Playing the Averages
“Investing should be more like watching paint dry or watching grass grow. If you want excitement, take $800 and go to Las Vegas.”— Paul Samuelson, first American to win the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences If you walk into a casino and put your money on the table, the odds are stacked against you. You are likely to lose no matter how exciting it might be. If you flip a coin, there is a 50-50 chance you’ll get heads. If you purchase a broad-based, diversified stock market index at the beginning of the year,...
read moreDoes it Make Sense to Pay Off Your Mortgage Early?
By Lee Sherbakoff, CPA/PFS, CFP®, RICP® The American dream of owning a home—complete with a white picket fence—dies hard; after all, it’s that iconic symbol of financial independence. And with record-low inventory, low interest rates, and high demand, (1) the housing market is currently booming now more than ever. Since most of us don’t have the luxury of purchasing a house in full, after the stress and drama of house hunting is over, we are saddled with a mortgage for the next 15-30 years. Incurring debt to one day own this major asset...
read moreJune Monthly Insight – Transitory or Not?
“The American people have a love-hate relationship with inflation. They hate inflation but love everything that causes it.” — William E. Simon, American businessman and philanthropist who served as the 63rd United States Secretary of the Treasury On Friday, we learned the personal consumption expenditure (PCE) price index was up 3.6% year-over-year in April. The core PCE price index, which excludes food and energy, was up 3.1%, the biggest jump in this index since 1992. Similar to how they reacted to the April consumer price index (CPI)...
read moreMay 2021 Monthly Insight – A Bumpy Ride
“A good summary of investing history is that stocks pay a fortune in the long run but seek punitive damages when you try to be paid sooner.” —Morgan Housel, partner at The Collaborative Fund and former columnist at The Motley Fool and The Wall Street Journal By this time last year, the World Health Organization had declared Covid-19 was a worldwide pandemic. In the U.S., stringent measures were implemented to slow the spread of disease and “flatten the curve.” The lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders dealt a body blow to U.S. economic...
read moreNow That You’ve Inherited Money, What Should You Do?
By Lee Sherbakoff, CPA/PFS, CFP®, RICP® You’re likely experiencing a range of emotions regarding your newly acquired inheritance. Losing a loved one is painful, but inheriting money can be a blessing. An inheritance can improve your financial situation and bring peace of mind—it can also be a reminder of your loved one’s legacy and their love for you. Sometimes people who receive an inheritance don’t know how to properly manage it. In worst-case scenarios, the inheritance is blown in just a few years or even months—sometimes leaving the...
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