The Cautious Investor

Since the new Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has doubled the standard deduction starting in 2018, few individuals are expected to itemize.  However, if you are an IRA owner over age 70 ½ and have a charitable intent, you can utilize Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) to maximize the new higher standard deduction, in effect getting…

Many Investors seem to know their approximate rate of return, but probably don’t know how much risk they are taking to garner the return they receive.  The goal for most is to get the highest return while taking the lowest amount of risk.  This can be much easier said than done, and it’s important that…

The snow is flying, and thoughts of a warm weather vacation are heating up. This leads some to the debate over whether to buy or rent. The decision can be confusing but must be what is right for you. So, let’s pause a bit and go through the advantages and disadvantages of owning. When you…

Imagine this; your friend is preparing his tax returns and is confused as to why he owes taxes on a mutual fund position that he hasn’t sold, and it went down in value from the purchase price. He bought $100,000 worth of a mutual fund on October 1st at $10.00 per share in a taxable…

This is the “Age of Accelerations,” according to Tom Friedman in his new book Thank You for Being Late. In the book Friedman is referring to the dramatic pace of change in the age of the internet and cloud technologies. As most of us have noticed, the dramatic pace of change is affecting everything in…

The IRS Tax Code is, as you know, not a small document, nor is it one that remains static year over year.  Given the rapid pace of regulatory changes, many people elect to employ a tax professional to annually help navigate the process and make sure that deductions afforded to you are being taken advantage…

I think that wealth, much like temperature, is relative. One person might feel wealthy making a certain amount of money while another person, making the same amount of money, might feel like they’ve only got pennies to their name. Some of us might scoff when a doctor or lawyer says they don’t make enough money…

“Pride of opinion has been responsible for the downfall of more men on Wall Street than any other factor.” –Charles Dow     Society places a high value on confidence and most people identify it as a key element for success in life. But does it necessarily hold true for successful investing? In daily life…

Many people who manage to save enough for retirement find it agonizing to start spending that money when the day finally comes. As a result, they needlessly deny themselves the simple pleasures and occasional splurges that can make the difference between a dream retirement and a dreary one. More Americans face the opposite dilemma, of…

Our industry sometimes focuses too narrowly on rate of return. It makes sense when you consider that a percentage is the best way to compare how your investments are doing against the broader market, other investment strategies being deployed, or your friends at the water cooler. But we should remind ourselves that we don’t spend…