The One to Watch
In the face of ’no news’, we have seen a continuing rise in long term treasury bond rates (and decline in bond prices). This week, markets were squarely focused on the potential for this trend to continue that sent stock prices reeling once again, putting a crimp on diversified portfolios. So why are long term interest
Is Your Target Date Fund Missing the Mark?
Are you counting on target date funds to get you to and through retirement? While popular and seemingly easy, many target date funds have inherent flaws that could actually work against your retirement goals.
Learn why you may want to reconsider relying on target date funds in retirement and what you can do instead in this short webinar. Edited transcript
Should I Sell or Rent My House?
You’re locked into a great mortgage. A refi from two years ago that was an amazing financial decision. You’re moving and you’d hate to lose that mortgage. Should you sell or rent the house and continue to benefit from that low rate?
Lower rates mean lower carrying costs, higher annual profits, and stronger overall return.You’re right to be attached to
Under My Thumb
Under My Thumb
Fed meetings usually focus on the change in current interest rates, but this week the focus was on 2024. Current rates were left unchanged, but the Fed doubled down on the ‘higher (rates) for longer’ theme. Chair Powell repeated at least a dozen times that the Fed will “proceed carefully” from here, not wanting to ease policy
Mortgages, the Bond Market, and Mortgage-Backed Bonds
In the latest episode of the Wealthy Behavior podcast, I talk to Ken Shinoda, a portfolio manager with DoubleLine Capital and head of their mortgage-backed securities team about the current bond market, mortgage-backed securities, and mortgage rates. We dig into:
- Opportunities and risks in today’s mortgage-backed securities market
- Where interest rates might be going in the next few months
Tale of the Tape
Tale of the Tape
You have to be a very attentive student of the stock market to understand just how unusual this year has been. The year isn’t over yet, so much can change from now to the end of the year, but what has happened thus far is startling.
If you read these pages regularly, or read the financial
Vanguard Makes a Call on Value and International Stocks
Finding investments that perform better than the S&P 500 has been hard lately. It’s left individual investors with the mistaken impression it’s the only thing worth investing in.
However, that index lost money over the last decade while many other investments did well. In order below: U.S. small caps, emerging markets, international stocks, U.S. value, and U.S. bonds all had
Which Assets Do You Pay Estate Tax On?
Do you wonder if you’re at risk of owing estate tax? If so, which assets will you pay the tax on? It comes down to what is considered “in” your estate and what is considered “out” of your estate. You pay tax on assets in your estate, and you don’t pay tax on assets out of your estate.
So, what’s
Transferring Wisdom with Your Wealth
“We’ve worked hard to build and protect our wealth, not just for us, but for our kids and grandkids. I just don’t want this money to ruin the family when I’m gone.”Does this sound familiar? If you’re thinking about how to pass your wealth to future generations of family, this is one of the most frequent fears. The data backs
How to Avoid Paying $2.6 Million in Estate Taxes
Did you know that a soon-to-be-expired law could help your family avoid paying $2.6 million in estate taxes? If not, you’re not alone.
Estate taxes are complex and ever changing, making it difficult to keep up. They not only take a substantial bite out of your wealth, but they can also create confusion and tension for your family during an