The government just loves to roll out new investment tools and then spend the next 50 years tinkering with the rules. 529 college savings plans are no different. Lately there is good news and bad news on the legislative front. The good news, and this is HUGE, is that with the SECURE 2.0 Act, parents…
Is it safe to write about the banking crises that almost was? I try not to feed into the media frenzy when financial news is freaking people out. Maybe we can look back now and see what happened and if you should (or should not) worry about the banking system. First, why do banks fail? …
That’s right folks, our elected officials got something done in 2022 that has bearing on your everyday life. The passage of the SECURE Act 2.0 brings up some interesting planning opportunities for your finances. Since the name of my blog game is short-and-sweet, I’ll just hit a few highlights. Click on the article below for…
You’ve raised a glass and sung Auld Ang Syne (I hope, after the last blog you did!), and now it’s time to say goodbye to 2022. What are we leaving behind? Culture The Mirriam-Webster dictionary word of the year was Gaslighting. Defined as “the act or practice of grossly misleading someone especially for one’s…
Thanks to my kind Qi Gong instructor, Dean Swerdlin, I am learning more about Chinese Zodiac symbolism. For financial advisors, the first couple of months of each (Western) calendar year is filled with articles, webinars, and industry meetings about economic projections for the coming year. Interesting, to be sure, and partially right at best.…
I guess it’s a good year in the stock market when the worst performing sectors (so far, as of writing this blog on September 13th) aren’t negative, just not up as high as the best performers. My sage advice for acting on this data – don’t get used to it! Here, with no particular…
There is an old saying that goes, “If you don’t hate at least one investment in your portfolio, you aren’t really diversified.” It’s a clever reminder that not having your eggs in one basket means that some of your baskets will look really ratty while others are full of chocolate bunnies and decorated with bows. …
After the usual partisan haggling, Washington has presented citizens with the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, cleverly known as CARES.* What does it mean for you? Here, as usual, are the very broad strokes of the Act that affect most people, along with my snarky comments. For more technical information, please read this…
In case you are wondering what goes through the mind of financial advisers during brutal stock market downturns, here is a peek behind the curtain. Obviously, just me, I can’t speak for all my adviser friends. Feeling #1: Discouraged. People in the money business invest in the same stock and bond markets as their…
The first quarter rite of passage for financial advisers seems to be attending economic forecasts. Yes, it is absolutely as fun as it sounds. Zzzzzz. I try to avoid these meetings because market forecasts are almost never right and not one is ever called to account for their not-rightness. Like weather forecasting. Also, I…
