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What’s on our mind?  You can read about it in our blog. Whether it’s ideas from the industry or emerging trends, you can read about it here. And once in a while, we may throw in a commentary that is not market related.  So keep checking in.  We’re glad to have you reading along.

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Wednesday, April 1, 2020

During an unprecedented global pandemic and historic market volatility, I've found some time to reflect on my place in all of this as a financial planner. Perhaps I can summarize how we help our clients in the following three ways:...

 

Thursday, March 26, 2020

In the midst of this Coronavirus emergency, I wanted to quickly send a message out of hope that we will get through this as individuals, communities and a nation. Naturally, nothing here should be taken as medical or legal advice. So...

 

Monday, March 16, 2020

The past few weeks have brought about some of the wildest price action in a long time. The other day while grabbing my morning coffee, the barista asked me if she should be worried. She mentioned reading a headline that said something...

 

Monday, March 9, 2020

Last week wasn't for the faint of heart. The market had a horrible week, and that's being kind. Half of the rally from the December 2018 low was evaporated in seven trading sessions. The sell-off itself wasn't all that surprising due...

 

Friday, March 6, 2020

The richest man in the world is Jeff Bezos. He is the largest stakeholder in Amazon and also it’s founder. Although he built Amazon, he’s open to the idea that eventually it will go belly up. He realizes great companies can...

 

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Friday, February 28, 2020

Delaying Gratification: Systems over GoalsUnfortunately, retirement planning will take hard work and discipline. If you are approaching retirement, that means working hard to earn the money that you use to fund your retirement accounts...

 

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Happy Chinese New Year and welcome to the year of the Rat! For those of us in the United States, we may follow the solar new year and it's easy to miss the celebrations. As you may have heard, celebrations in China have been muted...

 

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The year 2019 ended up being an impressive year for the stock market. If you had told me on December 24, 2018, that within a year we'd be trading above 3,200 in the S&P 500, I would've considered such projections as overly optimistic....

 

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

On Tuesday, December 17th, the Secure Act of 2019 was attached to a spending bill. This piggyback effect meant that the Secure Act would be passed or the government would be shut down. While the dust is still settling on some of the...

 

Thursday, December 5, 2019

In high school science class, we learn about cause and effect. The sun shines, water evaporates, clouds form and it rains. These cycles of cause and effect happen in the economy as well. Over ten years have passed since the Great...

 

Friday, November 22, 2019

If you are reading this you've probably heard of Warren Buffet. But have you heard of Ray Dalio? You can learn a lot about him here. Suffice it to say he's an investment guru who founded the largest hedge fund in the world, managing...

 

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

In back to back appointments, I’ve talked to two potential clients. They are not clients yet. They are interviewing me to see if I may be able to help them with their financial planning. At the same time, I’m trying to...

 

Friday, November 1, 2019

The Asset Allocation Tug of War In general, I’m a firm believer in sticking with what works for you. Don’t blindly follow what works for others. We’re all different, and many of us have different goals to achieve on...

 

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Recently, the Social Security Administration announced that the cost of living adjustments (COLA) for 2020 would be 1.6%. That means if you make $1500 in 2019 per month, your 2020 checks will be about $1524. And that's the good news....

 

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Several times a year, I hold an educational workshop called Taxes in Retirement. If you're interested in attending our upcoming workshop click here. During the class, I mention the tax-efficiency of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as...

 

Friday, September 20, 2019

Taxes aren't your fault, but they are your problem. You better muscle up, butter cup. I've struggled my whole life to not gain more weight and to lose about 30 pounds that I shouldn't be carrying. When you look at the Body Mass Index...

 

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Historically, the Federal Reserve has had a dual mandate: Keep unemployment and inflation low. The idea is that lower interest rates mean it's easier for businesses to borrow capital to hire more workers. This increases production. As...

 

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

"Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and...

 

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Too often, Social Security timing is taken for granted when planning for retirement. Consider the following: If you look at the Social Security Handbook describing all the provisions about Social Security benefits, it has 2,728 rules....

