Most children stop being “and-a-half” somewhere around age 12. Kids add “and-a-half“ to make sure everyone knows they’re closer to the next age than the last.When you are older, “and-a-half” birthdays start making a comeback. In fact, starting at age 50, several birthdays and “half-birthdays” are critical to understand because they have implications regarding your …
Warren Buffett said, “Investing is simple, but not easy.” Sounds like a contradiction, but in real life simplicity has little to do with ease. Take losing weight. Very simple. Burn more calories than you take in. Not so easy! The Challenge The path to our long-term goals is often filled with conflicting short-term desires. As …
Risk on or risk off? The coronavirus appears to have inspired two distinct schools of thought among investors. Some investors currently favor opportunities that are considered lower risk, like Treasury bonds and gold, because they’re concerned about the potential impact of the coronavirus on the global economy. Others are piling into higher risk assets, like …
Taxes are one of the biggest budget items for most taxpayers, yet many have no idea what they’re getting for their money. We all want to mitigate taxes and make sure you pay exactly what you owe – and not a penny more – but that doesn’t always make it feel any easier when writing …
Many stock markets around the world moved higher last week. Investors’ optimism in the face of economic headwinds has confounded some in the financial services industry. Laurence Fletcher and Jennifer Ablan of Financial Times cited several money managers who believe investors have become complacent. One theory is investors’ buy-the-dip mentality has become so firmly ingrained …
In an online poll conducted by YouGov, CreditCards.com asked people how open and honest they are with their spouses and partners about money. The survey discovered financial infidelity is not uncommon. Respondents cheat financially in a variety of ways, including: 34 percent have spent more than their spouse/partner would approve 12 percent have secret debt …
The Markets Last week, major U.S. indices posted strong gains. That’s welcome news, but the drivers behind share price appreciation appear to have little to do with company fundamentals. Fourth quarter earnings season is underway. During earnings season, companies let investors know how profitable they were during the previous quarter. With 45 percent of companies …
We have our first surprise of the year: The Coronavirus. Just recently, I wrote in my annual forecast that we will be surprised by something this year. This is likely the first of several unexpected, unpredicted events we will experience in 2020. It’s a good time to take a step back and identify what we …
The reason withdrawals from a Traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA) prior to age 59½ are generally subject to a 10% tax penalty is that policymakers wanted to create a disincentive to use these savings for anything other than retirement. Yet, policymakers also recognize that life can present more pressing circumstances that require access to these …