October has been a tough month for stocks, with many indices down almost 10% in the past month and some of the high-flying tech stocks down 20%. With the recent activity in the stock market, it seems a prudent time to review some evidence-based tenets of wise investing. Read more
One aspect of the new tax bill passed in late 2017, is a much higher standard deduction of $12,000 for singles and $24,000 for couples filing jointly. As a result of the higher standard deduction, it may no longer make sense for some people to itemize their deductions. According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, it is estimated that the number of taxpayers who itemize will decline to 10% from 30% of all taxpayers. Read more
The Fall is both peak fire season in the Western US and peak hurricane season in the Southeast. Furthermore, California is way overdue for a major earthquake. For all of these reasons, it seems now is a good time to make sure you are ready for a disaster. While there are many things to prepare for a potential disaster, my attention is focused on the critical financial items. Read more
With the rise of Big Data and increases in computing power, analyzing more data has become feasible in a variety of fields. It has impacted investing through the rising popularity of sustainable investing. Almost $9T is invested in sustainable investments in the US as of 12/31/16, up 33% in just two years. Read more
As my kids have grown, I’ve tried to teach them important money concepts along the way. After all, the Council for Economic Education reported in its 2018 Survey of the States that only 16 states require any economics course work during K-12, and only seven states require students to take courses in personal finance. So, it’s up to us parents to fill the gap. Read more
If you’re like me, as summer break nears for my kids, I start to ponder how I can get the most out of the summer and make sure they learn something new or don’t slip too much academically during the break. Given my passion for financial literacy, I try to find ways to have them learn useful financial life skills. Here are some ideas I’m considering for this summer: Read more
I recently read a book, Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be by Frank Bruni, that shed some light on the college admissions hysteria many families find themselves immersed in, particularly those who live in affluent communities. Over the past decade, college admissions rates have plummeted, with some of the elite schools now boasting rates in the 5% range, yet families have become ever more focused on obtaining admission to a small list of these elite schools. Read more
If you were inspired by the young people leading marches against gun violence around the country on March 24th in the March for Our Lives and want to do something to have an impact, one action you can take is to make sure you don’t own any stocks of companies that manufacture guns in your portfolio. Read more
In honor of International Women’s Day (March 8th), it seemed appropriate to write about how women can become more financially empowered. For various reasons, including longer life expectancies, women are more likely than men to be on their own at least once during their life. Yet many women aren’t comfortable managing their personal finances and often defer to the men in their lives to do it for them. Read more
Fortunately, I haven’t received too many questions from clients about bitcoin and crypto-currencies, but it is a very popular topic these days and I’ve heard it brought up many times in various forums. I thought I’d share my thoughts on the topic, so you can be better prepared to respond to those people who might be suggesting it’s the investment of a lifetime. Read more