Today, in a whole new year, let’s talk about parts versus wholes. The theme is hardly new, but it bears repeating, lest we forget how essential they both are—to each other, to us, and to our financial well-being. There’s never a lack of noise coming from the moving parts that make up your whole portfolio, […]
Have you ever noticed, when people speak about meaning or direction, they usually talk about finding it, discovering it, or adding it to their life? What if that’s not how it works? Rather than casting about for meaning, maybe it’s already there, happening all the time: “The greatest things in the world are brought about […]
Believe it or not, another year has rounded third base and is dashing toward home plate. That said, there’s still time to make a few good plays in 2021 while positioning yourself to score more in the year ahead. Here are six financial best practices for the record books. 1) Keep Your Eye on the […]
In our last piece, we covered fund management costs. Next, let’s take a step back from the mutual funds, ETFs, or other holdings you decide to invest in. Where do these holdings live—and what does it cost to buy, sell, and hold them? An Account of Your Accounts First, let’s define a few terms: Investment […]
Sixty years after imagining the project, and after both had passed away, why did the famed artist couple Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrap L’Arc de Triomphe in Paris in silvery-blue fabric and red rope (which became an especially ethereal nighttime display)? Because they wanted to. And because their heirs carried out their vision, funding it through […]
What are your investments really costing you? If you’re not sure, you’re not alone. It’s not like you’re handed a menu of charges to choose from when it’s time to place your order. Even when you know where to look for investment costs, the information can be difficult to digest. Let’s fill in some of […]
In our last two pieces, we covered some tools of the tax-planning trade, as well as how to deploy them for tax-efficient investing. But tax planning isn’t just for your investments. Life happens. Often, we cannot predict its next moves. But we can weave each event into the tax-planning fabric of your financial life. Following […]
In our last piece, we introduced some of the tools of the tax-planning trade. These include tax-sheltered accounts for saving toward retirement, healthcare, and education, as well as tax-efficient tools for charitable giving, emergency spending, and estate planning. It’s one thing to have the tools. It’s another to make the best use of them. After […]
Whether you’re saving, investing, spending, bequeathing or receiving wealth, there’s scarcely a move you can make without considering how taxes might influence the outcome. No wonder people get nervous when there’s lots of talk about higher taxes, but little certainty on what may come of it, and who it might affect. How do we plan […]
As we swing into the second half of 2021, consider this quote from a book first published back in 1954: “A river cannot, we are told, rise above its source. Well, it can seem to if there is a pumping station concealed somewhere about.” — Darrell Huff, “How to Lie with Statistics” Does the sentiment […]