The Usual Bank Failures

Warren Buffet wrote, “It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked.”  Sure enough, the recent pace of interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve has exposed a few wet noodles among the banks and real estate companies.  The way things are heading, we soon may have enough for a… [Continue]

Live Event Recording: Tax Hazards of Retirement and Recent Tax Opportunities

In this video, we discuss three tax hazards in retirement and a way to address them. We also discuss useful items from the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the Secure Act 2.0 of 2022.

Why Inflation Reports are 6.5 Months Out of Date

The news has been all abuzz about inflation.  But as is typical with news, the reports may be misleading.  The reason is the inflation reports are 6.5 months out of date the day they are reported. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the November 2022 Consumer Price Index (CPI-U) one-year inflation rate dropped to… [Continue]

Should Debt Be Paid Down?

Clients frequently ask if their debt should be paid down. Generally, we recommend avoiding debt other than a reasonable mortgage, especially as retirement approaches.  In some cases, however, debt can be innocuous or even helpful. This chart summarizes the logical process for deciding to pay off debt. The steps are described below Cash Flow Risk… [Continue]

How Long Are Bear Markets?

When the market is down, our mantra is time eats volatility.  We are very confident in the maxim because of the mathematics of volatility, but it’s important to understand how much time. S&P 500 Bear Markets To answer this question, we examine the monthly total returns of the S&P 500 since June 1927 through May… [Continue]