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What’s on our mind? You can read about it in our blog. Whether it’s ideas from the industry or emerging trends, you can read about it here. So keep checking in. We’re glad to have you reading along.
How to Earn 7.12% on Ultra Safe Bonds
Monday, November 15, 2021Clients often ask me if there is something they can put their money into where they won’t lose money. The answer is, yes! We can invest in safe bonds, specifically T-bills. Unfortunately, interest rates have been abysmal for...
Read MoreDoes a Roth Conversion make sense? In many cases, yes. (Especially in 2021)
Friday, October 22, 2021As we near the end of 2021, many clients should be considering Roth conversions. This year, in addition to the normal discussion about whether or not to convert, clients should also take into account proposed legislation potentially...
Read MoreThis is what many investors are doing now ...
Monday, July 26, 2021"Buy low, sell high!" Everyone knows that, right? Then why is it many investors are doing the exact opposite? The answer is likely due to something we call "The Cycle of Market Emotions." The concept is so powerful that people will...
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New Child Tax Credit Advance Payments to Begin July 15
Tuesday, June 8, 2021As part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, taxpayers with children ages 6 to 17 could receive a child tax credit of up to $3,000, and those with children under 6, up to $3,600 for tax year 2021. The IRS is paying out 50% of...
Read More"I'm Such a Loser!" (Some Thoughts on Cryptocurrency)
Tuesday, May 25, 2021(.... said no one ever) We don't hear too many people bragging about picking losers. Instead, we hear stories about people making LOTS of money, so we assume such events are more common than they really are (Availability Bias). Of...
Read MoreHow More Individual Investors are Outsmarting Wall Street
Thursday, May 20, 2021Outsmarting Wall Street Over the last 20 years, an increasing number of individual investors have figured out how to beat Wall Street. How are they doing it? More importantly, how can we increase our odds of winning the investment...
Read MoreCARES Act Includes Relief for Retirement Account Owners
Tuesday, April 7, 2020On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. Notably, several provisions of the CARES Act deal with retirement accounts and offer relief to retirement account owners and/or...
Read MoreThe CARES Act
Monday, April 6, 2020Deadlines ExtendedThe deadline for filing 2019 federal income tax returns has changed from April 15 to July 15, 2020. The deadline for making 2019 IRA and HSA contributions has also changed to July 15, 2020. Temporary Changes to...
Read MoreCoronavirus and the Markets
Tuesday, March 17, 2020As the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus continues to grow, so might our anxiety about the spread and potential impact of the virus. While we do not know how many people the virus will infect and the lifecycle of...
Read More3 Ways to Lose Money in the Markets
Thursday, January 23, 2020As an investor, what is your biggest single fear? For many of us, when it comes to investing, our biggest fear is losing our money. Fear often drives investment decisions. And when it comes to investing, it can be an investor’s...
Read MoreRetirement Account Law May Impact You
Monday, January 6, 2020The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act was signed into law at the end of December. The new law affects retirement plans and IRAs in a variety of mostly positive ways. One provision, however, is being...
Read MoreWhat’s Your Fiscalosophy?
Monday, July 2, 2018Successful financial planning involves more than the balance in your portfolio. A strong financial plan represents what is important to you as an individual—in other words, your Fiscalosophy. Consider these two scenarios: Mark...
Read MoreDon’t Just Work for Money, Work for Meaning
Tuesday, June 26, 2018In a recent survey of 12,000 workers worldwide conducted by the Energy Project, only 50% of respondents found meaning in their jobs (1). Imagine spending 40 hours a week doing meaningless work. It’s soul-sucking, but it...
Read MoreBoosting Investment Returns through Tax Efficient Investing
Tuesday, October 3, 2017Too often I meet investors who assume they earned a decent rate of return, only to discover their returns were actually much lower once they accounted for costs like management fees and transaction fees. Another cost...
Read MoreMunicipal Bonds for Tax-Efficient Investing?
Friday, September 29, 2017When seeking tax-efficient investments, many people immediately think of municipal bonds. But not all municipal bonds are tax-exempt, and those that are tax-exempt are generally more appropriate for investors in higher tax brackets....
Read MoreEquifax Data Breach - 5 Steps to Take Now
Wednesday, September 20, 2017Chances are, you are one of the 143 million Americans whose sensitive personal information was compromised in a data breach at Equifax, one of the three major credit reporting agencies. The data breach began in mid-May and was...
Read MoreHurricanes and Investing
Thursday, September 14, 2017Days before Hurricane Irma ravaged the Caribbean and parts of Florida, speculations about Irma’s path flooded social media. I received an urgent text message from a friend. His neighbor received word from a...
Read MoreSouth Carolina's Pension Crisis and Active Management
Wednesday, April 26, 2017What happens when you hire an "expert" to pick winning stocks and to try and time the market? In South Carolina we might say, "a state pension crisis." In 1999, South Carolina pension plans were 99 percent funded...
Read MorePreparing Financially for a Natural Disaster
Thursday, October 6, 2016With Hurricane Matthew looming off the coast, hopefully you've had a chance to prepare your home and your family in the event that we are affected. Most of the advice I see relates to health and safety: Stock up on water, buy...
Read MoreBrexit: What now?
Friday, June 24, 2016On Thursday, June 23, voters in the United Kingdom voted in favor of leaving the European Union. As a result, we could see increased levels of near-term market volatility. That may leave some investors wondering, What now? Download our...
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