Author Archives: David John Marotta

We call the difference between the market return and typical investor returns the “termite gap.”

There are significant advantages to using different investment vehicles in different types of accounts.

Mortgage rates are at historical lows, so the next few years are the time to take advantage of them.

Here are seven steps you should take to weather any financial storm.

David Marotta discusses how to increase your after-tax net worth.

Identity theft is becoming distressingly common as personal information becomes easier to swipe.

Investing in some mutual funds is like buying a $3 candy bar and paying $5 shipping and handling. All mutual funds are not created equal, and you can boost your returns by doing a little homework before writing a check.

Virginia 529 plans allow for an unlimited carry-forward deduction.

Managing your family’s cash is key to meeting your financial goals.

There will always be swindlers masquerading as investment advisors. You can learn to recognize such people by their over-the-top lifestyle.

Countries with the most economic freedom generally do better than the international index.

Excellent advisors communicate clearly exactly how bad the markets have been and can be.

Rebalancing between asset classes boosts returns and decreases volatility. But setting your asset classes based on sectors of the economy is not an effective strategy.

David Marotta discusses behavioral finance.

In this formula is deep wisdom, both for portfolio construction and for determining which categories are worth regular rebalancing.

Couples getting married in June usually don’t take the time for pre-marital financial counseling. Yet much of the friction in marriage stems from different financial perspectives, and how money is handled is often a factor in divorce

Generally, a correlation that can drop below 0.6 with other asset classes is a good candidate to become its own asset class.

Diversifying your portfolio means finding assets that have value on their own merits but do not move exactly alike. A critical investment metric called “correlation” is used to construct a portfolio most likely to meet your personal financial goals.

Estate planning must begin with family harmony as the goal. Thus personal dynamics are more important than avoiding probate and estate taxes.

David Marotta discusses learning to live on your own after college.

The government is not intervening out of a sense of altruism.

The most important product of estate planning is achieving family harmony. Think carefully when you choose your executor or trustee.

What’s more important, saving for college or retirement?

A complex technique called “Roth segregation accounts” could earn your investments an extra 30% over the next two years.

A complex technique called “Roth segregation accounts” could earn your investments an extra 30% over the next two years.

A complex technique called “Roth segregation accounts” could earn your investments an extra 30% over the next two years.

A complex technique called “Roth segregation accounts” could earn your investments an extra 30% over the next two years.

There isn’t a better time to invest than today. Getting started can be intimidating, but these simple steps will help you through your first few years of investing.

There isn’t a better time to invest than today. Getting started can be intimidating, but these simple steps will help you through your first few years of investing.

David Marotta discusses the politics of congressional earmarks.

Future earnings and the potential for Roth IRA conversions should be part of your plan.

Healthy spouses with little earnings should encourage their partners to delay filing.

Filing early and then repaying is the least dangerous for those who are single or for a husband and wife whose benefits are roughly equal.

Dying young never jeopardizes a retirement plan financially.

Filing early exacts a steep price.

Your filing option choices may be worth $250,000 of income or more.

The various congressional bailouts have been touted as essential to the nation’s economic security. So long as the notion of economic security remains vague and abstract, it has wide support. But anyone who examines the details should realize this so-called security threatens our freedom and stability.

To safeguard your money, you must be able to extricate yourself from any bad investment quickly. Of course, the companies that sell mistakes don’t want you to be able to do that, so they use financial hooks to hold your money captive.

You have a critical part to play in financial planning. Certain responsibilities cannot be delegated to others.

Crazy volatile markets push people toward irrational investment schemes. Know how to avoid them in order to safeguard your money.

An overwhelming number of failed marriages cite financial troubles as a major factor in their breakup. This is no surprise because the way we use our time and money reflects our values. Without a strong set of shared values, marriages drift apart. But, dealing with finances together can bring a couple closer. Here are seven principles of how you can build wealth and your marriage.

One important safeguard is to insist on investing only in liquid assets. Investors undervalue liquidity 99.9% of the time. You need to be in the other 0.1%.

There are several investment safeguards you should insist on. One is to avoid any investment opportunity that sounds too good to be true.

I was recently asked if investors should trust their financial advisors. And my short answer, you may be surprised to hear, was no. Your financial advisor should not also have custody of your investments.

Every year many of us make New Year’s resolutions and then can’t follow through because we claim we’re too busy.

Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. But for too many of us, it’s the season that unravels the careful financial planning of the previous 11 months. So this year, instead of trading your financial goals for a mountain of gifts and debt, take a moment to contemplate how a spiritual perspective can help you put your wealth in perspective.

Philip Zimbardo’s latest book, “The Time Paradox” suggests that understanding your own time perspective may help you unlock the secrets of financial freedom. In other words, how we think determines who we are and what we do.

David Marotta discusses how our time perspective influences our lives.

A shortage of people are buying real estate and we’ve passed a one-per-customer tax incentive law.

There is always a day of reckoning when people use debt to leverage their investments.