#TBT Five Things You Can Control
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You deserve an advisor who will help you with these five and more.

#TBT Your Election Reactions May Impoverish Your Investment Gains
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Don’t let your political emotions impoverish your financial well-being.

#TBT Four Things You Can Do No Matter Who Wins
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Wealth management is in your control and there are actions you can take regardless of who wins today.

#TBT Don’t Increase Your Bond Allocation In Bear Markets
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There is an artistry to a bond allocation, and while historical analysis can only be suggestive, it does tell a strong narrative.

#TBT Are Democrats Or Republicans Better For The Stock Market?
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This 2017 article reminds us, “Stock market returns have little to do with which party holds the White House.”

#TBT Don’t Let Politics Make You Afraid of Investing
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Election results should not change a well crafted investment strategy.

#TBT Vote Early Instead of Voting Absentee (Virginia)
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Voting early is as easy as voting in-person. You can vote whenever is convenient for you including right now.

#TBT Protect Yourself By Silencing Unknown Callers
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On a smart phone, you can prevent the phone from ringing unless the person calling you is listed in your phone.

#TBT How to Live on 24 Hours a Day
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A short quote from this 2004 inspiration, “Time is so much more than money. If you have time, you can acquire more money. But money can’t buy you more time. Time is a great equalizer. You can’t go into time debt. Every day the rich and the poor alike are given twenty-four hours to spend.”

#TBT How Much Umbrella Insurance Do I Need?
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This 2015 article reminds us of the benefits of umbrella insurance. We recommend $2 to $5 million of umbrella coverage for typical families with assets over $300,000.

#TBT How Does The Fed Control Interest Rates In A Free Market?
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This 2014 article is a good reminder of how interest rates work in our country.

Implement a Savings Waterfall for 2024
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With a savings waterfall, you immediately know which buckets to fill when there is excess and which should remain dry if there isn’t enough for all your goals.

The Benefits of Roth Conversions (The Series)
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Sometimes the costs are actually benefits when it comes to Roth conversions.

#TBT How a Stability Allocation Helps And What To Do If You Forgot One
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While the appreciation allocation helps you achieve your financial goals, introducing a stability allocation into your portfolio can prevent your portfolio from running out of money.

#TBT Stop Telling Yourself These Three Financial Lies
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Here are three lies you must stop telling yourself in order to build a solid financial foundation.

#TBT A Review of Finances at Age 60
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If you are close to either side of 60, this 2020 article will outline the ideal scenario to help you make your own financial assessment.

#TBT Implement the Automatic Millionaire at Schwab
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The best way to ensure that you save and invest is to automate the process.

#TBT The Only Right Answer To Debit or Credit?
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You swipe your debit card at the card reader and the clerk quickly asks, “Debit or Credit?” Which should you choose? This 2013 article tells us.

#TBT How to Make a Financial Independence Bucket
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In honor of the Independence Day of the United States, this 2013 article reminds us to prepare for our own Independence Day.

#TBT Stress Is Not Your Enemy
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As David Marotta writes in this 2012 post, “If I had to pick one learned skill that has served me the best in my career, it would be learning to grab my mind by the scruff of the neck and drag it back to the task at hand.” This piece reminds us that hard work can sometimes be your best doctor.

#TBT Full-Nest Syndrome
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Many adult children are returning to live at home somewhat involuntarily. What can parents do to help? This 2011 article offers some wisdom.

#TBT The Democratization Of Wealth
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George Marotta reminds us in this 2002 article, “Each person can best help society by developing his or her talents to the fullest. In the process, some will earn very large incomes, but that’s OK.”

#TBT How to Change a 529 Plan Account Owner
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When a 529 plan is set up, there are two important people associated with the account. The first is the account owner. The second is the beneficiary. Both can be changed.

#TBT Open a Roth IRA Today or Regret It Later
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Roth IRAs have one weakness, but the remedy is to have opened and funded your Roth more than 5 years ago. So do it today!

#TBT How to Pay Off Student Loans While Building Wealth
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With many of us saddled in student loan debt well into our late thirties, our retirement cannot wait for us to be debt free. This 2016 rewrite of a 2007 article teaches you how to get started with savings while repaying your loans.

