Author Archives: David John Marotta

Waiting for the higher payout is like buying longevity insurance.

One of the asset classes that we use to build diversified portfolios consists of hard asset stocks.

Rebalancing your investments can help boost your returns and minimize risk. This simple contrarian move can help you compound your investment gains over time. With the markets at an all-time high, this may be a good time to rebalance your portfolio.

If you don’t have the time or the interest, you may be the problem.

Only recently has Main Street been so fully invested.

Without taxes, you could leave work at 2:25pm.

It is possible to avoid driving a wreck without wrecking your finances.

Investors have been told, “Invest in what you know.” While this may have been a good adage for avoiding investing in companies with no business models, it is a poor rule of thumb to use when building diversified portfolios.

Stress released in one area results in delayed releases in other parts of the economy.

Check your retirement, your marriage and your mission.

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).

Investing isn’t about finding a four-leaf clover or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Unlike the trusts which helped John D. Rockefeller and J.P. Morgan keep their wealth in the family, this new breed of dynasty trust is not just for the mega-wealthy.

When you give to charity, you make an investment. By doing a little homework, you can be sure your gift makes the best possible return on investment. While giving is its own reward, giving wisely seems to double that reward.

Donor Advised Funds offer the charitably inclined new flexibility for managing gifts to charity. By funding an account, donors receive an immediate tax deduction for their contribution and gain the flexibility to direct payouts to charity on their own timetable.

Without a financial plan, your investments are controlling your dreams, not the other way around. You need a blueprint for your financial dreams to come true. That blueprint in sound financial planning is called an Investment Policy Statement (IPS).

Some 401(k) plan’s generous matching contributions are completely eroded by the plan’s excessive expenses.

Australia’s five-year annualized return was 24.10% compared to 14.98% for the MSCI EAFE and 6.19% for the S&P 500.

How much should I save this month? What return did I earn last year?

Even though 77% of Americans disagree with 62% of economists, let me assure you the economists are right.

An increase in the minimum wage often means a decrease in the pre-tax benefits that employees value more.

Financial planning is the process of aligning your financial choices with your life passions. Values transcend the cash and the numbers.

Belle measures Ebenezer’s love for her by what he spends on her directly. Investments count for nothing.

In order to make full use of these tax-saving tips, be sure to visit your tax professional before year’s end. Once January 1st rolls around, there’s little else you can do but pay up.

This year, the busiest day will likely be two weeks later on Monday, December 11th.

Solo 401(k)s permit you to contribute to the plan both as the “employer” and as the “employee.”

Before executing a conservation easement donation, you should be certain that it is in line with your financial goals.

Fewer than 20 percent of investors are financially literate.

P/E ratio tells you how many dollars you have to invest to receive $1 in earnings.

You can either pay now or pay more later.

Historically income taxes have not been this low since 1931.

More businesses migrate across state borders than national borders.

Virginians can take a $2,000 state tax deduction simply by flowing their money through a 529 account for a day.

Although the lender almost always wins, a reverse mortgage does offer a Band-Aid solution to pending cash flow problems.

The markets are brilliant long-term, but short-term they have the IQ of a gnat.

The party’s over for home owners who sought the lower initial payments of ARMs.

On average, international stocks appreciate more than US stocks, and stocks in countries with the most economic freedom appreciate more than the international average.

Delegating your morality to a fund’s screening process is like using a blunt instrument to do brain surgery.

Consider moving your official place of residence to your vacation house, live in it 760 days out of five years, and then take the exclusion.

“A wise and frugal government shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.” – Jefferson

Canada is the one major country that is not included in the EAFE (Europe, Australia, and Far East) foreign index. Not only are they good neighbors but a good investment.

One out of every ten patients consume 69 percent of health care costs. The other nine would benefit from an HSA.

An overwhelming number of failed marriages cite financial troubles as a major factor in their breakup.

Rebalancing means selling what has done well and buying what has done poorly, not visa versa.

Community college for the first two years is the best deal to avoid the mountains of student debt and still graduate from a top-rate school.

Due to our progressive tax system, your taxes increase even if your buying power does not.

My grandfather Donald Mortlock worked on Wall Street during and after the 1929 crash. The firm he worked for was a “market maker,” a company which helped to literally “make a market” in several stocks.

The life of my grandmother Florence Mortlock provided me with many life lessons on finance and financial planning.

Many people in this situation would choose the quick cash.

Investors are quick to forget that the markets also go down.