As a financial and retirement planner, I have learned that people hate paying taxes. The truth is, the history of taxation is a complicated one full of wars, audits, jail time, and factions of society that were created in rebellion to the idea itself. To make things worse, the “rules” laid out by … [Read more...] about Why the IRS may be the biggest benefactor of your retirement investments
Financial
2021 Second Quarter Market Update – Let’s Talk About Inflation
Q2 Recap: Before we begin discussing inflation, let’s take a quick look at what happened to investments in Q2. Following an explosive 9 month run, small cap stocks slowed their pace of growth allowing large cap stocks to nearly close the gap for the year. Meanwhile, international markets … [Read more...] about 2021 Second Quarter Market Update – Let’s Talk About Inflation
The Fiduciary Duty Explained What It Means For Investors
The word “Fiduciary” gets a lot of attention in the financial services industry. But what exactly is it, and what does it really mean for investors? Generally speaking, a fiduciary is someone acting on the behalf of another, usually in some kind of legal or financial capacity. Some examples of … [Read more...] about The Fiduciary Duty Explained What It Means For Investors
How to Enjoy Retirement and Still Provide a Legacy
For retirees that wish to truly enjoy their retirement but still want to provide a legacy, setting priorities and finding a balance will be key. Most would agree that ensuring one's stability in retirement should be the top priority. The first step to ensuring you can enjoy retirement is to make … [Read more...] about How to Enjoy Retirement and Still Provide a Legacy
When it Comes to Achieving Investing Goals…Objective is Everything
If I asked you what your objective is when it comes to investing, what would your answer be? In my years as a financial advisor, I have found the answers I have gotten to this question to be far too broad to be meaningful. Whether it is “retirement,” “saving for my children’s college education,” … [Read more...] about When it Comes to Achieving Investing Goals…Objective is Everything
The “B” Word
No, I’m not talking about that “B” word! I’m talking about that curse word known as a BUDGET. I commonly refer to your budget as “Lifestyle”. Now, I’m not talking about a budget in the sense that everyone has to have an itemized spreadsheet or spend countless hours a week micromanaging transactions. … [Read more...] about The “B” Word
Sign of the Times
After a recent phone call from my 21-year-old son, I realized that some things never change. History does repeat itself in human behavior and how people want to “get rich quick” or how some say, ‘I’m going to retire by the time I’m 30”. The latter was the comment made by one of my son’s friends. He … [Read more...] about Sign of the Times
The Illusion of Diversification
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. I have no idea where that idiom originated from but it is perhaps the best and simplest way to describe diversification. Instinctively investors know they should diversify their portfolio and most do this. Having looked at hundreds, if not thousands, of … [Read more...] about The Illusion of Diversification
2021 First Quarter Market Update- Small Cap and Big Comebacks
Spring is in the air. Cheers to brighter skies, warmer weather, and reconnecting! For a long time, many of our portfolios have had a slight bias towards small-cap stocks (stocks with a total market value under two billion dollars). Sometimes this bias helps performance and sometimes it hurts. We … [Read more...] about 2021 First Quarter Market Update- Small Cap and Big Comebacks
The Future Cost of Silver and Spot Price
If you didn’t know, silver is sold and traded based on a spot price. The current spot price has been hovering around $25 a oz. You used to be able to go online to websites like Kitco or Amax and buy silver 2 to 4 dollars above the spot price, and shipping was only three dollars. You could also go … [Read more...] about The Future Cost of Silver and Spot Price