Author Archives: David John Marotta

Here are thirty reasons Obama doesn’t deserve a second term.

The presidential election should be settled by a single question: “Who caused the financial crisis of 2008?” President Obama’s entire campaign has centered on his claim that he inherited a mess caused by the failed policies of the past.

It might be a good idea to listen to those who watch the cause and effect in the economy on a regular basis.

Such a well-intentioned program which steals our youth, our love, our happiness, our faith and our self-esteem.

In 2008 Obama captured 66% of the youth vote. But unlike the liberal ideological baby boom generation, millennials are more pragmatic. Support for Obama among the 18- to 29-year-old age group has dropped to 48%.

Are half of college graduates unable to get a college level job?

A light hearted look at Bert and Ernie’s politics.

“Sesame Street,” for example, made more than $211 million from toy and consumer product sales from 2003-2006. Sesame Workshop President and CEO Gary Knell received $956,513 in compensation in 2008.

Perhaps the most significant part of the vice presidential debate was the exchange over Romney’s proposal to lower tax rates by 20% and close loopholes and deductions. Does the math add up?

Does flatting and reducing the top rates by 20% and eliminating deductions collect the same amount of tax?

David John Marotta was featured on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show on October 9, 2012 discussing politics and the upcoming election, focusing on small businesses and their tax burden.

Just over 12% of small business tax returns had gross receipts over $250,000. Their marginal tax return is the highest and tax changes to this group is what has the greatest effect on employment.

Two critical questions were raised during the first presidential debate: Are small businesses important to American’s prosperity? And if they are, which candidate will unleash that engine of economic growth and employment? Fact-checking the candidates offers a clear answer.

Disparaging the entrepreneurial growth of small businesses as trickle-down economics misses the shower of prosperity.

Personally I think it is a mistake to value supporting the government (taxes) higher than supporting society (charitable giving).

The hypocrisy of candidates who pretend to be generous with other people’s money while purposefully characterizing those who are actually generous destructively is an issue worthy of consideration when you vote.

Much has been made about Mitt Romney’s tax returns. Reviewing them clarifies both public policy and personal wealth management. A quick calculation assumes their overall tax rate was 14.1%. But this number is highly misleading.

The Romney’s generosity and tax burden is hardly the example of greed and avarice that advocates of greater government would have us believe.

Interview with George Marotta on his time at Stanford’s Hoover Institution with Miilton Friedman, Thomas Sowell and Edward Teller.

Four reasons not to abandon a brilliant allocation that includes emerging markets simply because of short term fluctuations.

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.