Helping pave the way towards financial freedom
Ever heard of the 80/20 rule? It suggests 80% of an outcome is often the result of just 20% of the effort you put into it. This doesn’t always work. Sometimes, it’s worth going the extra mile. But often, by prioritizing the 20% of your efforts that make the biggest splash, you can reduce excess…
DO YOU THINK YOU’RE TOO SMART TO BE SCAMMED? About 4 out of 5 people say yes. Most also believe they’re better than others at spotting scams. Yet, scams work—and they’re more prevalent and profitable than ever before. In fact, every 15 seconds, someone’s getting scammed. Each year, billions are lost. Seniors are big targets,…
If you are like me, you were hoping to get a break from political news after the mid-term elections just ended. The break didn’t last long. The presidential campaign season is well underway, with former President Donald Trump already declaring his candidacy. In the coming weeks, we are sure to hear about other Republicans joining…
I am pretty sure that the Year 2022 will go down as the year when the Federal Reserve went to massive lengths to battle inflation. The highs we captured in 2021 quickly reversed as the Fed executed the most aggressive rate-hike path in decades. Granted, the war in Ukraine nor China’s zero Covid policy didn’t…
Nothing like year-end government planning! The original SECURE Act was signed into law on December 20th, 2019. Its “sequel,” the SECURE 2.0 Act, was similarly enacted at year-end on December 29th, 2022. Both pieces of legislation seek to reform how Americans prepare for retirement while juggling current spending needs. But a hard truth remains: Employers…
Ever since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed off on the 1935 Social Security Act, most Americans have ended up pondering this critical question as they approach retirement: “When should I (or we) start taking my (or our) Social Security?” And yet, the “right” answer to this common query remains as elusive as ever. It depends…
To say the least, there’s been plenty of political, financial, and economic action this year—from rising interest rates, to elevated inflation, to ongoing market turmoil. How will all the excitement translate into annual performance in our investment portfolios? Markets often deliver their best returns just when we’re most discouraged. So, who knows! While we wait…
Contribution limits do not go up every year. But every couple of years, we’ve come to expect gradual increases across the various types of accounts. The Internal Revenue Service has just released new limits for the coming year. For the most part, the amount of increases are linked to inflation. So perhaps it does not…
People love real estate, whether it’s their own home or buying rental property. Even if you don’t own your primary house or second home, you have probably heard somewhere that owning them is a surefire way to become rich. While owning a rental property is one way to kickstart the wealth-building process, we think it’s…
While it may seem like a distant memory, Q3 started with optimism. We saw (potential) signs of inflation slowing, solid corporate earnings, and expectations that interest rate hikes might end sooner than later. But beyond mid-August, that optimism was eroded by sticky inflation data, geopolitical concerns, and Chairman Powell suggesting more “pain” was to come….