Finance 101: The role of luck
“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.”
–Humphrey Bogart, “Casablanca”
In what may be one of the most iconic scenes in movie history, Bogart’s character, Rick...
Why a good financial plan is always wrong
“Every financial plan is wrong. They’re all shots in the dark. It’s impossible to predict the future, and there’s an almost infinite number of moving parts that will impact your financial life.” –Bob French,...
You never really know
I think it was 1993 when I met a potential client who wanted to discuss his financial situation. At that time, I worked for a big financial services company in San Francisco, and people...
Finance 101: What kind of an investment is a home?
When people start thinking about buying their first home, their brains are inundated with all kinds of worthy questions. Some are quality of life questions like, “Where do we want to buy, what kind...
Finance 101: It’s broken, and you’re dumb
No one likes to see their investments go down in value, but that happens. But when they do, does that make you bad or dumb? No, of course not. But it sure feels that...
Finance 101: Target Date Funds
Retirement savers have, for forever and a day, been challenged by how to reasonably invest their savings. 401(k)s and IRAs have been the primary savings vehicles people have used over the past 35 years...
Finance 101: Back to normal
It’s almost the end of the year, and an eventful year it has been. Threats of trade wars, worries about a slowing economy, all the theater coming from Washington, D.C., and lots of other...
Finance 101: How to help avoid elder financial abuse
America is growing older. Every day of the week, 10,000 people turn 65. This is what has been referred to as the “baby boom bulge,” but even without this incoming wave, we already have...
Finance 101: Roll or stay
Americans have a significant part of their retirement savings in defined contribution plans. Think 401(k)s and 403(b)s. And there are tens of millions of participants in those plans. And they hold approximately seven TRILLION...
Finance 101: The end-of-history illusion
Over the long arc of time, things rarely stay the same. What was the steady rock of consistency yesterday is somehow irrelevant today. We all realize change happens. We realize that change happens, but...
Finance 101: When wildness lies in wait
“The real trouble with this world of ours is not that it is an unreasonable world, nor even that it is a reasonable one. The commonest kind of trouble is that it is nearly...
Finance 101: Control what you can control
In today’s hyper-connected information and news-cycle world, we are constantly buffeted with more, often contradictory, messages. Everything moves fast. We are subject to so much more than we previously were. Whether it’s politics, the...
Finance 101: Ready for college costs? Maybe
The goal of attaining a college degree is deeply ingrained in the American dream. It’s both aspirational and practical. Almost 70 percent of high school graduates will head to college in the year they...
Finance 101: Enjoying life, now or later
I have often wondered why people, in general, seem unwilling to do any kind of actual financial planning for their later years. A short time ago I came across a cartoon by Randy Glasbergen...
Finance 101: We get happier as we age
I have long followed Tadas Viskanta's excellent blog, Abnormal Returns . As an advisor and planner, I find it to be an excellent resource for thought-provoking writing and articles for the somewhat nerdy financial...
Finance 101: Bull markets
This run in the stock markets, over the past 20-plus months, has been pretty impressive. Since the lows in February 2016, global stocks, as measured by the ACWI global stock index, have returned 40...
Finance 101: Young and out in the world
Let’s face it: Starting out on your own after escaping the cloisters of your parents’ home or college is pretty great. You can now call all the shots. This new independence is exciting, and...
Finance 101: Retirement Saving
So you’ve been pretty busy these last 30 years and, for a range of reasons, saving for retirement has taken a backseat. The last 15 haven’t been a cakewalk either. A recession starting in...
Finance 101: Planning for healthcare costs
Since the presidential election, the topic of healthcare costs has been front and center in our national discussion. While President Trump’s agenda was recently defeated, this topic will not go away anytime soon. And why...
Finance 101: Divorce?
If you are divorcing, the impact to your finances could be significant, whether you are handling the process via mediation or are headed to court. And I am not talking about the legal bills,...