How to Avoid the Mutual Fund Tax Trap
It seems that every year in December we get a multitude of calls from clients regarding a pretty common occurrence for mutual funds, but nonetheless an often misunderstood one. December is the time of year when most mutual funds pay out their capital gains to shareholders. While generally speaking, a capital gain means an investor […]
Is Warren Buffett Giving Contradictory Advice?
A Discussion of Passive vs. Active Warren Buffett is widely acknowledged as the greatest investor alive today. Last year he was ranked the third wealthiest person in the world, down from number one a few years back. Despite his roots as a value investor whose favorite holding period is forever, in recent years he has been […]
Is Warren Buffett Giving Contradictory Advice?
A Discussion of Passive vs. Active Warren Buffett is widely acknowledged as the greatest investor alive today. Last year he was ranked the third wealthiest person in the world, down from number one a few years back. Despite his roots as a value investor whose favorite holding period is forever, in recent years he has […]
Which One Are You: #1 or #2?
“Forecasting is difficult because we don’t know what is going to happen in the future” – Yogi Berra It’s interesting how people tend to extrapolate into the future. They erroneously assume that what has happened recently will continue at the same pace for the foresee-able future. It is a behavioral trait that many exhibit that […]
Did You Miss the Gorilla?
Last week we hosted our first session of Brain Games in which we found as many ways as we could to trick the audience. We unveiled to them their own biases and ways their own instincts work against them, especially when it concerns investing. It’s especially interesting to see how most people believe that they […]
Got Milk?
**Since yesterday was a big down day in the market, I’ve got a quick thought at the end of this blog. Once upon a time in the country there worked a dairy farmer who was having trouble getting his cows to produce milk. They seemed well fed but as the cows grew fatter and fatter, […]
Buybacks for Better Returns
Have you ever watched Family Feud? Perhaps you were a child when Richard Dawson hosted the game show or maybe you enjoy the current version. No matter, take a moment and: • Name a three-letter word that ends in –ow • Name a chess piece • Name a one-word color for a pair of socks • Name how […]
Something we can learn from the French
Each year when our anniversary rolls around, I’m typically looking for something new to surprise Jennifer with. We both love to travel, so this usually involves a trip of some type. We usually go somewhere warm to scuba dive or somewhere cooler for good snow skiing. Napa was the choice this year because we won […]
Beat The Clock -Last Minute Qualified Charitable Deductions
Congress has passed the “extenders bill” for 2014 (the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014). President Barack Obama just recently signed this into law. This bill revived qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) for 2014 only. There are NO transitional rules allowing 2014 qualified charitable deductions to be made in 2015 so you must get your 2014 it done before the end of […]
The Charitable Spirit – Not Just for the Holidays
A lot has changed in the past few years. Angry Birds became a national pastime. Tennessee fans are starting to fill football stadiums once again . China surpassed the United States to become the world’s largest economy. Innovative technologies disrupted whole industries. One thing hasn’t changed, though, and that is Americans’ generosity, especially when it comes […]
