Author Archives: David John Marotta

Do I start planting investments and then refrain from giving for ten years?

During elections the political dialogue assumes that the well-being of your future is out of your control and in the hands of politicians. This is simply not true. You have the freedom to take control of your finances and your life.

Direct ownership of gold has become more popular, despite some lingering fear that the government could again ban private gold ownership. With ongoing concerns about the global financial system and gold hitting a record high, many people are interested in this “safe haven.”

How is the ‘financial health’ of most physicians? Most physicians put in long hours and due to lack of time neglect their own financial and retirement planning.

Americans continue to talk past each other by using a similar vocabulary while really discussing very different concepts. Views also differ on the concept of power.

David John Marotta appeared recently on 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing power–particularly government power–and what kind is the most dangerous.

“Perfectly rational individuals exhibit changing risk aversion that makes it hard for them to rebalance into high-return assets that have had steep price declines.”

“In this [new investment reality] environment, near-term inflation is not likely to be much of a concern. The challenge will be to adapt to possible lower total portfolio returns. “

We teach teenagers a lot more about sexuality than we do about money. This can confuse them about what they should be learning. Give this article to a teenager and encourage him or her to start a Roth IRA.

Apparently, Never. The Dodd-Frank bill can be likened to giving the government unlimited powers and asking them to eliminate evil.

Countries are constantly in flux, and with all the noise of the markets, it is easy for the noise drown out the signal.

The unintended consequences of good intentions can do more economic harm than all the mean-spirited greed within capitalism.

Franco Modigliani won the Nobel Prize for a simple technique that squirrels know intuitively from birth. You have to squirrel away some nuts during times of plenty so you can survive during times of scarcity.

David John Marotta was interviewed on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing the idea of “equality” in society.

Choosing to work less than 80 hours is not wrong, especially not when all you are going to get is that last 30%.

Most work toward equality of results impoverishes everyone.

Sector rotation would suggest that we are still at the beginning of a market recovery. This is probably the bottom of energy stocks.

Studies suggest that brains may be wired with either a utopian or a tragic view of the world, corresponding roughly to liberals and conservatives. We continue to talk past each other in political debates.

“Investors may hold fixed income securities to reduce portfolio volatility, generate income, maintain liquidity, pursue higher returns, or meet a future funding obligation.”

Make sure that Mom and Dad have a family member and a fiduciary advisor watching out for their finances.

Portfolio construction begins with the most basic allocation between investments that offer a greater chance of appreciation (stocks) and those that provide portfolio stability (bonds). There is no such thing as a safe investment that pays market rates of return.

Advisors who offer comprehensive wealth management are like financial concierges. Their only goal is to meet your needs. If you ask for fresh strawberries, they try to find them for you.

Here are some additional tax planning resources regarding choosing the appropriate investment vehicles.

It can be useful to maintain a grid where all of the available asset classes are arranged in order, by tax efficiency and potential return based on time horizon, so clients can clearly see when and where tax-deferral can offer the greatest benefits.

“Average American investors start to worry that FINRA will damage their relationship with independent financial advisors.”

David John Marotta and Matthew Illian were interviewed on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing Social Security and how to get the most from filing at the right time.

I often get asked, “Are investment management fees tax deductible?” The answer is not a simple “yes” or “no.” Like many tax questions, the answer is “It depends.”

How the five countries with the most economic freedom (Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Switzerland and Canada) and Emerging Markets have been faring in comparison to the EAFE Index?

Unfortunately few consumers understand what a fiduciary standard means to them.

How often do you intentionally push yourself to discomfort? Do you think the best retirement is relaxing and recreating? Think again.

“Unfortunately, some are also misleading the public by saying that a fiduciary standard would prevent the delivery of financial services to middle-American Main Street investors.”

Investment fees are generally about 1% of assets under management and drop as assets rise. The critical question to ask is “Where do financial advisors add value that might exceed the 1% fee they charge?”

Most consumers do not know how to safeguard their money. Here is a real world example of why breaking any of the eight safeguard puts your money at peril. Make sure that your investments are properly safeguarded.

The rules which would begin to be applied to the watchdogs would not be for the sake of protecting the roost no matter how much the foxes suggest they do.

“You’ll want to interview several potential candidates, and make sure you find the right person for the job. Use these questions to hire the right financial advisor.”

Fi360 promotes a culture of fiduciary responsibility and improves the decision making processes of investment fiduciaries and other financial service providers.

Fee-only financial planners are registered investment advisors with a fiduciary responsibility to act in their clients’ best interest. They do not accept any fees or compensation based on product sales.

Experts Explain: Finding a Financial Advisor. How to find the right person to help manage your money.

David John Marotta was interviewed on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing tax planning in 2012 and the most important things to do now to prepare for rising taxes in 2013.

Last month I was eating lunch at a local restaurant when I noticed an offer by GiveBuddy.com that the restaurant would send a check for 10% of my receipt to any organization I chose.

Interview with Donald Jay Korn, author of mystery novels “Payable On Death” and “In For a Pounding” featuring money manager Anderson Crown.

Emerging market bonds are an attractive way to get a higher yield, but historically they have come with higher volatility and a high incidence of default. But that has been changing.

David John Marotta was interview on radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show discussing why you shouldn’t hold gold or cash, how governments can destabalize economies, and what investments you should hold instead.

Many parents feel obliged to pay for their child’s wedding, but financial advisers can try to help keep the spending under control. About one in three mass-affluent parents believe it is their duty to pick up about half the bill for their first child’s wedding.

Wisdom is the ability to exercise good judgement in the fact of imperfect knowledge. Sometimes that means reframing the question.

Study in Boston area, with undercover actors posing as clients, showed commission-based advisors putting their own interests first

A U.S. Public Interest Research Group report in 2004 found that one in four credit reports have serious errors that could significantly lower your chances of being approved.

The tax code provision that allowed IRA owners to contribute up to $100,000 directly from their IRA to the qualified charity of their choice–without recognizing the donation as income–expired at the end of 2011, but what if it is reinstated?

I read a number of articles touting the growth and “advantages” of annuities. Personally, I’ve never met an annuity I liked.

“Variable annuities are garbage. They have huge expenses; big fees if you try to bag out before a certain point; and massive tax problems compared to other ways you can invest. But that’s what you’ll probably be steered to by a commissioned insurance salesperson.”