Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) seem to be all the rage. What are the pros and cons to use these to pay for health related expenses? Should you put them in your basket of financial tools? HSAs are not for everybody. They are only for people who have a “high deductible health plan” (HDHP). When you’re […]
People focus on returns, average returns, good or bad returns. Rather, progress isn’t made over short terms, but over the longer term. So how often have the markets been positive? The below article explains how to better view markets and how you should participate in them for healthier and wealthier outcomes. It illustrates how infrequent […]
Markets are always uncertain. Actually, as the article below states, markets aren’t uncertain … uncertainty is a human condition that is emotional and the markets simply reflect this emotion among the many other emotions market participants feel. I like to schedule posts in advance. You’ll notice the article below is dated May … when the […]
What are factors for investing? How are they determined? Why are they useful? Your Complete Guide to Factor-Based Investing: The Way Smart Money Invests Today Paperback – October 7, 2016 by Andrew L Berkin and Larry E Swedroe discusses this. What are factors? “A numerical characteristic or set of characteristics common across a broad […]
What are the Phases of Retirement? I functionally label retirement into 3 Phases for couples: Phase I: Both of you are here. Phase II: One of you are here. Phase III: Neither of you are here. Each phase requires a bit of thought and planning. Most people focus on just Phase I (they’re both here): […]
What is Robo-Advising? From Widipedia: “Legally, the term “financial advisor” applies to any entity giving advice about securities. But most robo-advisors limit themselves to providing portfolio management (i.e. allocating investments among asset classes) without addressing issues such as estate and retirement planning and cash-flow management, which are also the domain of financial planning.” So, […]
Your mind is powerful. It can aid you doing what you want. But, it can also hinder much of that. How do you train your mind and mental muscles? Many people may have tried to change a habit, either good or bad, with varying degrees of success. I write about the topic because saving and/or […]
I have had the great pleasure of talking with and listening to Meir Statman on a number of occasions. I also enjoy reading his insights on how we, the people, are more normal than we think, even when we think we’re doing something wrong, when it comes to our money and finances. I’ve had this […]
The terms risk and security are heard a lot when discussing money. Most people think of risk as the value of money going up or down, and usually down coming to mind when associated with risk. Security may be thought of as the ability to spend on things important to you, what those important things […]
I discussed how inheritances can go amuck and the heirs don’t get the inheritance – the State does. This can happen while you’re still alive too! Did you know that the State can claim your IRA (or any account for that matter) due to inactivity? A couple of articles to drive the issue home: Protect client […]
