When reviewing their investment portfolios, investors frequently focus on the wrong item—the rate of return. Where should you start? You should center your attention on the areas that are under your control. The Amount of Money Saved The amount of money you…
Control Your Destiny
Tagged with: 401 (k) Plan, 529 Plan, Asset Allocation, Bear Market, Financial Advisor, Income Tax, Income Tax-Free, IRA, Retirement Plan, Stock Market
Mad Max Was Wrong
Mad Max 2 known as The Road Warrior was a 1981 movie that was the second installment of the Mad Max film series. The star and hero of the movie was Mel Gibson (remember him?) who played “Mad” Max. The…
Tagged with: commodities, Connecticut Water Service, Economics, Economics 101, Fed, Fracking, Interest Rates, Oil, OPEC
5 Easy Ways to Plan for the Certainty of Your Financial Uncertainty
Expect the Unexpected Expect the unexpected. When the unexpected happens, there is no do-over. There is no reset button to push. Remember, You Only Get a Mulligan in Golf. You knew that already. So why am I telling you this?…
Tagged with: 401(K) Plan, Cash Reserve Fund, Disability Insurance, Estate Planning, Financial Planning, Great Recession 2008-2009, IRA, Risk Management, Roth IRA, SEP, Term Life Insurance
The Tale of Two Unrestricted Gifts
This is tale of two unrestricted gifts made by donors when they passed away. Robert Morin Robert Morin worked as a librarian at the University of New Hampshire (“UNH”) for nearly 50 years. When he passed away…
Tagged with: Donors, Estate, Estate Planning, Financial Advisor, Manchester Community College, Manchester CT, MCC, Net-worth, QCD, Qualified Charitable Distribution, Restricted Gifts, Unrestricted Gifts
May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor
The Hunger Games was a bestselling novel that was subsequently made into a movie. Both were awesome. The setting is one where the Capital is abundant in riches. The outlying 12 Districts are all living in poverty. Every year…
Tagged with: 401 (k) Plan, Captial Gains, Connecticut Income Tax, Connecticut Income Tax Rates, Estate Planning, Financial Planner, Financial Planning, Income Taxes, Investors, IRA, Long Term Capital Gains
What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been
Has it ever. Now that the Presidential Election is over many are left scratching their heads. President Elect Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on January 20, 2017. Very few pundits predicted…
Tagged with: Brexit, Dow Jones Industrial Average, Federal Deficit, Federal Reserve Board, Great Recession 2008-2009, Interest Rates, Lehman Brothers, Prime Interest Rate, Quantitative Easing, The Great Recession
Why The Fed Got Off its Assets and Raised Interest Rate
The Federal Open Market Committee (“FOMC”) raised the Federal Funds Target Rate by .25% from .50% to .75%. The Federal Funds Target Rate is the interest rate charged to financial institutions for the trading they do with each other overnight.…
Tagged with: European Central Bank, Federal Funds Target Rate, Federal Open Market Committee, Federal Reserve Board, Great Depression 1929, Great Recession 2008-2009, Inflation, Lehman Brothers, Quatitative Easing, S&P 500
Patience Pays Dividends
For months prior to the presidential election, investors remained in a holding pattern, poised to see how the domestic and global markets would react. Many international markets saw pullbacks, but U.S. stock markets surprised to the upside, rewarding investors after…
Tagged with: Consumer Confidence, DJIA, Economy, Federal Reserve, Federal Reserve Board, GDP, NASDAQ, Presidential Election, S&P 500, Stock Market
7 Easy Year End Tax Saving Steps for Connecticut Taxpayers
1) Fund a CHET 529 College Savings Plan 529 College Savings Plans are an effective way to save for a child’s or grandchild’s education. The State of Connecticut allows Connecticut Taxpayers to fund a Connecticut Higher Education Trust (“CHET”)…
Tagged with: 401 (k) Plan, 529 Plan, Connecticut Estate Tax, Connecticut Income Tax, Estate Planning, Income Tax, IRA, Roth IRA, Tax Code, Tax Deferred Accounts, Tax-Free
7 Reasons Not to Wait Until Thanksgiving to be Grateful
You don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to be grateful. You can be grateful every day. It’s your choice. Life might not be going swimmingly well for you every day. I get it. I truly hope you didn’t expect it…
Tagged with: Average Joe's, Bill Gates, CD's, College Board, EU, European Migrants, European Union, Federal Funds Target Rate, Federal Reserve Board, GDP, Germany, Grateful, Great Recession 2008-2009, Greece, Gross Domestic Product, Harvard, Manchester Community College, Mexico, Microsoft, Migrants, S&P 500, Spain, Standard & Poors 500 Index, Thanksgiving, The Fed, U-3, U-6, Unemployment Rate, Unemployment Report
