Item 9 Custody offers perhaps some of the most confusing and most often changed compliance questions.
I have adopted this card as the primary one in my wallet for groceries and gas.
This 2008 article reminds us that anyone who spends more than 4% of their rebate will actually lose ground saving toward their retirement.
Reducing expense ratios by a theoretical 0.42% is a significant result. It is good to know that what works in theory has also worked even better in practice.
This 2011 article reminds us that there will never be another you in the history of the universe. Sometimes that is just the reminder we need.
Using the analogy of a peach orchard farmer compared to a doomsday weather watcher, David Marotta reminds us in this 2004 article that “For the speculator, speed is everything. Not so, for the investor.”
On Tuesday, December 13, 2022, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show with Rob Schilling to talk about the causes of inflation.
The class will be held April 13 through May 4, 2023 each Thursday from noon to 1:00 PM on Zoom.
Financial planning can be romantic. As this 2011 article reminds us, “nothing is more romantic than planning how to realize your shared hopes and dreams for the future.”
Saving for long-term care, if done early enough, is not too expensive and helps to protect yourself from this potential financial shock.
Doubling your retirement is not a fast process. It is the slow and steady practices of daily financial diligence.
This 2016 post has been our most popular search result recently for good reason. After the 2020 COVID bear market, this article is a comforting bit of math.
This 2004 post has ten timeless rules for small businesses to maintain their financial balance.
Which is worse: Being destitute while still alive or dying happy and provided for with a little extra?
A savings waterfall is a tool to help investors prioritize savings goals and allocate funds appropriately.
This 2008 article is an uplifting, timeless sermon.
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.”
Social Security has a number of flaws, to which these static tax brackets can be added.
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.
If you have received a projection from your company which included a lump sum offer that you were interested in taking, you may want to analyze it again.
The worst financial problems stem from trying to live a champagne and caviar lifestyle on a beer and chips budget.
Did you know David wrote a Christmas novel? This 2020 book by David John Marotta and Brendon Marotta makes you rethink what is happening in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
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.
Every day, we voters and the government have the chance to free our children from this burden.
This 2014 article changed the way we enjoy our Thanksgiving turkeys. Turkeys have always been an interesting study for economics. Because of the consistency of their demand in America, the price of a Thanksgiving turkey can be used as an indicator of inflation. This article should give you something fun to discuss this year.
It is perfectly fine for you to underspend your assets. You don’t need my permission, but you have my blessing anyway.
I share this story here in case others in a similar situation may benefit from seeing this example.
There are at least two reasons why your Social Security benefits are failing to keep up with inflation.
We haven’t seen high interest rates in many years, but high interest rates do not remove the potential benefits of having a mortgage.
This 2014 article is a good reminder of how interest rates work in our country.
Adding more Stability to an asset allocation isn’t an easy issue. It takes science to know how much bonds you need. It takes artistry to gradually adjust your asset allocation over time.
In this article, I am defending the use of self-control in your financial habits.
Inflation has at least four grievous effects on our economy. This 2014 article explains them.
Staying fully invested is an important part of your financial plan. Yet still, there are at least five reasons to hold cash.
Old financial news read with 20-20 hindsight helps remind us that this is what markets do.
Although this card is an easy way to pay 3% less for an eBay purchase, I won’t be adding it to my wallet since that is its only use.
As advertisers have found it harder and harder to reach consumers, they are continually seeking ways to gain your attention.
Regardless of which it is and whether we are in a recession, it is always a good time to have a balanced portfolio.
On Tuesday, April 12, 2022, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show with Rob Schilling to talk about dangers of seeking utopia and the sinfulness of humanity.
Protecting you from elder fraud is just one of the many services we can offer as a part of comprehensive financial planning.
In this video, David used examples from our tax planning service to demonstrate what a Roth conversion plan might look like and how systematic Roth conversions can create a higher after-tax net worth in the future.
This process works as the people in your contacts list are probably not scammers.
FRDM is interesting, but using our country specific funds plus a low cost Vanguard Emerging Market fund allows us to emphasize freedom for as low a cost as possible.
I decided to see if McDonald’s famous burger was still appreciating faster than the CPI. It has been.
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.
When you get out of the markets, you have made a huge gamble with your retirement money, and now the stakes are high.
Currently, 12-month inflation is 8.58% and the crowdsourced expected inflation is 2.88%. Here’s what to do.
While it is always true that a recession will come eventually, shifting to bonds whenever one is predicted has serious consequences.
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.
A recovery after a significant downturn in the markets is often marked by steep growth. If you sell and flatline, you will likely miss the market’s natural recovery and thus your own personal future recovery becomes very difficult.