 

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

You'll recall in 2018, I wrote a blog about the folly of tariffs. Any thorough analysis of the issue, however, requires me to see things from the other side. In fact, if you can't clearly understand both sides of an issue chances are...

 

Thursday, August 8, 2019

It's funny how things change over time. I remember in grade school and throughout college how much I disliked reading books. Occasionally I would read an entire book, but it was rare. I seldom enjoyed the subject matter I was forced to...

 

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

I've had the privilege of meeting and speaking with some great traders. I've been able to soak up a wealth of knowledge from our discussions ─ knowledge which can't be taught by a textbook. We've challenged each other's research and...

 

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

For a brief period when I first began trading, I went down the rabbit hole of thinking there was some magical strategy – some holy grail ─ that would just print money nonstop. I thought I could find some method, I could continue...

 

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Recently I've been hearing more and more from market participants about how impressive the returns have been thus far in 2019. However, it's all relative, based on your starting point. Those who implemented a portfolio at the beginning...

 

Friday, July 19, 2019

One of the approaches we advocate is the use of model portfolios. We use our own and third-party asset managers. Our model portfolio is a culmination of our best ideas based upon time-tested investment principles and an understanding...

 

Wednesday, June 19, 2019

A certain large bank received ridicule for an advertising campaign that encouraged saving over frivolous spending. Critics alleged that they were poor-shaming Americans who found their bank accounts too low. Essentially, the bank...

 

Monday, June 17, 2019

It's June 17, 2019. Today the yield curve has been inverted for a full 90 days. According to professor Harvey Campbell of Duke University, that means a recession is coming in 12 to 18 months. He wrote a dissertation in 1986 and the...

 

Friday, May 31, 2019

Before I got into financial services, I worked as a camera assistant in the film industry for several years. I worked and lived in both Orlando, Florida, and Los Angeles, California. Whether I was working on commercials, television...

 

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Friday, May 24, the Wall Street Journal reported on sweeping legislative changes passed by the House regarding your 401k and IRA. While the legislation still needs to be passed by the Senate before reaching the President's desk, the...

 

Thursday, May 23, 2019

I've often come across articles and studies about the positive benefits or negative side effects of various products. One year I'll read that a given product is good for you. Later, I may read a conflicting study that states this...

 

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Last night, our Ring spotlight camera went off. Something went bump in the night. Turns out it was a feral cat scaling our porch screen. Could have been worse. We installed the cameras because there is a risk that our Amazon package...

 

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

When you tune into a financial news network, you often hear, "the Dow Jones has gained or lost x percentage today." Or, "the S&P 500 has gained or lost x percentage.” These are indices that we commonly hear referenced. Many times...

 

Thursday, April 11, 2019

One thing I've learned over the years: Learn from other people's mistakes to avoid making them yourself. Given that I have a passion for anything related to the stock market, I've studied the words and habits of some well-known traders...

 

Monday, March 25, 2019

I remember years ago when I first decided to trade stocks. I looked at a few charts and thought: How hard can this possibly be? I will buy stocks when they're going up, and sell - or short sell - stocks that are going down. I was...

 

Thursday, March 14, 2019

The Simpsons used to be viewed as a portrait of a lower-middle class family. You remember Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Lisa, don't you? They had a house, car, job security, and a single wage-earner who didn’t graduate college....

 

Friday, March 8, 2019

I remember where I was on March 9, 2009. I was in a hotel on Maho Beach not far from where the 747's land on a small strip of land in the middle of the Caribbean. The weather was perfect, the water was every shade of blue. After...

 

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

I remember that back in my early twenties I never missed a weekend of socializing with friends. It was a well-established routine. I would work all week, hang out all weekend - and I mean every weekend. Obviously, I loved being around...

 

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

If I were to ask someone what their ideal investment portfolio is, I would expect their response to be, "I want 100 percent of the upside with zero drawdowns." Well, that quite frankly is impossible. However, I want to explain a little...

 

Monday, January 28, 2019

My nephew recently turned 5 years old. My younger brother and his wife were visiting from California at the time and suggested taking him to Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday. I remember going there when I was younger and thinking it...

