Author Archives: David John Marotta

“We have simply not been able to serve those who really need us the most.”

To make the strategy of jumping in and out of the markets successful would require a precision only achieved by luck.

For all of these reasons, our recommended investment strategy does not focus on dividend-paying stocks.

Brokers tell investors they’re trusted advisors, and then tell the courts they’re just sales people.

“My greatest regret is not being able to convince as many investors as possible of the difference between real risk and phantom risk.”

Punishing people for inflation is neither fair nor good economic policy.

Much can be learned from your earliest money memories. Here are some of mine.

On Tuesday, November 13, 2018, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show to discuss several tax saving ideas you can do before the year ends.

The dark side argues that without commission-based sales people, low and middle income consumers will not have access to a financial advisor. They are wrong.

In addition to all of the other reasons people hate annuities, seemingly fraudulent advertising and sales techniques is a major factor.

These are two simple but effective strategies to help calculate a very good conversion target for this year.

Any investment manager can use the Institutional Intelligent Portfolio technology to implement extremely different investment philosophies.

Ten years after our original article we review how sage the advice was.

Stock buyback programs are a method of returning profits to shareholders without causing a taxable event.

We have a limited amount of willpower. It is a waste to have to expend it to ignore advertising.

The average holding period for a stock is not simply the inverse of liquidity.

Since only a small portion of stock is traded each day, a large majority of shareholders prioritize the long term appreciation of the value of the company.

Run, do not walk, away from outrageous claims.

Excellence and low cost can go together.

If the TSA were abolished, that would not mean that airports would be any less secure.

The regulation is an attempt to protect participants who don’t understand the rules set up by the government.

This is called “regulatory capture” and is quite common in government regulatory agencies such as the SEC.

Any movement out of the stock market can cause you to miss future market appreciation.

A little bit of work upfront can save a great deal of nuisance later.

This 2007 post offers us a bit of timeless advice. Funding a Health Savings Account can be as much about your present medical bills as it is about your end of life care.

Ameriprise was fined $4.5 million for failing to appropriately supervise representatives who were stealing client funds.

Are you consenting to harmful conduct by your financial advisor?

Thank you, Robert, for your email and your readership. I hope that everyone enjoys our new “Do-It-Yourself” service level.

That the program failed is not a surprise. That the government decided to close a failed program, however, is.

There are as many as 60 different stock markets around the world.

There are always those who discount the power of having a diversified portfolio in favor of putting everything in whatever is going to go up the most.

These are complex formulas, but they are valuable calculations that show that there is an expected increase of return which will justify selling even a highly appreciated asset.

Who would ever want unplanned and unintentional financial advice?

For a currency intended to make money simple and easy, IRS regulations make it a nightmare of compliance issues.

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.

If you are one of those consumers for whom the word “annuity” is enough to make them tune out a sales presentation, congratulations! You have have probably correctly understood the real challenges these products face.

As you read other financial advice sites, be wary of the sponsored content.

It will help you in life if you can learn to distinguish between content with ulterior motives and real financial planning wisdom.

A blended portfolio can perform better even as some of its components under perform due to the rebalancing bonus.

There is very little news that helps us reach our life goals or impacts our lives in a positive way.

On Tuesday, August 14, 2018, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show to discuss the right to the freedom of speech in 2018.

We believe following our eight principles to safeguard your money provides a better safeguard than checking for past violations.

In 2003, the Goldman Sachs Global Economics Department predicted the economic and geopolitical influence of Brazil, Russia, India and China (the BRIC countries) would become increasingly visible in the developed world. We revisit those countries here.

For investors who began working in 1970 and retired 45 years later in 2015, cash lost 83.83% of its purchasing power.

You deserve advice from a firm where you don’t have to second guess where their loyalties lie.

I couldn’t be prouder to be a NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor.

As this 2003 post remind us, “The worst financial problems stem from trying to live a champagne and caviar lifestyle on a beer and chips budget” and it has a few common sense rules to uncommon cents savings.

It is relatively easy for fee-only fiduciaries to answer the question “How much do you charge?” The only fee they collect is the fee that the client directly pays them.

The majority of the industry many not even believe that there is a better way. But you deserve better.

Any decision to differ from the cap-weighted global default is a choice.