-
Kids & Money
There is seldom a parent who hasn’t gone through the tantrum-throwing phase of their kids’ lives. You walk into a store, the kid sees a toy and she must have it. You say no and…
-
One Banker, Thousand Borrowers
What you feel is a good investment because of what you see and hear is seldom a good investment. A good investment is usually the one you don’t hear much about. Or if you do,…
-
Bridging The Gaps
President Dwight D. Eisenhower was once quoted as saying that in preparing for a battle, I have found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. There is no perfect plan because change is the only constant.…
-
If You’d Bought This Stock 20 Years Ago
You’d see these clickbait stories every now and then. They let you dream about the easy riches you would have earned had you wagered on this or that stock. Dreams are great but acting upon…
-
Adding Fuel To Fire
Mary Hunt profiles three types of people in her book 7 Money Rules for Life on how they deal with money and how it impacts their well-being and happiness. So, say they made the same amount of money…
-
Your Retirement Number
William P. Bengen, an aeronautical engineer turned financial advisor, first talked about the 4 percent rule in a 1994 paper he published in the Journal of Financial Planning. That rule later turned into a widely…
-
The Three-Legged Stool
Post-World War II retirement planning was easy. We had pensions. There was income from Social Security. And we had our own savings. Those three things made up for a sturdy three-legged stool that took us…
-
The Magnificent Seven
Bank of America strategist Michael Hartnett coined the term “The Magnificent Seven” or Mag 7 for a group of stocks that have come to dominate the stock market lately1. These stocks are Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia,…
-
A Gradually Rising Standard Of Living
Imagine life without smartphones; no Google maps, no Uber, none of those things that bring the many conveniences into our lives. Imagine life without the internet. Or without personal computers. Or without televisions, microwaves, and…
-
How Estate Taxes Work & Why They Are A Good Thing
We pay estate taxes in this country. That means if you die with too much money, you (your estate) have to pay a wealth tax beyond all the taxes you have already paid while you…