 

Thursday, January 24, 2019

My smartphone has slowly and imperceptibly become an integrated tool of my everyday life. Perhaps you've noticed the same. It slices, it dices and makes Julienne fries. What a wonderful time to be alive. In fact, when my smartphone...

 

Friday, January 18, 2019

I have often heard my colleague, Rey Descalso, use the analogy that investing is similar to driving a car. On highways, with minimal traffic, we go the full speed limit. Maybe slightly faster, depending on the type of drivers we are....

 

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

I'll never forget the first trade I made in my personal brokerage account. I was sitting in my apartment in Los Angeles, California, at 6:30am when the opening bell rang in New York City. I had a plan in place and my order queued up...

 

Friday, January 11, 2019

Holiday festivities give way to New Year's resolutions. "New Year, New Me!" Is parroted all over social media as we declare our best intentions and goals for 2019. It's a tale as old as time. We write down our goals, create lists of...

 

Monday, December 17, 2018

Disclaimer: This is a made up story, a parable. It never happened and probably never will. Any resemblance to actual humans is coincidental and besides the point. What follows is not a description of a specific security nor is it the...

 

Friday, November 30, 2018

My uncle Steve died unexpectedly and we had his funeral service the Sunday before Thanksgiving. He was a gentle giant of a man and only 54 years young. His passing was deeply painful to my family and it jarred me out of the hypnotic...

 

Thursday, October 18, 2018

It has been said that the love of money is the root of all evil. Can I be so bold as to add a corollary to that axiomatic statement? The love of a stock is the fruit of all hubris. Let me explain. Sears has filed for bankruptcy. The...

 

Thursday, October 11, 2018

I recently upgraded to the most recent operating system and I’m just waiting for the inevitable slowdown. Turns out Apple purposely slows your phone down if it gets too old. They say it’s to save you from ruining your phone...

 

Friday, August 17, 2018

I know what you’re thinking, dear reader: “Oh great! Another boring, vanilla blog on asset allocation. Only now, my advisor is so bullish he things we should use leverage (investing with borrowed money).” Well,...

 

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

The Annals of Internal Medicine published a study that showed that approximately over 30% of prescriptions go unfilled. If you drill down a bit more you find that about 80% of bronchitis and 74% of skin irritation prescriptions go...

 

Sunday, July 8, 2018

There are over 12,000 wild wolves roaming North America. There are over 89 million dogs. So the question is, why are there so many dogs, and so few wolves? I ask this question, because I'm wondering who domesticated who? Did we...

 

Friday, July 6, 2018

Sorry for the delay in bringing you the much anticipated second installment of this blog post. You can catch up with where our hero left off here by clicking here. I discovered the evils of peer pressure in fifth grade. It led good...

 

Friday, June 29, 2018

My drive into work consists of satellite radio and podcasts. I don't listen to rock 'n' roll to get pumped up for the workday that lies ahead. Instead, I flip back and forth between CNBC, Bloomberg and investment related podcasts....

 

Friday, June 22, 2018

Love is a funny thing. Statues and sonnets are dedicated to this most primal of human emotions. The infatuation, the depth, the betrayal and the heartbreak are the stuff of legends. But this, dear reader, is a financial blog, not an...

 

Sunday, June 17, 2018

On any given day approximately 8 million people hop aboard an airplane to a predetermined destination. There're two types of passengers. Those that enjoy the excitement of the adventure. Then there's the unfortunate bunch that must do...

 

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Behind the scenes our industry, the SEC, FINRA and the Department of Labor are parsing what it means to be a fiduciary. It’s a worthwhile conversation. For me, the debate doesn't matter. As an Accredited Investment Fiduciary®...

 

Monday, June 11, 2018

A few days ago, I was sick. Achy, stuffy with a painful sore throat. It was gray and raining outside and had been for a few days. It was a tropical depression in more ways than one. Being a domesticated snowflake I made an appointment...

