We have all been complaining about spring being slow to arrive, but at long last, it finally appears to have started. The dreaded tax season is behind us, at least for most. Now is a great time to do a little financial spring cleaning and re-visit any financial resolutions made [...]
Back in olden days, DJ’s might say, the super hits just keep coming! In these good new days, the good economic news just keeps coming. So I am going to provide some perspective that might help you fit this into an atmosphere of our dangerous world and media folks who [...]
A week ago, several metro communities placed on their ballots proposals to institute a “use tax” on its residents. In essence, the tax would have allowed local municipalities to collect sales tax on online purchases made from out of state vendors while adding no additional sales tax to local retailers. [...]
“I can’t go through another 2008.” This is a comment I hear quite often. That year represents a generational financial scar we can never hide. A defining event that continues to shape the behavior of most of us today. People dial these bad memories up anytime they see high [...]
Like many men, I am not good about going to the doctor for an annual checkup. It's not that I'm too busy, or even that the experience is unpleasant, it’s just that I’m fine. Or, more accurately, hope I’m fine, but am concerned that the doctor might tell me I’m [...]
During the last few weeks I’ve been celebrating my mother’s life and choosing to remember all the good times before the Alzheimer’s diagnosis took many things from her. My mom spent the last five years of her life living in care facilities. There were many difficult days for my mom [...]
In the fourth chapter of Saint Peter’s first letter, he urges believers to concentrate on loving each other properly because love covers a multitude of sins. God is still working on me in that regard and I am thankful about that. But in the financial world, there is a principle [...]
Recently I attended the 2018 LINC Conference held by TD Ameritrade. At the event, a wealth of information was shared about the future of the investment management industry. One of the most valuable bits of insight I received was from a recent survey conducted by Dimensional Fund Advisors. The survey [...]
Health savings accounts (HSA) have become very popular in the last few years. An HSA account is defined as a tax‐advantaged medical savings account available to taxpayers in the United States who are enrolled in a high‐deductible health plan (HDHP). The money contributed to this account is not subject to [...]
Last week’s column was a primer on Bonds. Now let’s take a closer look at how one can lose money owning bonds when interest rates rise. Aren’t bonds supposed to be safer than stocks? First, what does the term “safe” mean? Most people equate financial risk or safety with stability [...]
