Anything which is not contributing toward your financial independence should be considered part of your lifestyle spending.
Keeping $100,000 might cost you $500,000 in lost opportunity costs over 20 years.
Social Security just turned 84 years old today (August 14, 2019). It has stayed alive on the false sentiment of sunk costs.
On June 5th, 2019, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released their final draft of Reg BI, or “Best Interest” as it is called.
Whatever technique you use to smooth your income, providing for the possibility of having a sudden reduction in income can help your family self-ensure against this potential financial shock.
Setting aside some of the payment to cover future inflation is a prudent retirement planning practice.
This is the financial shock of a trip to hospital. It is upsetting, expensive, and unexpected.
The appeal to the Nordic countries from socialists is a false one. Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, and Norway are examples of market economies, not socialism.
Generally speaking, Value stocks outperform Growth stocks. Investing based upon this finding is called “Value Investing.”
This is the financial shock of a major home repair. It is expensive and surprising.
During 2019, the U.S. Stock Market generally rose during the four quarters from the lows set by the Almost Bear Market of 2018.
This is the financial shock of a major car repair. It is the most common financial shock with 30% of households reporting such an event within the last 12 months.
Our intention in including this particular slide is to show the range of quarterly returns. Here is some wisdom on how to use this slide when comparing your own returns for the quarter.
When crafting your own buy list, this 2007 article reminds us that rather than just finding one index fund to fulfill your asset class, you should consider blending multiple sector level index funds to decrease volatility or increase return.
It is easy for an inverted yield curve to spook investors.
It is possible to be prepared for financial emergencies by living 10% more frugally and saving for the inevitable eventuality.
A low cost timeless portfolio for your HSA with HealthSavings Administrators.
There is a science to portfolio construction. Selecting a random group of companies is just as bad as selecting a random group of funds.
Rebalancing from stocks into bonds reduces your returns on average since bonds have a lower average return. But, as this 2015 article reminds us, there are decades of very choppy markets where even rebalancing an allocation of stocks and bonds can boost returns.
We often get the question from plan participants, “What should I invest in?” Here are our recommendations in order.
Dimensional’s analysis found that top funds do not repeat.
Asset classes are best defined by looking at the correlation of their returns. These four 2015 articles take a close examination at the three appreciation asset classes.
We continue to believe that diversification among many different countries provides a more consistent return than investing entirely in the United States.
Rumors suggest that the network’s vetting is a five minute process where you are told the fees are about $1,000 a month.
In case you missed it, here is the overview of our Marotta’s 2019 Gone-Fishing Portfolios. These are our recommended simple asset allocations for those just getting started with investing.
Thirty years of interest, dividends, and capital gains tax is a significant savings.
The unpleasant reality is that socialism quickly turns to the use of force to bring about their vision of society.
This 2007 post teaches how to use both investment losses and investment gains to good tax advantage.
An analysis of changing to lower cost funds.
The title is “Reclusive Millionaire Warns: ‘Get Out of Cash Now.’ ” Assuming you take the bait, the article and accompanying video uses all the psychological tricks. It takes a long time before what they are selling is revealed.
An overwhelming number of failed marriages cite financial troubles as a major factor in their breakup. See if this 2006 article can help make finances a place of union rather than separation.
Don’t be cynical. Get serious.
This 2015 article has five rules for safely handling your digital security which you can’t afford not to implement.
Some performance is cause for concern. Other times, you need not worry. Here are 5 times you should not worry and 4 cases when you should.
The FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement is a suggestion that you should have the goal of achieving financial independence and retiring while you are young.
In 2003, David stopped to rescue a snapping turtle from 250 West. Now, in 2019, the financial planning lessons from that turtle are still sage advice.
It is hard to prioritize saving, but it pays off. Here is how.
Cross-Selling is when a financial institution incentivizes their employees to sell or recommend financial products and services that increase the financial institution’s profits. The practice is as commonplace as it is fraught with conflicts of interest.
“Has the focus on expense ratios caused the public to lose focus of more critical financial measures, such as performance?” Actually, expense ratios and 12b-1 fees should get even more attention than they are getting. Here’s why.
This 2006 article teaches you how to use a net worth statement is to measure your progress toward retirement and, as David Marotta writes, “What gets measured is more likely to be accomplished.”
It is common for investors to be surprised by movements in their portfolios, but it is harder to determine if these movements mean that anything should be done.
Evaluate the source. Question the melodrama. Examine the tone. Consider the motive. Check the facts.
On Tuesday, April 9, 2018, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show to discuss how to achieve success and significance in retirement by both adequately savings for retirement and finding fulfillment during that period of your life.
Without taxes, you could leave work at 2:41pm every day.
SEC announced that 79 investment adviser firms will return more than $125 million to clients after self-reporting violations of the Advisers Act.
The expense ratio charged by your funds matters more than you may realize.
Disclosures are always necessary but rarely sufficient to fulfill fiduciary obligations.
If your employer offers a 457 plan, consider taking advantage of the ability to shelter more money each year from taxes in a Roth account.
On Tuesday, March 12, 2019, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show to discuss how to do your own tax review.
The real return of the stock market going forward is often debated.