In March, the Federal Reserve Board raised interest rates. The increase of one quarter of one percent was only the third time in a decade that rates have gone up. Many economists believe that more increases are coming. The Fed itself has mentioned the possibility of further rate increases this year. There was a time […]
My new partner, Adam Hartrum, and his wife, Bianca, join the firm The next time you come in the doors of Asset Strategies, you’ll have more smiling faces to greet you — and a greater depth of experience to care for your wealth management needs. That’s because Adam Hartrum has joined our firm. Please join […]
Another year is coming to a close. So much has happened of late — England voted to “Brexit” the European Union, the Chicago Cubs ended their 108-year World Series draught and Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. With all that’s going on it might be easy to forget about your year-end financial […]
I’ve written about municipal bonds in the past. Now is a good time to update my thoughts on this asset class. Municipal bonds and muni bond funds have historically been an effective way of generating tax-free income. In high school, you may have learned about the 1819 U.S. Supreme Court case, McCulloch v. Maryland. That […]
It’s tempting to compare your investment performance with others. In doing so, you may find that some of your friends and family members have had good experiences in working with financial advisors, whereas others have not. Often, those who say they’re unsatisfied with their advisors tend to focus on portfolio returns as a key measure. […]
Comedian Larry Sherman* says a lot of things came to him late in life. He began doing standup in his 60s. He was 40 when he married — 42 when his daughter was born. “At this point in life,” Larry says, “my baby girl is happy to see me walking.” Ba-dum-bum! Ching! Time for his […]
Likely, the biggest life-changing event you’ll ever face is the death of your spouse. In addition to the deep emotional wounds that such a loss brings, financial matters must be tended to. It may seem harsh to address finances at such a time, but it needs to be done in order to carry on. The […]
If you’re still working and it seems like it’s harder than ever to accumulate money for retirement, here’s some evidence that what you’re feeling is true. The 85% rule Based on analysis compiled by the Federal Reserve and analyzed by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College and reported in The Wall Street Journal […]
Every year Metropolitan Life issues a report* on the costs of long-term care. Many of us are looking at such costs either for ourselves or our parents. In my case, my mom has had in-home care 24/7 for just over a year and a half, so I am seeing first hand both the practicalities of […]
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 […]