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I can sum up what happened in 2018 with just a few words: great year for the U.S. economy, not so good for the stock market. The average unemployment rate during 2018 was only 3.9% and it had fallen to 3.8% by the end of the year. That represented the strongest job market since 1969. …View Article
One advantage to having my own personal finance column is it gives me an excuse to research anything that interests me. This holiday season I found myself thinking about gift cards. My wife tells me they are impersonal and don’t show a lot of thought or planning. However, it turns out that gift cards are …View Article
It may seem self-serving to write an article on when and how to hire a financial advisor. However, three things compelled me to write about this topic today. First, I realized that three of the last four clients who hired my firm already had multiple financial advisors (an average of three advisors each). All these …View Article
Numerous articles make the case that the average American is not saving enough for retirement and may be underestimating their future retirement spending. Wouldn’t it be great to find that the opposite was true? Don’t get me wrong. The more you save, the better. A big nest egg is likely to make you feel happy …View Article
My good friend Mike Albano recently asked me which credit card rewards program was the best. I didn’t have a good answer…and perhaps that’s because there isn’t one. Nevertheless, I challenged him to do some homework and report back. His clear and insightful analysis on the best rewards cards follows below…with minor editing from the …View Article
I thought Thanksgiving week was the perfect time to update this article on teaching kids and grandkids about money. There are few topics where your insights will be more valuable. All parents pray that their children and grandchildren will never have to worry about where their next meals will come from, or work in a …View Article
Does it seem like forever since the Treasury Department increased the amount you can contribute to an IRA? It turns out that the limit has been stuck at $5,500 (if you are under 50) and $6,500 if you are 50 or over, for six years. Those limits are being increased to $6,000 and $7,000 respectively, …View Article
Money is a hot button issue in many relationships. It’s common for spouses to have different spending and savings priorities. This often leads to conflict since these financial decisions affect so many aspects of a couple’s lives. Usually, one spouse is more focused on the present and places a higher priority on using money to …View Article
It’s hard to believe the stock market was hitting new highs just five weeks ago. October has been a rough month. I know some people are getting nervous based on questions or comments I’ve heard from friends, neighbors, and clients. One person asked me whether they should proceed with buying a house in light of …View Article
Last year, I was listening to an interview of six different economists on NPR. The topic was which tax and spending policies were good or bad for America. Two things shocked me: 1) that six economists could agree on anything, and 2) the one thing they agreed on was that the home mortgage interest deduction …View Article
