#TBT Keep Christmas Your Own Way
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In “A Christmas Carol,” Ebenezer Scrooge calls Christmas a “humbug” because of the foolish way people celebrate it. This 2008 article reminds us that it is sometimes wise to simplify Christmas.

Charles Schwab HSA to Fidelity HSA Conversion (2024 Update)
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Within a matter of days my HSA and all of its investments were transferred from my Schwab account to a new Fidelity account with no charges.

#TBT The Economics of a Thanksgiving Turkey
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This article should give you something fun to discuss this year.

#TBT Five Things You Can Control
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You deserve an advisor who will help you with these five and more.

#TBT Your Election Reactions May Impoverish Your Investment Gains
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Don’t let your political emotions impoverish your financial well-being.

#TBT Four Things You Can Do No Matter Who Wins
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Wealth management is in your control and there are actions you can take regardless of who wins today.

How To Distribute from A College America 529 Plan to an Account Owner
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You can distribute any amount of money to the account owner for any reason, but only distributions which are reimbursing for qualified education expenses are tax and penalty free.

#TBT Are Democrats Or Republicans Better For The Stock Market?
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This 2017 article reminds us, “Stock market returns have little to do with which party holds the White House.”

How To Distribute from A College America 529 Plan to a Designated Beneficiary
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You can distribute any amount of money to the designated beneficiary for any reason, but only distributions which are reimbursing for qualified education expenses are tax and penalty free.

#TBT Don’t Let Politics Make You Afraid of Investing
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Election results should not change a well crafted investment strategy.

Why College America’s Online 529 Plan Distribution Process is Overly Complicated
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If you are curious about how the online process works for distributing funds from your College America 529 plan, this article is for you.

How To Distribute from A College America 529 Plan to a College
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Any qualified education expense for the benefit of the designated beneficiary which is paid to an eligible educational institution can be paid from the 529 plan directly.

#TBT Protect Yourself By Silencing Unknown Callers
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On a smart phone, you can prevent the phone from ringing unless the person calling you is listed in your phone.

#TBT How to Live on 24 Hours a Day
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A short quote from this 2004 inspiration, “Time is so much more than money. If you have time, you can acquire more money. But money can’t buy you more time. Time is a great equalizer. You can’t go into time debt. Every day the rich and the poor alike are given twenty-four hours to spend.”

#TBT How Much Umbrella Insurance Do I Need?
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This 2015 article reminds us of the benefits of umbrella insurance. We recommend $2 to $5 million of umbrella coverage for typical families with assets over $300,000.

#TBT How Does The Fed Control Interest Rates In A Free Market?
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This 2014 article is a good reminder of how interest rates work in our country.

Implement a Savings Waterfall for 2024
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With a savings waterfall, you immediately know which buckets to fill when there is excess and which should remain dry if there isn’t enough for all your goals.

The Benefits of Roth Conversions (The Series)
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Sometimes the costs are actually benefits when it comes to Roth conversions.

#TBT Stop Telling Yourself These Three Financial Lies
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Here are three lies you must stop telling yourself in order to build a solid financial foundation.

#TBT A Review of Finances at Age 60
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If you are close to either side of 60, this 2020 article will outline the ideal scenario to help you make your own financial assessment.

#TBT Implement the Automatic Millionaire at Schwab
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The best way to ensure that you save and invest is to automate the process.

#TBT Stress Is Not Your Enemy
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As David Marotta writes in this 2012 post, “If I had to pick one learned skill that has served me the best in my career, it would be learning to grab my mind by the scruff of the neck and drag it back to the task at hand.” This piece reminds us that hard work can sometimes be your best doctor.

#TBT Full-Nest Syndrome
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Many adult children are returning to live at home somewhat involuntarily. What can parents do to help? This 2011 article offers some wisdom.

CFP Board Cannot Be Expected To Discriminate Based on Fee-Only
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The CFP Board is compensation neutral, but it is only because of how they are paid.

