ways current policy makes college more unaffordable, and what students and parents can do about it.

Congress cannot protect you from the financial sharks who contribute to their campaigns, but they may protect the sharks.

Kenneth G. Elzinga. Ken is both a nationally renowned economist as well as a locally celebrated professor here in Charlottesville at the University of Virginia.

It is illegal to sell contacts in the United States without requiring a prescription. A Federal Trade Commission regulation provides penalties of up to $11,000 per violation.

The United States is the only country that imposes a tax on all income the company makes whether it is earned within or outside the country.

“Markets have made possible the prospect of the bulk of an economy’s population not being poor and oppressed.”

The fight is on! Everyone wants to be known as a fiduciary, but not everyone deserves the title.

Ken Elzinga writes the popular Henry Spearman mystery novels under the pen name of Marshal Jevons. We caught up with Professor Elzinga for the following interview.

These noble-sounding goals intuitively appear useful, but the federal government has only two ways to encourage change and neither of them helps in this case.

Read an excerpt from Ken Elzinga’s latest Henry Spearman mystery novel.

Here are the returns for our six Asset Classes from November 2014.

Here are the returns for our six Asset Classes from August 2014 – October 2014.

David John Marotta appeared on the radio discussing Charlottesville real estate, interest rates, and how you should not let a daunting pile of mortgage paperwork stop you from purchasing a home.

Unfortunately, Obama’s good intentions are thwarted by the economic principle formulated by banker Charles Goodhart.

“In reflecting on our experiences as advisers and investors, we’ve come up with what we believe are the key and often unspoken wants and needs of our investors.”

The average factory-farmed frozen turkey from a grocery story is sold for as little as $0.67 per pound. Economics can offer five explanations.

How to judge if your money was well spent.

Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

Unless McConnell is willing to risk a government shutdown, he will ultimately have to acquiesce to Obama’s wishes.

When it comes to finances, just shut your eyes and keep them closed.

Last year plans were being cancelled. This year, citizens are receiving notifications of rate hikes in the double digits. Is this really happening?

As a libertarian and former chess prodigy, I enjoyed very much an address by Gary Kasparov at the Cato Institute entitled, “The Influence of American Values.”

While I agree with the study, I don’t know that I agree with the prescribed solutions suggested.

The lottery is based on the most powerful way to motivate people and change their behavior: a variable reward in response to a specific behavior.

There is no accounting for how many heirs an account might need to be divided among in an estate plan. Here are the best practices for how to divide the estate.

The stock market is one of the few places that when things go on sale we are less likely to want to buy.

The classic conversational pastime of answering the question, “What would you do if you won the lottery?” could help you or it could hurt.

This radio interview covers the basics of what investing is, and how to think about investing, especially in U.S. Markets with a constant stream of information available.

There was an interesting article by Joseph Lisanti in Financial Planning Magazine entitled, “Should You Be Building Bond Ladders?” which read in part: As with many strategies, laddering works best for clients with sufficient assets to benefit fully from it. … Read More

What if only enough redistribution were applied so that the top 1% (or whatever top segment) has just 15% of all wealth instead of 40% or whatever it is now?

Government-run lotteries have a sordid and monopolistic past. Should we enforce a separation of sin and state?

Our brains are not wired well for handling the fluctuations in the stock market. Could a financial advisor help?