To Inform: I recently had a client ask me about the best way to save for college for their grandchildren. Immediately the 529 plan comes to mind but it’s not just that simple. Let’s start with the basics of a 529. Investment earnings and withdrawals are tax-free as long as they are used for qualified […]

To Inspire:   “Memories of my childhood live/between the rings of sand around my ankles/and the desert heat in my lungs. I still believe that nothing washes/worry from tired skin better than the Nile/and my grandma’s hands. That’s an excerpt from “People Like Us,” a poem by 26-year-old Emtithal “Emi” Mahmoud, an internationally regarded poet […]

To Inform: Last week’s Portfolios at Your Place Event covered Capital Market Assumptions (CMA) – a fancy term for forecasts of future asset returns over the next 5-10 years based on fundamental data like dividends, interest rates, and valuations. Many large investment banks and asset management firms put out annual forecasts of Capital Market Assumptions […]

To Inspire: Rick Rigsby, a minister, motivational speaker, author and former college professor, gave the graduation speech at a commencement ceremony at Cal Maritime a few years ago. At the time, he had four degrees and his brother was a Judge, but he considered his father to be the wisest person he had ever met. […]

To Inform: The words innovation and disruption seem to be getting used more and more around the investment world these days. This might spark a couple of questions. One being, “what does this mean for my investments?” and the other, perhaps, “is this anything new?” Before we answer, let’s define the terms. Innovation simply defined […]

To Inspire: What do you do with a philosophy degree from Yale? That’s easy – become a cross-country truck driver. Seem a bit strange? Well that’s exactly what Tony Blake did back in 1993. One of the best African-American swimmers in the history of the Ivy League, when Tony failed to make the U.S. Olympic […]

To Inform: One of the hot topics we discussed at last week’s Portfolios at Your Place was the weaker U.S. dollar and how it was impacting changes in leadership across asset classes. Chris Verrone, Head of Technical Analysis at Strategas Research Partners recently said “there’s no shortage of moving parts in this environment and at […]

To Inspire: Being helpful is always the right move, whether that means investing your time, money or energy. While it may be more challenging to help right now, it’s really more important than ever. But not only does being helpful make the world a little bit better, it actually can make you physically better. Here […]

To Inform: How many of us routinely consider the question each year “how much am I eligible to contribute to my IRA or Roth IRA?” Many of us do, as we want to save as much as we can for our retirement goals while accomplishing them as tax-efficiently as possible. How many of us ask […]

To Inform: For fun, let’s start this Wealthnotes with a multiple-choice question. Which of these is correct? A.  The S&P 500 was down – 3.1% for the 2020 year to date period ending June 30 B.  The S&P 500 was down – 10.8% for the 2020 year to date period ending June 30 C.  Both […]