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“Actions have consequences,” our parents told us. “Elections have consequences,” warned Barack Obama. “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction,” Isaac Newton explained. “The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions,” goes an old English proverb. Good observations. We should all pay attention. Since I cannot resist one more cliché, “What goes around, […]

On April 13, 2020, we published a Blog explaining why it was a poor time to own Treasury Inflation-Protected Bonds or TIPs. A mere 14 months later, our position has reversed, but not because we are wishy-washy or undecided. The national situation has changed dramatically, so investment strategies need to be revised and updated to […]

Sometimes a Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®) can provide the frosting on the cake of your personal financial planning. Accountants, attorneys, other tax preparers, stockbrokers, and insurance agents all fulfill necessary functions. But for some important retirement decisions, more is better. Recently, we had an interesting client case involving a 1-time income windfall and its consequences […]

All walls are barriers, but not all barriers are walls. Barriers don’t have to be physical in nature. The Biden administration wants to discourage U.S. multinational corporations from shifting investments, production, and profits overseas. Their plan is to create barriers, such as regulations and taxes, in their attempt to keep businesses home. Oh, and incidentally, […]

We first wrote about the SECURE 2.0 Act in November of 2020, when it looked as though it would be easily passed by year-end. SECURE 2.0 addressed remaining issues from SECURE 1.0, and had bipartisan support. Post-election Congressional squabbling prevented the 2020 version of SECURE 2.0 from getting passed. The revised Bill has now been […]

Frequently heard in our office, “I’d like to retire early, but I can’t figure out how to continue affordable health insurance until Medicare.” In the absence of a beneficent employer, there is little one can do, except to select COBRA (the mandated availability to continue company insurance coverage for up to 18 months) or ObamaCare […]

Recently on the Van Wie Financial Hour radio program, we discussed the Millennial Generation (a/k/a/ “Generation Y”) and their relationship with money and financial planning. The results were very interesting, and most everyone came away with a better understanding of this very large demographic. Millennials are roughly described as people born between 1981 and 1996. […]

Face it, podcasts are all the rage. From the ubiquitous nature of podcasts, we have to assume they are here to stay. Personally, I am not a big fan. Sure, many are entertaining and educational, but you have to go looking for a specific item, and then sit through it, pretty much dedicated for the […]

TCJA, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was a reflection of the policies of a newly elected President and his Administration. Although the law was passed in the first year of the Trump Presidency, it took effect at the beginning of the second year. That is the privilege and usual practice afforded to […]