Have you heard about the increasing move or “migration” of jobs and corporate headquarters to cities OTHER than New York and San Francisco? Recent reports highlight not just the move of mere jobs but also the move of the CEO and corporate HQ! Several underlying factors including taxes and home affordability are worth considering.
Calling it a “New World” is a bit of an exaggeration but since this week the yield on the 10-year US government bond topped 3% for the first time in four years, it was kind of a big deal in the investing world.
The 10-year US government bond is a benchmark and indicator for a number of things including: mortgages, companies borrowing to grow, the price of oil … and, yes, stock prices. We all know that the “financial crisis” is now 10 years in the past and for the past 10 years interest rates have been super LOW. This has been both positive and negative for investors. Continue reading “New World… Of Higher Bond Yields”
Did you finish your taxes? Technically you have until Tuesday, April 17th to file – and pay if you owe – because of Emancipation Day in Washington, DC on Monday, April 16th AND a Sunday being April 15th.
Last year was bitter-sweet for taxpayers and investors. The stock markets enjoyed gains, gains, gains in 2017 – almost the 9th year in a row – and the economy delivered mostly good things in the way of jobs and incomes. There are always exceptions, of course, but 2017 was mostly a great year economically and investments-wise. So even though you probably paid more in taxes and likely had less investment losses to offset gains, it was a positive year. Remember, rebalancing your portfolio is a critical tool but one that can create taxable gains — and an attentive, qualified adviser will guide you to minimizing inevitable taxes on a profitable portfolio. Continue reading “Onward to Tax Year 2018”
Here is a concept that is super meaningful to EVERY age group, EVERY economic stratum and (hopefully) across the ENTIRE political spectrum: Triple Bottom Line, or “TBL”.
For the younger readers, this term is much more familiar and probably even taught in universities for the past decade or two. But for others this term may have gotten lost in the sea of such terms as “synergy,” “social impact,” and “environmentally friendly”. HOWEVER – TBL is the real deal. And we are seeing it at work inside the framework of capitalism as well as “outside” the purely capitalistic-driven world: a growing world where profit matters, BUT not at the expense of people and the environment. Please read on. Continue reading “Have You Heard of the “Triple Bottom Line”?”
Good Morning and Happy Spring Break,
Seriously? Is this what Spring Break is supposed to be about? If you are somewhere in Florida or Hilton Head on vacation and anxiously checking your portfolio… then the answer is NO. On the other hand, if you are on vacation and you know that your Adviser “has your back” and your financial PLAN is in place, then the answer is YES. The latter is the definition of “peace of mind.” Peace of Mind does not always come easy – it takes preparation.
Continue reading “Don’t Let Market Volatility Ruin Your Spring Break”
A short TGIF as we enter the Easter weekend (or “Easter Triduum” in Church language).
I learned a new term this week*, “techlash” plus I found a couple of startling stats about tech – inspired by the mini- (soon to be major?) crisis going on with Facebook and the privacy of its users’ information. The situation is kind of unfortunate for those who may have given up Facebook for Lent….just in time for the #DeleteFacebook campaign to be kicking into high gear. (Full disclosure: I do not have a Facebook account.)
“Techlash” is the backlash that has affected the entire tech sector in response to Mark Zuckerberg’s – and Facebook’s – lack of response to their crisis which may spill over into other major tech companies’ operating models.
Continue reading “What is Techlash?”
We have already had more volatility in the first three months of 2018 than we saw in ALL of 2017 and most of 2016 combined. Snow? On the first day of Spring! Driverless cars on the road… What’s next?
The snow wasn’t the worst part of it. Facebook stumbled this week amidst legitimate concerns of how honest it is with protecting its user data. This is not the first time Facebook has faced the issue of deceiving its users: back in 2012 under a decree with the FTC Facebook had to agree to get user consent in order to share users’ personal data with others.
Continue reading “Volatility & the Ides of March: What’s Next?”
Are you familiar with the TV show “The Big Bang Theory”? The show is in its 11th season and lots of people by now have heard of Sheldon, Leonard, Raj, Howard and Penny… but for those who have not heard of the show it is really funny and has been a HUGE success.
And you thought going to the gym was hard?! Try Budgeting.
Please don’t quit reading yet – this may be one of the most frequent topics I discuss with my clients especially at tax time. Add in the ever-increasing future costs of healthcare and nearly everyone (wealthy or building wealth) will care about a budget at some point.
Continue reading “You Thought Going to the Gym is Hard, Try Budgeting”
Typically, I do not get too far “into the weeds” of technical terms in my TGIF 2 minutes messages. However – this has not been a typical last two weeks in the markets – at least not “typical” as defined by the past several years of gradually UP markets (and portfolios) month after month. Thus, a short walk into the weeds to talk a little about inflation is warranted – and may shed light on the volatility we have experienced lately with more likely to come over the next months and year or so.
Also, see this visual of a rocket launch* – and not just any rocket launch, the Falcon Heavy launch as photographed by a friend of mine with years of clearance for NASA rocket launches – as an appropriate comparison to what inflation can look like.
