When crafting your own buy list, this 2007 article reminds us that rather than just finding one index fund to fulfill your asset class, you should consider blending multiple sector level index funds to decrease volatility or increase return.
When endowment funds fall victim to poor management, the results are as bad as they are far reaching. This 2016 article reviews the six most common pitfalls of endowments and how to avoid them.
Rebalancing from stocks into bonds reduces your returns on average since bonds have a lower average return. But, as this 2015 article reminds us, there are decades of very choppy markets where even rebalancing an allocation of stocks and bonds can boost returns.
You swipe your debit card at the card reader and the clerk quickly asks, “Debit or Credit?” Which should you choose? This 2013 article tells us.
In case you missed it, here is the overview of our Marotta’s 2019 Gone-Fishing Portfolios. These are our recommended simple asset allocations for those just getting started with investing.
This 2007 post teaches how to use both investment losses and investment gains to good tax advantage.
With a thorough understanding of the IRS rules, performing a Roth Conversion even after your so-called Required Beginning Date (RBD) can be both easy and profitable. This 2016 article teaches how.
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.
This 2015 article has five rules for safely handling your digital security which you can’t afford not to implement.
In 2003, David stopped to rescue a snapping turtle from 250 West. Now, in 2019, the financial planning lessons from that turtle are still sage advice.
With many of us saddled in student loan debt well into our late thirties, our retirement cannot wait for us to be debt free. This 2016 rewrite of a 2007 article teaches you how to get started with savings while repaying your loans.
This 2006 article teaches you how to use a net worth statement is to measure your progress toward retirement and, as David Marotta writes, “What gets measured is more likely to be accomplished.”
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.
The average worker will have a dozen employers and work at each job for less than four years. Your career is now your responsibility, and so is your retirement plan. Allow this 2010 article to be your lifetime Human Resources Department guide to being financially prepared.
Roth conversions pay off. Repeat it to yourself now. Repeat it to yourself at tax time. Roth conversions pay off.
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!”
This 2004 article contains the five steps you should take to navigate how to make your business venture more than just a dream.
This 2001 post from George Marotta reminds us that “If prices are determined by the market place, there is never a ‘shortage’ of anything. There is an excess of demand because energy prices are too low.”
This 2008 article reminds us that anyone who spends more than 4% of their rebate will actually lose ground saving toward their retirement.
This 2007 post offers us a bit of timeless advice. Funding a Health Savings Account can be as much about your present medical bills as it is about your end of life care.
“If you have been asked to serve as a board member or trustee for a non-profit organization, feeling honored is a natural response but a terrible reason for saying yes to the job. Your role as committee member, board member, or trustee will likely designate you as a fiduciary, a role with specific legal responsibilities.”
As David Marotta writes in this 2012 post, “If I had to pick one learned skill that has served me the best in my career, it would be learning to grab my mind by the scruff of the neck and drag it back to the task at hand.” This piece reminds us that hard work can sometimes be your best doctor.
As this 2003 post remind us, “The worst financial problems stem from trying to live a champagne and caviar lifestyle on a beer and chips budget” and it has a few common sense rules to uncommon cents savings.
This 2014 article reminds us: don’t wait until you “have more” or “make extra money” – start saving now! It is worth more.
When interviewing a new financial advisor, we believe there are at least ten important questions to ask. Then, just to be safe, we answered 32 frequently asked questions and welcome more.
The capital gains tax is economically senseless. This 2014 post has fourteen of the loopholes the government’s gain tax unintentionally incentivizes.
This 2015 article reminds us of the benefits of umbrella insurance. We recommend $2 to $5 million of umbrella coverage for typical families with assets over $300,000.
This 2007 post reminds that because of inflation the value of cash trends down, encourages us to protect your portfolio against a falling dollar, and reveals an inconsistency with CPI calculations and actual inflation.
This 2006 article shares the personal story of David Marotta’s maternal grandmother who lived to age 99 1/2.
“Better is having a financial advisor who gets to know you personally and manages your finances according to your specific values.”
This 2014 post reminds us that perhaps we should be more afraid of cash and inflation than stocks and investing.
This 2002 post reminds us, “If you rely on a commission-based financial product salesperson, you will probably be sold the wrong kind of funds.” It was also the first article of ours to be featured in the “Charlottesville Business Journal.”
For most families, the largest purchase they make will be their house. This 2011 post reminds us that the house you and your family live in is not an investment, but real estate can be.
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.”
If you ever wondered how the stock market works, this 2006 article is for you. It is both the personal story of David Marotta’s maternal grandfather, Donald Mortlock, and an explanation of how the market of the stock market is made.
This 1998 speech by George Marotta was in response to President Bill Clinton bold statement that “the era of big government is over.” Is it really? Twenty years later the skepticism of this post rings true.
This 2004 post has ten timeless rules for small businesses to maintain their financial balance.
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.
Back in 2004, we watched Donald Trump as a reality TV show star. This throwback article is an inspiring reminder that “You’re fired!” can be an opportunity to work for yourself.
A 2007 article that stands the test of time. This is the year you should keep your financial resolutions. Getting help from an objective advisor can provide both a powerful catalyst for action and real peace of mind.
A short quote from this 2004 inspiration, “Time is so much more than money. If you have time, you can acquire more money. But money can’t buy you more time. Time is a great equalizer. You can’t go into time debt. Every day the rich and the poor alike are given twenty-four hours to spend.”
In this 2008 article, David Marotta gives you a taste of his religious tradition while encouraging us all to “look to integrate finances with your spiritual traditions to reflect the best of your values and live life holistically.” It is an uplifting, timeless sermon.
“Once the incision is made, there is no turning back. And without a clear understanding of economics, our experimental treatment may kill Uncle Sam.” It’s too bad Congress didn’t take this 2009 article’s advice yet.
This 2015 article is one of my favorites. The holiday cliché is to complain about hyper-materialism, but according to anthropologists, gifts and gift giving help shape our identities.
This 2011 post marks the birth of the SEC-required “plain English” descriptive brochure of disclosures. As David Marotta predicted, this new requirement was just another feel-good legislation aimed at making people feel safer without actually making them safer.
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.
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. Because of federal subsidies, the diet of factory-farmed turkeys is very limited. This article should give you something fun to discuss this year.
Doubling your retirement is not a fast process. It is the slow and steady practices of daily financial diligence. This 2004 article remind us, “Every six years you delay saving and investing you cut in half the lifestyle you will have in retirement.”
93 years ago there was only one mutual fund. Today, there are thousands. This 2003 article tells the story of how this staple of the financial services world got its start.
It is always a good time to be reminded that an immediate fixed annuity is not an investment; it is an insurance product. This 2015 article by David John Marotta is a methodical unraveling of annuities and a description of the far superior alternatives.