The Joy of Christmas at our Home
Christmas for our kids has changed a little bit over the years. It’s still time to decorate the house and the tree, eat lots of cookies & sweets and spend time with loved ones. We are enjoying seeing them grow up, but we don’t want it to be too quickly. We still want to cherish […]
Seeing Past the Headlines
RATES RISE AGAIN Ever since Jerome Powell took over as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, U.S. Markets have reacted shakily. The day he took over on February 5th of this year, markets sold off dramatically and the markets suddenly changed from incredibly calm under Yellen to increadibly volatile under Powell. Today our Federal Reserve Chair […]
Tax Strategies for Year End – So Even Louie the Loser can Win!
With the end of the year rapidly approaching, there are many clients who are asking what they should be doing now to save on taxes before time runs out and we enter 2019. Even with the markets currently down for many stock indices, some clients may end up paying capital gains taxes on long term […]
The Power of Thanksgiving
I am continually impressed with how powerful Thanksgiving can be. Below are just a few things I am personally thankful for: I’m thankful for my family because they support me no matter where I am in my journey and I know they will always have my back. I’m thankful for our clients because they give our work meaning. There is no better feeling than […]
Where are the Buyers?
THE MARKET HATES UNCERTAINTY There are plenty of Sellers out there who are concerned about the upcoming election, trade wars, rising interest rates and the like. As one market commentator put it last week, “The perfect storm was caused by a trifecta of news. First, China wanted to hurt the U.S., defend its currency (the […]
Lessons Learned from my Father’s Passing
Papa John and his grandson Jack at the Lookouts in 2008 When a loved one passes often those left behind are left wondering, “What do I do now?” or “How am I going to manage without him/her?” Sometimes the shock is so great that it takes days, weeks or months to come up for […]
Which Body Looks Healthier?
Are We Too Obsessed with Our Weight and Waistlines? All too often the media and even medical professionals tell us that thinner and lighter is better. As can be seen from the pictures above, most would agree this is not always the case. Many world class athletes regularly weigh in at levels considered moderately overweight […]
Hidden Costs, Expenses & Penalties
Just about every month I come across someone who claims that their investments don’t cost them anything or someone who doesn’t seem to understand all they are paying in internal expenses. All too often (in the case of those buying commission based products) they have been told that something they bought does not contain any […]
It’s Good to be the Banker
Even when Not Playing Monopoly Thinking more like a banker can provide us many benefits from a tax re-positioning perspective and a loaning vs borrowing / cash flow perspective. Not too long ago, I and a client were interviewed by a reporter at Forbes about the benefits of making serial conversions to Roth IRAs over […]
The Power of Choice & The Pace of Change
Founder and former CEO of Netflix, Marc Randolph spoke at to a group of us last week about the power of ideas and entrepreneurism at the annual Excell meeting in Las Vegas. It was refreshing to hear which experiences have shaped his thinking and most importantly how he has learned much more from his failures […]
