Last month, an article “Ending America’s Slow-Growth Tailspin” by economist John H. Cochrane was featured in the Wall Street Journal. The author is a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institute – a large research think-tank out of Stanford University. This article is incredibly important because it plainly states what I have been saying for [...]
File Your Taxes For Free!*
January 29, 2016 By
It is hard to believe that yet another year has passed and we find ourselves in 2016, ready to file our taxes for the previous year. Whether you eagerly anticipate this time of the year because you will get a large refund, or dread this time of the year due to a large tax bill [...]
Time to Pick the Low Hanging Fruit
December 7, 2015 By
How We Do Year-End Tax Planning While the official tax day for 2015 is the fifteenth of April, 2016, most of the smart tax planning moves that could potentially save you thousands have to be done by year end. Once the W-2s, 1099s, and other tax forms are printed, it’s generally too late (with a [...]
Income Inequality the Wrong Focus
April 3, 2015 By
The president has called it the “defining challenge of our time.” And he is not the only one focusing on “income inequality.” A simple Google Trends chart (below) shows how interest in that search term has increased significantly over the past few years. But what disturbs me about the focus on “income inequality” and similar [...]
Piketty’s Wealth Data are Worthless
August 13, 2014 By
More and more, Thomas Piketty’s name comes up in the debate on the so-called growing “wealth gap” between the 1% and everyone else. In his new best-selling book, “Capital in the Twenty-First Century,” Piketty argues that capitalism will eventually result in accumulating the wealth of the world into just a few hands to a “potentially [...]
Beware of Letting Your Parents Add You to their Account
August 6, 2014 By
If mom or dad is getting a little older, and needs a little help paying bills and managing their affairs, be careful before you let them add you to their accounts. It might seem like an easy and effective solution to just have your name and/or a sibling’s name added to their banking and investment [...]
Dave Ramsey and the Debt Snowball Strategy
May 29, 2014 By
Dave Ramsey is a popular and sometimes controversial personal finance talk show host. He is looked up to by thousands all across the country for his practical advice, and especially for his unique ability to encourage and motivate people to get out of debt. While, of course, we wouldn’t endorse everything Dave–or any other person–says [...]
How to Pay a Zero Percent Tax Rate
May 16, 2014 By
Give Your IRA to Charity and Get a Big Tax Break
December 10, 2013 By
5 Little-Known Tax Traps for Investors
November 4, 2013 By
The tax code can be a dizzying place for investors, fraught with tax traps set to trip up the everyday investor. Here are a few of the most common tax mistakes we see ordinary investors making: Capturing short-term gains – Realized gains on stocks/bonds held more than a year get better tax treatment. Long-term capital [...]
