Becca Craig, ABA, 2/4/2020 Much of the discussion surrounding the recently passed SECURE Act focuses on employer-sponsored retirement plans, IRAs and inherited IRAs. Yet, tucked away in the new law – which aims to expand access to retirement savings vehicles, preserve retirement savings, and encourage better savings habits – is the expansion of what counts…
The BAM ALLIANCE, 2/4/2020 Another spin on New Year’s resolutions? Now? Well, it turns out the topic is more appropriate than it initially might seem, given that most people have already abandoned the commitments they made to themselves when the calendar turned. One frequently cited figure is that some 80% of such promises to eat…
Kurt Wunderlich, CFA, CFP®, 1/29/2020 Congratulations! You landed a new job. Whether you’ll be stepping into a similar role just at another company or embarking on a completely new career, understanding some beyond-the-salary financial implications of your new gig can make the switch a lot easier. From keeping track of the savings in your old…
2020 – 02/01 John Garvey, Jr., CPA/PFS On Friday, January 17 – after a spectacular 40% runup that started the day after Christmas 2018 – the Standard & Poor’s 500-Stock Index closed at 3,329.62. Two weeks later to the day – Friday, January 31 – the Index closed a little over three percent lower, at…
1/27/2020 Often, all you need to be an excellent investor is a healthy dose of common sense: A penny saved is a penny earned. Buy low, sell high. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. That said, the best way to achieve these simple goals isn’t always as obvious. In fact, many of our…
Larry Swedroe, 1/22/2020 The reinsurance industry’s existence presents an opportunity for investors to add an asset, through participation in its business, with “equitylike” expected returns that are uncorrelated with the risks and returns of other assets in their portfolios (stocks, bonds and other alternative investments)—there is no logical reason to believe that losses from earthquakes,…
Connie Brezik, 1/16/2020 As you start 2020, take a deep, meditative breath and envision how much easier your life could be if certain obstacles were removed and nagging problems were solved. What if you could eliminate this unnecessary baggage and get to that peaceful life you visualize? A friend recently mentioned that each year she…
Larry Swedroe, 1/14/2020 Since 2002, S&P Dow Jones Indices has published its biannual Indices Versus Active (SPIVA) reports, which compare the performance of actively managed equity funds to their appropriate index benchmarks. It also puts out a pair of scorecards each year that focus on persistence of performance. This is an important issue because if…
Bethany Ketron, CFP®, 12/31/2019 Budget. It’s a term that strikes fear in almost everyone at one time or another. But, while many people view investing as the key to financial success, it’s really budgeting that unlocks the door. After all, you need assets in order to invest them. Because budgeting is so often negatively associated…
2019 – 12/17 We see it often: Whenever investors are spooked by turbulent times, dollars tend to flow out of the stock market, and into “safe harbor” investments such as bonds, bond funds, CDs, money markets, or even cash. For example, while the S&P 500 was up nearly 25% for the year as of mid-November,…
Larry Swedroe, Chief Research Officer, 12/9/2019 Among the errors discussed in my book “Investment Mistakes Even Smart Investors Make and How to Avoid Them” is one called “recency.” Recency bias is the tendency to overweight recent events/trends and ignore long-term evidence. This leads investors to buy after periods of strong performance—when valuations are higher and…
Connie Brezik, 12/5/2019 Old habits are hard to break. You may have been raised in a household where your family needed every penny to make ends meet. Perhaps you started working at a young age to help pay the bills. The value of hard work becomes ingrained, and you learn not to spend money frivolously….
Connie Brezik, 11/7/2019 Anyone considering retirement, or who has retired in the recent past, understands that there is a lot to this decision. Sure, having enough money is an important part of this equation, but there is much more to consider. Once your company throws you a retirement party, your life will be forever changed….
Tim Maurer, Director of Advisor Development, 11/6/2019 Estate planning is one of the most technical—and terrifying—topics in the broad practice of wealth management. It exists at the intersection of quantitative logic and qualitative feelings, and it evokes the types of emotions that we instinctively avoid. Anxiety, fear, loss, sadness, hopelessness. “I don’t have the words….
Connie Brezik, 11/1/2019 Small businesses are the backbone of this country. People with great talent and ideas form businesses they believe in to provide others with products and services and to make a living for themselves and their families. As any small business owner knows, there is a lot to running a company, and you…