#TBT Do I Want To Give My Financial Advisor Discretion on My Account?
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This is only a good idea if your financial advisor is covered under the fiduciary duty and is fee-only.

#TBT Everyone Needs Some Frivolous Purchases
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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.

#TBT How to Handle Your Paycheck Like a Boss
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This throwback to Libby’s first article at Marotta teaches us how to be prepared for life’s expenses and plan ahead for all future goals.

#TBT Hitting the Debt Ceiling is Not the End of the World
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This article from 2011 reminds us that if the debt ceiling is reached, the consequences will be large but not entirely harmful.

#TBT The Price of Listening to Dire Predictions
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While it is always true that a recession will come eventually, shifting to bonds whenever one is predicted has serious consequences.

#TBT How to Claim Your Virginia State Tax 529 Contribution Deduction
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Form ADJ of the 760 lines 8a – 8c are where you report miscellaneous deductions.

#TBT How Shrewd Investors Save on Taxes
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This 2007 post teaches how to use both investment losses and investment gains to good tax advantage.

#TBT A Guide to the Bear Markets
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This series on each Bear Market helps remind us that there is nothing to fear.

#TBT The Complete Guide to Creating an Investment Plan
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This is a summary of the six steps required to create a well-crafted investment plan.

#TBT Account Protection at Schwab
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Charles Schwab offers both SIPC® account protection and a FDIC insurance amount for accounts custodied with them.

#TBT That Rebate Check Could Ruin Your Retirement
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This 2008 article reminds us that anyone who spends more than 4% of their rebate will actually lose ground saving toward their retirement.

#TBT A Wealth of Satisfaction
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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.

#TBT The Benefits of Saving and Investing Early
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This 2014 article reminds us: don’t wait until you “have more” or “make extra money” – start saving now! It is worth more.

#TBT Speed Is Not Critical When Investing
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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.”

#TBT Where to Find Statements and Tax Documents on Schwab.com
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Following this guide, you should be able to easily download any account documents you want.

#TBT For Valentine’s Day, Work on a Budget Together
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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.”

#TBT Where is Your Priority: Tax Preparation or Tax Planning?
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Tax planning is very different than tax return preparation. The goal of tax preparation is to minimize your tax owed this year. The goal of tax planning is to maximize your after-tax net worth by minimizing your taxes owed over your lifetime.

#BestOf2022 How to Self-Insure for Long-Term Care Health Expenses
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Saving for long-term care, if done early enough, is not too expensive and helps to protect yourself from this potential financial shock.

#TBT Which is Better: Bad Market Timing or Not Investing?
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This 2014 post reminds us that perhaps we should be more afraid of cash and inflation than stocks and investing.

#BestOf2022 How to Change a 529 Plan Account Owner
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While you may think that the account owner needs to stay the same, you can easily change the account owner.

#TBT How to Double Your Retirement
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Doubling your retirement is not a fast process. It is the slow and steady practices of daily financial diligence.

#BestOf2022 How to Calculate Taxable Social Security
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If you receive Social Security benefits, the portion of those benefits which will be taxable depends on your income. The taxable portion can be anywhere from 0% to a maximum of 85% of your benefits.

#TBT Recouping Losses Is Not As Hard As You Think
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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.

#BestOf2022 An Updated RMD Calculator
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There are different tables and formulas used to calculate your RMD divisor based on your particular circumstances. This is a calculator for the three most common.

#TBT Maintain Financial Balance When in Business
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This 2004 post has ten timeless rules for small businesses to maintain their financial balance.

#TBT A Year of Financially Healthy Habits
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Want to do the new year well? Here is a month-by-month guide for setting financially healthy habits.

A Christmas Sermon from David Marotta
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This 2008 article is an uplifting, timeless sermon.

#TBT The Happy Habits of Appreciation and Gratitude
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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.”

#TBT Keep Christmas Your Own Way
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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.

#TBT Don’t Eat Yourself Out of Financial Security
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The worst financial problems stem from trying to live a champagne and caviar lifestyle on a beer and chips budget.

The Haunting of Bob Cratchit: A Book from David Marotta
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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.

#TBT Marotta on A Christmas Carol
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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.

#TBT The Economics of a Thanksgiving Turkey
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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.

#TBT How Not to Go Broke at Thanksgiving
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As the season of holiday shopping approaches, this 2018 article reminds us, “Before you throw your money at various companies, squirrel some savings away for your future self.”

#TBT How to Spend: Add It To Your Wishlist
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A wishlist is a force of thrift both for you to defer your consumption and for your family and friends to ensure that all the value of their gift makes it to your heart.

#TBT How Does The Fed Control Interest Rates In A Free Market?
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This 2014 article is a good reminder of how interest rates work in our country.

#TBT How to Order New Schwab Checks
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Schwab has recently required that everyone with older checkbooks reorder new ones. This recent guide should help you with this process.

#TBT Tax By Inflation
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Inflation has at least four grievous effects on our economy. This 2014 article explains them.

#TBT Five Reasons to Have Some Cash Equivalents
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Staying fully invested is an important part of your financial plan. Yet still, there are at least five reasons to hold cash.

#TBT Sage Advice After Stock Market Drop
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Old financial news read with 20-20 hindsight helps remind us that this is what markets do.

#TBT Be Wary Of Sponsored Content
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As advertisers have found it harder and harder to reach consumers, they are continually seeking ways to gain your attention.

#TBT Can a 529 Reimburse for Last Year’s Expenses?
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This article offers an overview of what we know about 529 reimbursement timing.

#TBT The Value of Systematic Roth Conversions
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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.

#TBT Four Reasons to Rebalance
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This post reminds us that there are at least four reasons to rebalance where the benefit can be demonstrated or measured.

#TBT Open a Roth IRA Today or Regret It Later
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Roth IRAs have one weakness, but the remedy is to have opened and funded your Roth more than 5 years ago. So do it today!

#TBT What Are Normal Market Movements?
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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.

#TBT Before You Get Out Of The Stock Market, Read This
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When you get out of the markets, you have made a huge gamble with your retirement money, and now the stakes are high.

#TBT Q&A: Can a 529 Reimburse for Last Year’s Expenses?
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Unfortunately, neither “yes” nor “no” is a correct answer to this question.

#TBT Harvest Major Capital Losses Whenever You Have Them
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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.

#TBT The Lower The Market Falls The More Important It Is To Stay Invested
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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.

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