Author Archives: David John Marotta

The value of a stock is simply what people are willing to pay for it.

A gone-fishing portfolio is a portfolio of just a few stocks which should weather the ups and downs of the market fairly well while only rebalancing twice a year.

This gone-fishing portfolio is our default portfolio which can be used at any custodian.

We recommend this gone-fishing portfolio for accounts hosted at Vanguard.

Looking closer into each asset class, here’s how our top six asset classes performed between January 1 and December 31, 2020.

Which account you should fund depends on your circumstances. However, there are some general guidelines you can follow to make your decision.

With timeless advice, this article can help you make decisions during uncertain times.

Avoid allowing the firm that has custody of your assets to also give you advice.

On Tuesday, December 15, 2020, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show to talk about his newly co-authored book, “The Haunting of Bob Cratchit.”

In the same night in which Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted, the spirits also visit Bob Cratchit.

We can gift our loved ones a powerful gift while maintaining a budget.

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.

Don’t let your political emotions impoverish your financial well-being.

Wealth management is in your control and there are actions you can take regardless of who wins today.

Election results should not change a well crafted investment strategy.

When you get out of the markets, you have made a huge gamble with your retirement money, and now the stakes are high.

This 2017 article reminds us, “Stock market returns have little to do with which party holds the White House.”

Individual sectors of the economy have reacted very differently to the pandemic.

Who can remember every purchase you made? But remembering is how to keep your purchases reasonable.

Consumers often presume that an advisor associated with a large commission-based brokerage firm will have a team of managers supervising their advisor. This is a misconception.

As fiduciaries, we are on your side to ensure that your goals are met. Protecting you from elder fraud is just one of the many services we can offer as a part of comprehensive financial planning.

Every day, the government has the chance to free our children from this burden.

“No decent planner would ever create a plan that didn’t account for frequent market drops.”

Rekenthaler’s proposed narrowing of choices to a one-size fits all national solution provides a poor substitution for our current choices.

I’m turning 60 this week. Even though I plan on working as long as possible, this is an important check point.

This 2013 article explores whether the person who sits idly by while their stocks increase their net worth deserves the money they make.

They admit that they do not rebalance, have been subject to lawsuits claiming they are predatory, and are held to a relaxed standard designed specifically for them.

In short selling, a bankrupt stock is the best thing that can happen, but the worst thing that can happen is that the stock price will rise.

On Tuesday, February 11, 2020, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show to take a closer look at the calls for free college education in the socialist utopia.

That is not what anyone means by the term “rebalancing.” The misuse of the term on Investment News was glaring.

The SEC should scale back their data collection.

In our age-appropriate asset allocation models, we don’t recommend a 60/40 portfolio until you are between age 80 and 87.

City real estate will be a little less expensive and suburbs and the countryside will be a little more expensive.

If you save this target, your assets have a better chance of seeing you all the way to the end.

On November 16, 2019, David John Marotta appeared on “Real Estate Matters” with Michael Guthrie.

This data shows that there is no historical justification for selling to cash during volatile market movements.

They vary in the slope, depth, and duration of the downturn.

This is the financial shock of a trip to hospital. It is upsetting, expensive, and unexpected.

Identical firms answer questions like these differently making the resulting data meaningless and useless. If anyone wants to use this data, the SEC will need to standardize answers first. If no one wants to use this data, we should eliminate the burden of providing it.

This 2008 article has wisdom for our current downturn, “As a response to the recent market correction, you can enrich your life in three healthy ways: Cut back your spending, increase your savings, and give more generously to charities of your choice.”

At stake is if the SEC is allowed to redefine what the phrase “best interest” means to make it mean something less than your actual real-world best interests.

On Tuesday, June 9, 2020, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show with Rob Schilling to talk about the markets.

On Tuesday, May 12, 2020, David John Marotta appeared on Radio 1070 WINA’s Schilling Show with Rob Schilling to refute the hypocrisy of taking a tax credit while opposing the legislation.

Should investors get out of the markets during an election year?

Dare to be dull. When you rebalance instead of following the crowd, you set yourself up for greater expected returns and are the definition of being a contrarian.

Already the COVID-19 predictions have started to come in. Do not be deceived by them. Do not be afraid of them.

Oddly, this technique might involve selling a bond position in the taxable account for a small capital gain, and buying that exact same position in an IRA in order to keep the portfolio in balance.

When I was really young, I did not realize that food had a season. What a privilege of our modern era!

Gold is extremely volatile and still doesn’t do much more than vaguely keep up with inflation. You can do better.

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.