#TBT Slow and Steady Wins the Race
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In 2003, David stopped to rescue a snapping turtle from 250 West. Even now, the financial planning lessons from that turtle are still sage advice.

#TBT What Are Normal Market Movements?
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It is common for investors to be surprised by movements in their portfolios. This 2019 article reminds us though that even volatile movements can be quite normal.

#TBT Learning to Live on Your Own
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Here are several tips on how to live richly on your own.

#TBT Frequency Matters More Than Height
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This 2009 article reminds us, “When we are worried about our expenditures, we tend to look at the dollar amounts more than the frequency of our purchases.” However, to combat mindless spending, we should look to trim recurring expenses first.

#TBT Can a 529 Reimburse for Last Year’s Expenses?
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This article offers an overview of what we know about 529 reimbursement timing.

#TBT States with Tax-Exempt Interest from U.S. Debt Obligations
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As of 2021, here is an overview of how the states and jurisdictions handle interest on certain U.S. government obligations.

#TBT How to Keep Your Identity Safe Online
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This 2015 article has five rules for safely handling your digital security which you can’t afford not to implement.

#TBT Tackling College Costs at the Eleventh Hour
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The best way to climb the mountain of college costs is gradually, but if you need to make some last minute leaps, our government has a few tax-related strategies.

#TBT The Benefits of Free Trade Agreements
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Regardless of which way the balance of trade says the surplus falls, we and our trading allies benefit from the exchange.

#TBT The Delirious Happiness of Free Market Choice
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This 2015 article details one of the most brilliant breakthroughs in all of food science and how it relates to almost every aspect of life.

#TBT Eliminate the Capital Gains Tax
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Maybe if we say it enough, it will actually get done. “The correct rate for the capital gains tax is zero, zip, nada. Perhaps it is even negative!”

#TBT Three Reasons To Engage In Gift Giving
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The holiday cliché is to complain about hyper-materialism, but according to anthropologists, gifts and gift giving help shape our identities.

#TBT Cash Has Been the Riskiest Investment
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This 2007 post reminds that because of inflation the value of cash trends down, encourages you to protect your portfolio against a falling dollar, and reveals an inconsistency with CPI calculations and actual inflation.

#TBT Diversify and Rebalance More Than Just Your Investments
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Life is volatile, risky, and on average rewarding. Diversification and rebalancing help to protect yourself from the volatility.

#BestOf2023 Why the Verizon Visa Credit Card is My Primary Card
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I have adopted this card as the primary one in my wallet for groceries and gas.

#BestOf2023 How to Use Form SSA-44 To Save Money
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If the form is accepted, the Social Security Administration will generally not only change your current IRMAA, but they will also use your Projected MAGI for the next several years. Here’s why.

#BestOf2023 At 65, Does the 5-Year Roth Rule Matter?
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For those over age 59 1/2, you would need to withdraw all funds attributable to basis before your withdrawal would be sourced from Roth IRA earnings and the age of your Roth IRA would matter for taxation.

#BestOf2023 Changes to RMDs for Those Born in 1951 or Later
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Later required beginning dates are generally advantageous to seniors, although the complexity surrounding RMD rules is nothing to celebrate.

#TBT High Wages Limit Catch-Up Options to Only Roth in 2026
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The Internal Revenue Service announced an administrative transition period that extends until 2026 the new requirement that any catch-up contributions made by higher‑income participants in 401(k) and similar retirement plans must be designated as after-tax Roth contributions.

A Christmas Sermon from David Marotta
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This 2008 article is an uplifting, timeless sermon.

#TBT Estate Planning For A Family Business Balances Three Roles
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This whimsical 2004 post uses the hypothetical family business of Belle and the Beast to teach a valuable lesson about passing on the family business to the next generation.

Today, We Celebrate Saving Tuesday
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Saving Tuesday is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. It is a day to squirrel some savings away for your future self.

#TBT Six Reasons to Sell for a Loss
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Here are six reasons you may want to sell for a loss.

#TBT How Can We Make Medical Insurance Affordable?
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We have written on the topic of healthcare reform multiple times, including our 2014 economics of healthcare series which culminates in this article.

#TBT Harvest Major Capital Losses Whenever You Have Them
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While you can only use $3,000 per year of capital losses to reduce your taxable income, you should bank as much capital loss as possible for other future uses.

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