Lower Expense Ratios, Higher Returns
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This simple example demonstrates the importance of expense ratio.

Charles Schwab Bank Fraud Dept Text Message Scam
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We recently had a client fall prey to a sophisticated Schwab Bank scam. They gave us permission to share this fraud story with you to hopefully prevent others from being scammed.

An Overview of Marotta’s 2024 Gone-Fishing Portfolios
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For our standard gone-fishing portfolio, we made two changes.

Marotta’s 2024 Gone-Fishing Portfolio Calculator
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This gone-fishing portfolio is our default portfolio which can be used at any custodian.

Marotta’s 2024 Vanguard Gone-Fishing Portfolio Calculator
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We recommend this gone-fishing portfolio for investors with brand loyalty to Vanguard.

#TBT Slow and Steady Wins the Race
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In 2003, David stopped to rescue a snapping turtle from 250 West. Even now, the financial planning lessons from that turtle are still sage advice.

#TBT What Are Normal Market Movements?
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It is common for investors to be surprised by movements in their portfolios. This 2019 article reminds us though that even volatile movements can be quite normal.

#TBT Learning to Live on Your Own
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Here are several tips on how to live richly on your own.

#TBT Frequency Matters More Than Height
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This 2009 article reminds us, “When we are worried about our expenditures, we tend to look at the dollar amounts more than the frequency of our purchases.” However, to combat mindless spending, we should look to trim recurring expenses first.

How to Ensure You Have a Strong Password
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With one memorable password protecting a vault of random ones, you can increase your security immensely while only mildly complicating your access.

Seven Rules to Using a Credit Card Safely
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These are the seven rules to using a credit card safely.

#TBT How to Keep Your Identity Safe Online
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This 2015 article has five rules for safely handling your digital security which you can’t afford not to implement.

In Roth Conversions, Reducing Political Risk May Be One of the Benefits
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Converting early can avoid your exposure to tax changes going forward as a Roth IRA is never taxed again.

#TBT Tackling College Costs at the Eleventh Hour
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The best way to climb the mountain of college costs is gradually, but if you need to make some last minute leaps, our government has a few tax-related strategies.

#TBT The Benefits of Free Trade Agreements
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Regardless of which way the balance of trade says the surplus falls, we and our trading allies benefit from the exchange.

#TBT The Delirious Happiness of Free Market Choice
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This 2015 article details one of the most brilliant breakthroughs in all of food science and how it relates to almost every aspect of life.

In Roth Conversions, Reducing Your Taxable Income is One of the Benefits
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Roth conversions can decrease your taxable income and increase your tax savings over the long haul.

#TBT Eliminate the Capital Gains Tax
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Maybe if we say it enough, it will actually get done. “The correct rate for the capital gains tax is zero, zip, nada. Perhaps it is even negative!”

#TBT Three Reasons To Engage In Gift Giving
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The holiday cliché is to complain about hyper-materialism, but according to anthropologists, gifts and gift giving help shape our identities.

What to Expect Now That the S&P 500 Reached 5,000
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If this level of volatility isn’t your expectation, you are not yet familiar with normal volatility in the markets.

#TBT Cash Has Been the Riskiest Investment
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This 2007 post reminds that because of inflation the value of cash trends down, encourages you to protect your portfolio against a falling dollar, and reveals an inconsistency with CPI calculations and actual inflation.

#BestOf2023 Why the Verizon Visa Credit Card is My Primary Card
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I have adopted this card as the primary one in my wallet for groceries and gas.

Tax Changes in 2026 (Radio)
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After over a decade of broken promises and rising costs, our need for a more sustainable tax system is acutely felt.

Account Funding Priorities for 2024
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A savings waterfall helps investors navigate the financial complexity available to them.

A Christmas Sermon from David Marotta
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This 2008 article is an uplifting, timeless sermon.

Health Insurance: How Did We Get Here?
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After over a decade of broken promises and rising costs, our need for a more sustainable healthcare system is acutely felt.

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