 

Monday, June 4, 2018

Let's say you are looking for advice on what to eat. You have two friends that are good friends. You know them well and trust their ethics and intelligence. In separate conversations you tell them your health goals, frustrations, and...

 

Wednesday, May 16, 2018

Americans love the open road and the freedom that cars provide. Cars are an emotional possession that reflect what we value and how we see ourselves. But having a car is a necessary evil when you look at the financials. You must get to...

 

Thursday, April 26, 2018

During World War II, Winston Churchill gave many rousing speeches to the English people as they were fighting in the air, land and sea. If you ever have the chance to watch Gary Oldman's portrayal of the Bulldog, I highly recommend it....

 

Friday, April 6, 2018

Business owners inspire me. I’m lucky to have several successful, smart business owners as clients. When we meet to review their financial plan inevitably I find myself learning something new about how to be a better business...

 

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the other day (March 22nd) down 700 points. Checking through my email, I saw that Julia had sent me an email. Paraphrasing, she said, "I'm freaking out. Should I be scared, or should I stop...

 

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Perhaps you've heard that President Donald Trump is proposing aluminum and steel tariffs on all foreign imports to the United States of America. There's a couple things that I'd like to talk about when it comes to this policy. On my...

 

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

It was the best of times it was the worst of times… Don’t worry this blog won’t be as long as the classic from which it borrows nothing but a title and opening line. I just wanted to take your temperature, so to...

 

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

This morning I dropped my wife's car off at the auto body shop. Then I walked over to the Starbucks next door. As I sipped a venti coffee, I listened to an interview with George Mason University economics professor Bryan Caplan. He's...

 

Thursday, February 15, 2018

In Part 1, we learned about the heroic efforts of the Federal Reserve to keep inflation manageable and unemployment low. They don't do this with the Force or Jedi mind tricks, per se. Instead they lower rates to ignite the economy and...

 

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

I started my career in the financial world in 2005 at what was then AG Edwards. Naive and idealistic, I devoured the standard text to pass my Series 7 securities licensing. Because I'm a nerd, many of the broad concepts were familiar...

 

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Poet, philosopher and pugilist Mike Tyson once opined, "Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth." After a steep decline of over 8% of the Dow Jones Industrial Average from January 29 to February 5, many investors feel...

 

Friday, January 26, 2018

We all have our preconceived opinions not based on reason or actual experience. It's called a prejudice. That's a bad word in today's culture and I'm accusing you of being prejudiced. Once you stop clutching your Victorian pearls in...

 

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain stood outside of 10 Downing Street in London and declared to those gathered,"I have returned from Germany with peace for our time." A year later, Hitler's Germany invaded Poland. The rest is...

 

Wednesday, January 10, 2018

In life we often have to choose between efficient and effective. Efficient is quicker and easier. Effective gets the job done, albeit with varying convenience. Let me give you an example. When you order clothes from Amazon you take a...

 

Thursday, January 4, 2018

After circling the sun, human nature likes to look back at the last 365 days and look forward to the next. It's very healthy to take stock of the last year and solidify your plans going forward. However, there's also a propensity. We...

 

Sunday, December 24, 2017

I came across this study by Cornell economists Maria Fitzpatrick and Timothy Moore and want to share it with you, dear reader. The gist is that US Census figures reveal a clear correlation between premature death and premature...

 

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

As I write this, everyone around me has thrown off the shackles of self-restraint and entered full-on holiday feast mode. And why not? It's a festive time of year where every excuse is given to eat, drink and be merry. Besides, on New...

 

Monday, December 4, 2017

Have you ever noticed how fads come and go? Hula hoops were a thing once. Pet rocks, lava lamps and beanie babies, too. I can remember thinking I was to coolest guy ever rocking my mullet and parachute pants. And some fads even come...

 

Monday, November 20, 2017

When was the last time you ordered a brand-new dish at your favorite restaurant? I ask because I've noticed that there is a spectrum from adventurous to fearful when it comes to the people I often dine with. I'm the adventurous type...

 

Thursday, November 16, 2017

As a 44-year old man, I'm dealing with male pattern baldness and acne. That doesn't seem fair. It should be one or the other. Acne breakouts in my teens makes sense. Thinning hair and an expanding waistline in my forties is to be...

