In the hierarchy of tax-preferenced savings vehicles, the Health Savings Account (HSA) sits at the top. Unlike an IRA or 401K, an HSA offers a triple tax benefit: contributions to the account are tax-deductible, earnings grow tax-deferred and distributions are tax-free as long as they are used to pay for qualified health expenses. In contrast,…
Details
2018 was an unusual year. On the one hand, the US economy posted perhaps its best year since the global financial crisis of 2008: worker productivity surged, wage growth accelerated, and household net worth rose above $100 trillion. And for the first time in American history, the number of open job listings exceeded the number…
Details
The “yield curve” is a term that is used frequently when discussing the state of the economy. But what is a yield curve to begin with, and what does it have to do with you and your investments? Yield curves typically depict the various yields across the range of maturities for a particular bond class.…
Details
If you have ever met with a financial advisor, it is likely that they have several letters after their name. As a consumer, it is important to understand exactly what these designations mean – they are not all the same and they do not all indicate the same type of expertise or accomplishment. Some require…
Details
When helping people plan for their financial future, the overriding principle that governs the advice we give is to “control what we can.”, and one of the things we have the most control over is how much we spend and how much we save. For those that are preparing for retirement, so much focus is…
Details
As an investor, it’s perfectly natural to ask, how are my investments doing? Most people look at their account values and if they are up, they are happy and if they are down, they begin to ask questions. But if you really want to know how your investments are doing, you need to consider how…
Details
In the video When Should You Begin Collecting Social Security Benefits, we’ve discussed considerations to take account when determining when to begin collecting social security benefits. Specifically, we discussed the fact that delaying collection allows your benefit amount to grow by 8% per year plus inflation from Full Retirement Age to Age 70 while collecting…
Details
Your investment portfolio is most likely comprised of different types of investments, balanced in such a way that takes into consideration both your overall return objectives as well as your risk tolerance. It is useful to understand the purpose and role each investment plays within a diversified, balanced portfolio. Stocks or equity, whether owned through…
Details
At the beginning of 2017, a common view among money managers and analysts was that the financial markets would not repeat their strong returns from 2016. Many cited the uncertain global economy, political turmoil in the US, implementation of Brexit, conflicts in the Middle East, North Korea’s weapons buildup, and other factors. However, equity markets…
Details
Many people mistakenly believe that investment management is simply selecting the investment or combination of investments that will generate the highest yield or highest long-term return. In reality, sophisticated investment management is actually much more complicated than that as it integrates several interrelated components of which specific investment selection is only one facet.
Details