The debt ceiling traces its roots to 1902. The US government wanted to build the Panama Canal and needed to ask Congress for authorization to borrow specifically for that project. During World War I, requesting such authorization on a project-by-project basis became too cumbersome to fund the war effort. To ease that burden, Congress passed…
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I just finished a book about becoming less distracted so you can live out your highest purpose. Have you ever become distracted from starting or finishing a financial goal? It happens to all of us so don’t feel bad. Just do something about it! My wife and I have a financial goal that’s been hanging…
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Good news: There’s a wedding on the horizon! Our daughter got engaged in December to a wonderful young man, and my husband and I are excited to have him join our family. Bad news: Uh, there’s a wedding on the horizon! It will involve lots of finances and planning, things normally right up my alley.…
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Helping people get their estate plan in order brings me a lot of joy, because there is a deep level of satisfaction that comes from knowing this area is buttoned up. It’s an easy task to put off until “tomorrow.” Here is a quick rundown of how assets are transferred upon death: That said, if…
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I’ve been getting a lot questions from clients on if they should keep their funds in their portfolio or just take it out and put the funds into a bank CD (now paying 4-5%). To me, the question is all about time horizon. Stocks have a much higher expected return (around 10% over the long…
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Who doesn’t love a vacation? This cherished week to get away with family and friends can be a great time to rest and recharge before the final push towards summer. In the midst of travel accommodations, exciting outings and, of course, delicious meals, the total bill for this week can easily get out of hand. …
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My husband and I have long-standing ties to our local brick-and-mortar bank, which provides us in-person service if we need it, a safety deposit box, and our paychecks are direct-deposited there. We don’t pay any fees, but the savings accounts there pay an interest rate of 0.01%. (Translation: keeping $10,000 there for a year generates…
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The inbox ignites with recognition of years of hard work – your child has been accepted into college! As college acceptance letters go out across the nation, many parents and students are struggling to decide how to pay for it all. With the cost of an undergraduate degree having risen 169% from 1980 to 2020*,…
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Many of you have seen the headlines this week about Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse and that some other banks (namely First Republic and Credit Suisse) are in trouble. I thought it would be helpful to give you a brief overview of why SVB failed and if it has an impact on your portfolio. Without further…
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