Every now and then something interesting shows up in the news that catches my eye. One of those things was a report, issued several weeks ago, released by the General Accountability Office. The GAO’s purpose is to report to Congress and the President on the financial condition and issues facing the country. The particular report […]
As the end of the year approaches, it’s worth taking a look at the possibility of harvesting capital losses. Doing so may save taxes and can be a positive in years when the markets don’t provide strong returns. If you’ve been a client for a long time you know that in the ’90s we probably […]
Since late last year, I’ve had several clients ask about the viability of municipal bonds. In December 2010, the CBS program, 60 Minutes, had a segment on munis, the gist of which was that many municipalities were in financial trouble. The story featured an analyst who predicted that hundreds of billions of dollars in muni […]
If you need a break from the stock market, politics and all the other nuttiness that’s in the newspapers every day, here’s a suggestion for you. One of the greatest Grand Prix drivers of all time was Brazil’s Ayrton Senna, a 3-time World Champion. Last year a documentary film about his life was released overseas. […]
Mark and Lynn Fish* have been clients since 2003. Among many interests, they enjoy traveling and art. In late 2008, they combined the two with a trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands in Canada. Known as Haida Gwaii to the indigenous Haida people, the Queen Charlotte Islands lie off the coast of British Columbia. Mark […]
It’s amazing how fast a stock market crisis can arise. In mid-July 2011, everything seemed to be going along just fine. The economy was slowly expanding. The stock market was doing reasonably well. In general, there was a sense that things were on the mend after the terrible economic mess of 2008. But in three […]
When I was a boy we had a huge avocado tree in our backyard, and I liked climbing and swinging in its branches. A slip and a fall meant scrapes and bruises, but that was usually about all that happened. The climbs seemed thrilling. The risks seemed minimal. I’m alive today and in one piece. […]
If you’ve been a wealth management client of mine for any amount of time, you’ve heard me talk about my love of Formula One racing. This website gives me the opportunity to tell you a bit about F1 and to share the love. The first thing many people ask is, What does “Formula One” mean? […]
More than a few wealth management clients have asked questions about variable annuities, so I thought it would be good to post some information about them. 1. Today’s variable annuities are not your father’s annuities. Older types of annuities gave you a guaranteed income in exchange for a lump sum of money. You literally bought […]
Most investors get a little nervous when asset values for stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other investments yo-yo up and down. And if you own a business, having some of your business’ pension fund invested in what might appear to be volatile investments can be discouraging. The investment markets can swing up and down for […]