Ah, taxes, everyone’s favorite subject! To be fair, I have friends who actually enjoy diving into tax tables and itemizing deductions, which is wonderful! But that is not the majority of people I know. Our tax system is challenging. Yet, we all must learn to navigate it, to some extent. …
February WAS looking to be pretty good for the S&P 5001, being up almost 6% at one point this month. That is, until the last couple of days, when much like January, the market wanted to give back the gains. As of today, we are looking at ending February in …
My son Matthew earned his Eagle Scout several years ago. The Eagle Scout motto is “Be Prepared,” and the program’s focus is to help boys and girls be ready to face various challenges in life. I was thinking of that training often this past week when Texas was faced with …
“What would you do if you won the lottery?” It’s a fun mental exercise that many people like to play, whether they actually buy a lottery ticket or not. The possibilities seem endless, and the empowerment seems tantalizing. But the reality isn’t always what we dream. Lottery winners are known …
So far, 2021 isn’t having as much strength or conviction in the stock market as I would have thought or even hoped. As of close yesterday, the S&P5001 is only slightly above break-even on the year at just under 1%. And while the index started out relatively strong and was …
You have probably seen the “SMART” goal-setting acronym, which stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. These principles apply well to our financial goals as well as other goals. Here are some brief reminders to help keep you focused and SMART this year! Specific: When setting a saving or …
The Wall Street Journal recently published an article about people who used high risk methods to buy high risk investments. These folks had turned relatively small amounts of money into exceptionally large gains in the past year. Earlier in the year, the WSJ also published an article about investors who …
Well, there you have it. Another trading year behind us that has been quite a ride. The S&P 5001 looks like it will end the year up around 17.5% (FastTrack data). That is incredibly surprising, given that the same index was down over -30% at one point back in March. …
With another round of stimulus checks on their way, this is a great time for fraudsters to pounce. Don’t be a victim! Follow these smart tips: If you receive a suspicious email or text message, DON’T respond, click on links, or open attachments. Banks and government agencies will NOT ask …
I often find that when people come to me for financial advice, they get more than they bargain for. A conversation about the stock market? Sure. Tips on how to save for a future goal? You bet. Observations about the opportunities available to you in your current situation? Absolutely. But …
