Video Blog: The Secret to Successful Investing… Seriously…
If investing seems complicated, it’s mainly because of the way we’re wired. Over eons, we’ve developed tendencies and biases that have helped our species to survive. Those tendencies are based on the primal emotions of fear and greed. Many investors fall into these two categories of emotions. Greedy investors tend to time the markets, buy […]
Your Money & the Markets in May
In recent economic data, employment matches expectations, manufacturing flattens after a period of decline, and auto sales growth continues to moderate. Employment: The U.S. economy added 223,000 jobs in April, matching expectations. However, it wasn’t all good news; the March estimate was reduced from 126,000 jobs added to just 85,000, providing a much easier set […]
Starting a business? Here are three important tips
Here are three important tips to start a business. Starting a business is a lot like getting married. In both cases, there’s a certain amount of logic involved, but ultimately, it’s powerful emotions that propel us toward making the leap. If you’ve never thought of entrepreneurship as romantic, you probably have never started a business. […]
Video Blog: Understanding the Alternative Minimum Tax
Tax time is upon us once again, and for many, that means facing the dreaded alternative minimum tax (AMT). AMT was instituted in 1969 as a way to prevent those instances in which very wealthy people used deductions to escape paying any federal taxes. Unfortunately, the legislation is now capturing a growing number of middle-class […]
Dollar-Cost Averaging: For the Nervous Investor
Dollar-cost averaging—the practice of purchasing securities at fixed intervals and in equal amounts over time rather than in one lump sum—has long been used as a way to avoid jumping into the market at the wrong time. To illustrate how dollar-cost averaging, or DCA, works, consider an investor wishing to buy $10,000 worth of shares […]
Video Blog: How Not to Screw Up Your RSU’s
You’re feeling pretty confident these days. First, you’re doing awesome work at a great company, and second, your restricted stock units (RSUs) have vested. Now for the big question: When do you cash your shares out? If you’re like most RSU recipients, you plan to hold on to your shares for a year before selling. […]
The Gift of Smart Tax Planning
Smart tax management has always been a good way to help grow and preserve your wealth. But now it’s even more powerful. The reason: Federal income tax changes that took effect in 2013 have raised the rate for those with high incomes. As a result, every dollar that you save in taxes is worth more […]
Your Money & the Markets in December
As 2014 draws to a close, the U.S. is still experiencing a slow and longer-than-normal recovery. GDP: The GDP growth rate in the third quarter was boosted to 3.9%, up from 3.5%, and well ahead of expectations of 3.3%. A lot of that improvement was due to high-quality items—more consumer and business spending. Unfortunately, that […]
Mutual Funds: Foreign Exchange Rates Can Crush Your Returns
The U.S. dollar is on a roll lately—gaining strength and trouncing currencies like the Euro and the Japanese yen. The dollar index, which compares the greenback’s value with basket of world currencies, is at a four-year high. But is the strengthening dollar and weakening foreign currencies good news for you? For consumers, yes: A strong […]
Your Money & the Markets in November
Recent U.S. economic reports, while not always meeting expectations, suggested more of the slow and unsatisfying growth rates of the past four years. Businesses are looking and feeling more optimistic at a time that both U.S. and international consumers are sitting on their hands. GDP: GDP numbers have been volatile lately, with wild quarter-to-quarter swings […]