 

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

There are phrases and terms that don’t make sense together. Jumbo Shrimp. Freezer Burn. Army Intelligence. You get the idea. When it comes to your investments one oxymoron stands out: Standard Deviation. Before we talk about...

 

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Today is Halloween as I put these thoughts to paper. Tonight, I’ll take my wife and daughter around the neighborhood to scare the candy out of the neighbors. My costume will be easy; I am FrankenPlanner. That’s right,...

 

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Warren Buffet has been credited with the following quote: “Rule Number 1: Never Lose Money. Rule Number 2: Never Forget Rule Number 1.” If only investing were that simple. Even Warren Buffett, in the short term, experiences...

 

Friday, October 20, 2017

There are three goals when it comes to retirement planning: longevity, lifestyle and legacy. Longevity is the goal of running out of life before you run out of money (and not the other way around). It is the primary, non-negotiable...

 

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

We all have favorites. There’s a familiarity and dependability when you order your favorite food at your favorite restaurant while sitting at your favorite restaurant. In fact, now that I have a three-year-old, we rarely venture...

 

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Imagine going to a Primary Care Physician for the first time. You discover that recently she’s changed her practice. Instead of Dr. Feelgood, MD the name has changed to Big Pharma Doctors, Inc. Her practice is no longer...

 

Friday, October 6, 2017

Let’s say you want to climb a mountain. What’s your goal? “To get to the top, of course,” your reply. Wrong! The goal is to get to the summit and safely get back down. When I was in college a guy named Jason...

 

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

The Four Factors℠ are: Growth/Yield, Liquidity, Fees and Volatility. Every investment option can be analyzed for each of The Four Factors℠. An example would be investing in raw land. There’s no yield, but there is growth...

 

Monday, October 2, 2017

What’s The Four FactorsSM? When I speak with clients, I like to remind them that every investment has positive and negative attributes, depending on your goal. Over the years, I developed The Four FactorsSM. These four factors...

 

Monday, September 25, 2017

Winston Churchill once said, “Never, never, never give up.” I think that’s good advice for women at each stage of divorce. You see, it’s easy to tire and take your eye off the prize. But keep going. Dot every...

 

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

I’d like you to consider taking a 7-day financial news fast challenge. That’s right. Seven days with no financial news, televised or online. Weather and traffic updates are okay, but other than that try 7 days. Here’s...

 

Friday, September 15, 2017

There is a debate whether you should contribute to a traditional or Roth IRA or 401k (if your company even has a Roth 401k option). Choose Ye This Day This is an important decision, now more than ever. A growing number of work...

 

Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Forty-four percent of American women are the primary breadwinner in their house.1 Yet only 10% of women feel very confident in their ability to fully retire with a comfortable lifestyle.2 Although more women are providing for their...

 

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

In times of transition and stress, we look for coping mechanisms. We need something to gives us a shot of dopamine to calm our frazzled nerves. What’s your drug of choice? Consumption Mine is Amazon Prime. When I’ve got a...

 

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

My family once spent the day with a guide who took us to swim with dolphins in the Florida Keys. This wasn’t a tourist trap fish tank where some poor captured mammal entertains visitors from Hoboken. We were out in the wild,...

 

Monday, August 28, 2017

Do you remember that song, “That’s Just the Way it Is?” I’m listening to it now as I write this. I was in 6th grade when it came out. It topped the charts and made me wish I never quit piano lessons in 4th grade...

 

Friday, August 25, 2017

First, a confession. I don’t like budgets, I don’t like tracking my spending. Just like most normal people. But if you are in the midst of the loss of a spouse due to death setting up your new budget is even more complex....

 

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Consider a bucket plan to go with your bucket list. The baby boomers have re-defined everything they’ve touched, from music to marriage to parenting and, more lately, to what “old” means—60 is the new 50! Longer...

 

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

The CPI has shown low inflation since '09. Are your prices rising faster than the average? Read the rest of the story.