#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.

#TBT The Happy Habits of Appreciation and Gratitude
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This 2016 article reminds us that “there is a very simple place to start the process of changing our destiny: Each day notice the things that make you happy and try experiencing more of them.”

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.

#TBT Estate Planning For A Family Business Balances Three Roles
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This whimsical 2004 post uses the hypothetical family business of Belle and the Beast to teach a valuable lesson about passing on the family business to the next generation.

#TBT Marotta on A Christmas Carol
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Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol is one of the best stories for talking about economics. This 2003 – 2012 series uses the classic tale to illustrate different financial personalities, principles, and philosophies.

In Roth Conversions, Reducing Your RMD is One of the Benefits
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Required minimum distributions are taxed as taxable income, the same as other types of traditional IRA withdrawals and Roth conversions.

#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.

In Roth Conversions, Paying the Tax is One of the Benefits
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Taxes related to traditional IRA withdrawals only happen once. Meanwhile, the funds in your taxable account are subjected to taxation each year.

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

#TBT How Can We Make Medical Insurance Affordable?
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We have written on the topic of healthcare reform multiple times, including our 2014 economics of healthcare series which culminates in this article.

The Lie Of The Century
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This lie was PolitiFact’s 2013 lie of the year, but we dub it the lie of the century.

Should I Change Financial Advisors Over Poor Performance?
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The fact that markets are down isn’t a good reason by itself to fire your advisor, but there are reasons to switch financial advisors related to performance.

#TBT Harvest Major Capital Losses Whenever You Have Them
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While you can only use $3,000 per year of capital losses to reduce your taxable income, you should bank as much capital loss as possible for other future uses.

Why Did My CD Lose Money?
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Many people don’t understand how fixed income is priced, so let me take you through the math.

The Fickleness of Five-Year Returns
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Return reporting can create either darker or rosier pictures depending on the dates selected.

#TBT Which Products Do You Buy and Which Do You Avoid?
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We avoid investments we deem too risky or laden with fees and seek instead a well balanced, low-cost, diversified portfolio.

#TBT The Optimum Asset Allocation to Gold Is Always Zero
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Fearful of monetary or societal failure, many hope that owning gold will bring them peace of mind. This articles reminds us to get peace of mind a different way.

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

#TBT Invest Your Health Savings Account For Appreciation
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After a cash allocation for spending, we suggest you invest the remainder of your account in appreciating stocks.

Johnson and Johnson Corporate Offer (August 2023)
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We recommend ignoring this offer if you want more Health Care and taking this offer if you want more Consumer Staples.

#TBT Should I Wait Until After The End Of The World To Start Investing?
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Instead of waiting, remember that the greatest buying opportunity of your life is always right now.

#TBT Should I Buy Commercial Real Estate?
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This article gives you the formula to decide how much to offer or if the property is a good deal.

#TBT Seven Elder Abuse Scams and How to Protect Yourself
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About 4% of elders falling victim to fraud with estimates that over $2.9 billion is lost to elder abuse every year. Being aware of the scams helps to protect yourself.

No Tax Benefit to Gifting Capital Losses
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Gifting depreciated stock is more complex and never to anyone’s advantage.

FAILING to AVOID This Could RUIN your Financial Plan
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If this title attracted your attention, you may be prone to viewing clickbait.

What Is A Mutual Fund Share Class Exchange?
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Share class exchanges can create small savings for investors who have found themselves invested in the wrong share class. However, it is better to buy the lower cost funds in the first place.

What Is An Asset, A Liability, And An Investment?
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Knowing the difference between these categories helps you to use them appropriately.

#TBT Seven Financial Rules For Marital Bliss
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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.

Your Advisor’s Personal Trading Practices Always Matter
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Websites such as investor.com are useful, but not as useful as you might hope.

Radio: Best Practices For Using Credit Cards
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On Tuesday, April 11, 2023, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show with Rob Schilling to talk about best practices for using credit cards.

Radio: The Debt Ceiling (2023)
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On Tuesday, January 10, 2023, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show with Rob Schilling to talk about the current debt ceiling discussions.

The Best Way to Plan for Inflation is to Discount It
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By discounting portfolio returns to only real returns, we have already considered inflation in the planning targets.

#TBT Everyone Needs Some Frivolous Purchases
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Everyone needs some fun in their life, and sometimes fun costs a little money. This 2004 article shares six guidelines for dealing with purchases that might be considered frivolous.

#TBT Hitting the Debt Ceiling is Not the End of the World
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This article from 2011 reminds us that if the debt ceiling is reached, the consequences will be large but not entirely harmful.

#TBT The Price of Listening to Dire Predictions
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While it is always true that a recession will come eventually, shifting to bonds whenever one is predicted has serious consequences.

An Overview of Marotta’s 2023 Gone-Fishing Portfolios
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While our 2022 update saw a number of changes, this year we only have one change.

Marotta’s 2023 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 2023 Vanguard Gone-Fishing Portfolio Calculator
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We recommend this gone-fishing portfolio for investors with brand loyalty to Vanguard.

#TBT How Shrewd Investors Save on Taxes
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This 2007 post teaches how to use both investment losses and investment gains to good tax advantage.

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