Here we are again starting another year that is sure to be full of surprises. 2023 finished up nicely for the markets but now there’s some profit taking going on to start off this year. That’s understandable ...
... months because it always has when indicators X, Y, and Z have looked like this, and so forth. I can’t tell you how many comparison charts I’ve seen in the past couple of years that offer a compelling case ...
As we march headlong toward the end of another eventful year, let’s look at some important calendar-based financial considerations. Now is a great time to do so because it’s late enough in the year to ...
Now that we’ve entered December it’s a good time to think about year-end tax strategies. But doing so is challenging because so much is different for 2020 with the passage of the CARES Act, stimulus payments, ...
... income is from interest and dividends in your brokerage account. Your lifestyle remains the same but on paper your taxable income drops off a cliff.
If you’ve been used to paying taxes on $100K per year ...
There’s a multitude of tasks that financial planners like me focus on as we approach the end of the year. Among them is the complicated issue of Required Minimum Distributions. This is a simple yet potentially ...
Well, it’s suddenly December again. I don’t know about you but this year the Holidays sure are coming up fast. There’s a feeling of year-end inertia that settles in right about now, mostly because so much ...
I hope you enjoyed the holidays with family and friends, and are ready to start the new year. As we look back, the year past was one filled with surprises, challenges, and no small amount of angst. Worries ...
... as we get deeper into election year politics and questions about the Fed and potential ulterior motives for its rate decisions get thrown into the mix. The Fed itself, as explained numerous times by none ...
Are you getting a little tired of me mentioning how interest rates and the Fed have been influencing the stock and bond markets? Well, I sometimes tire of it because it’s been on the radar for years now ...
... mailing longer than I care to admit.
Funding an IRA for last year –
You can fund an IRA up until close of business this coming Monday, the 15th.
The practical deadline for electronic funding from ...
... performed so far this year:
US Large Cap Stocks: up 10.6%
US Small Cap Stocks: up 5%
US Core Bonds: down 0.7%
Developed Foreign Markets: up 6%
Emerging Markets: up 2.2%
As I just mentioned, ...
... takeaway from this article? We’ve joined Germany in a happiness nosedive from last year’s findings. We’re told this is because younger people reporting feeling unhappy due to distrusting our political ...
... year, so negative surprises there could bite a bit.
Now from Bespoke…
After headline CPI peaked above 9% in June 2022, the subsequent year of inflation data was a bull’s dream as reading after reading ...
A few years ago during Covid I decided to say “Yes” more. “No” is negative and exclusionary while “maybe” can be so unfulfilling. But yes is exciting and freeing while also sometimes being a little terrifying. ...
... been upended this year by our government that, ironically, was only trying to help.
I’m sure Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act a few years ago with all the best intentions. The Department ...
... the past few years.
The economy was going to crash. We were supposed to be in a lengthy recession by now. High inflation was expected to be part of the new normal. And the government, overburdened by ...
... investing, and so forth. Still, we have to tally everything up once a year and pay our share to keep the lights on, or so they tell us.
According to a 2021 survey by the IRS more than half of American ...
... then reworks your amortization schedule and lowers your monthly payment accordingly.
Here’s an example:
Say you’re five years into a 30yr loan with a $350,000 balance. At 3.5% interest your monthly ...
... 1.5% per year while you hold it, about double the typical stock fund in the US but far more expensive than an S&P 500 stock index fund charging maybe 0.1% or less. I compare this to stock index funds because ...