Measuring progress regularly on the path toward retirement is critical. Fall too far behind, and you risk not being able to save enough to catch up. There is no downside to arriving early.
MarketWatch is seeking a top-notch writer who will bring a fresh perspective on money to the world’s investors. We believe that fresh perspective ought to include the idea of freedom investing.
Is Social Justice
an expression of good will towards the less fortunate -OR-
a principle that rewards should be determined by political power?
Sometimes the medium term trend seems to weigh more heavily in our minds than the long or short term trends.
Knowing how much you should save for retirement is critical. But what if you are late getting started? The longer you delay, the shorter the time that compound interest can do its magic on your savings.
Studies show that onetime windfalls can actually impoverish you. They make you feel rich, which inevitably leads to overspending. But wealth is what you save, not what you spend.
Many communities such as Charlottesville identify themselves as an arts community. This image translates into passionate support for public funding of the arts. But the common justifications for public funding don’t hold up under careful scrutiny.
Financial planning means supporting the goals of stay-at-home parents to be with their children.
Currently the IRS is sending notices to anyone who did a Roth Recharacterization in 2010 asking them to pay as though they kept the entire conversion amount.
Most Americans assume a progressive tax code is needed to promote equality and remove some of the burden of other taxes on those with the lowest income. But the progressive nature of the tax code changes behavior in many ways.
Five Wishes is a national advance directive created by the non-profit organization Aging with Dignity. It has been described as the “living will with a heart and soul.”
There is great disagreement in the financial services world if an advisor who has continuous and comprehensive management of a client’s assets should be allowed to also benefit from transactions that they recommend.
You should save 15% of your take-home pay for retirement over your working career. As your situation varies, you must adjust your safe savings rate.
“Anyone who’s bought gas, paid a medical bill or sent a child off to college recently knows that the Consumer Price Index doesn’t tell the whole story of inflation.”
Many people prefer having a local fee-only commission-free financial planner they can easily visit on a regular basis. Others prefer to handle everything through phone and email.
The entire selling point of the immediate fixed annuity is a lower return in exchange for a guarantee. But when analyzed, the purchase price is a loss from which you can never recover.
David Marotta appeared recently on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing Mitt Romney’s Vice Presidential pick of Paul Ryan, and what Ryan’s economics really look like.
It would have been more accurate to say, “The Joint committee on Taxation by agreement with congress is required to limit their analysis to a fixed GDP assumption.”
If eight times as many people are leaving the country than they were 4 years ago, maybe there’s something wrong with the country?
Mitt Romney’s recent announcement of Paul Ryan as his running mate makes this election even more about government spending, programs and taxes. Ryan is the primary author of the Republican-led House’s 2013 budget proposal. Consider these five proposals to evaluate Romney’s wisdom in selecting him.
There’s a term in the financial world for Internet sites like these and that term is “fraud.”
More advisors are coaching clients on how to earn more income.
“Real estate investment trusts should be much more than an optional selection in a balanced investment portfolio.”
Many families seek financial planning advice specifically for retirement. But if they wait too long, they miss an important tax-planning opportunity. A great strategy is to take advantage of the time between retirement and Social Security at age 70, the so-called gap years.
“A growing link between municipal bond and U.S. stock performance could be very bad if equities fail to rise robustly over the next few years.”
Do I start planting investments and then refrain from giving for ten years?
During elections the political dialogue assumes that the well-being of your future is out of your control and in the hands of politicians. This is simply not true. You have the freedom to take control of your finances and your life.
Direct ownership of gold has become more popular, despite some lingering fear that the government could again ban private gold ownership. With ongoing concerns about the global financial system and gold hitting a record high, many people are interested in this “safe haven.”
How is the ‘financial health’ of most physicians? Most physicians put in long hours and due to lack of time neglect their own financial and retirement planning.
Americans continue to talk past each other by using a similar vocabulary while really discussing very different concepts. Views also differ on the concept of power.
David John Marotta appeared recently on 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing power–particularly government power–and what kind is the most dangerous.
“Perfectly rational individuals exhibit changing risk aversion that makes it hard for them to rebalance into high-return assets that have had steep price declines.”
“In this [new investment reality] environment, near-term inflation is not likely to be much of a concern. The challenge will be to adapt to possible lower total portfolio returns. “
We teach teenagers a lot more about sexuality than we do about money. This can confuse them about what they should be learning. Give this article to a teenager and encourage him or her to start a Roth IRA.
Apparently, Never. The Dodd-Frank bill can be likened to giving the government unlimited powers and asking them to eliminate evil.
Countries are constantly in flux, and with all the noise of the markets, it is easy for the noise drown out the signal.
The unintended consequences of good intentions can do more economic harm than all the mean-spirited greed within capitalism.
Franco Modigliani won the Nobel Prize for a simple technique that squirrels know intuitively from birth. You have to squirrel away some nuts during times of plenty so you can survive during times of scarcity.
David John Marotta was interviewed on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing the idea of “equality” in society.
Choosing to work less than 80 hours is not wrong, especially not when all you are going to get is that last 30%.
Most work toward equality of results impoverishes everyone.
Sector rotation would suggest that we are still at the beginning of a market recovery. This is probably the bottom of energy stocks.
Studies suggest that brains may be wired with either a utopian or a tragic view of the world, corresponding roughly to liberals and conservatives. We continue to talk past each other in political debates.
“Investors may hold fixed income securities to reduce portfolio volatility, generate income, maintain liquidity, pursue higher returns, or meet a future funding obligation.”
Make sure that Mom and Dad have a family member and a fiduciary advisor watching out for their finances.
Portfolio construction begins with the most basic allocation between investments that offer a greater chance of appreciation (stocks) and those that provide portfolio stability (bonds). There is no such thing as a safe investment that pays market rates of return.
Advisors who offer comprehensive wealth management are like financial concierges. Their only goal is to meet your needs. If you ask for fresh strawberries, they try to find them for you.
Here are some additional tax planning resources regarding choosing the appropriate investment vehicles.
It can be useful to maintain a grid where all of the available asset classes are arranged in order, by tax efficiency and potential return based on time horizon, so clients can clearly see when and where tax-deferral can offer the greatest benefits.
“Average American investors start to worry that FINRA will damage their relationship with independent financial advisors.”