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20 Second Advisor: 6% vs 2.5% Mortgage – The impact of rising rates on home affordability
If you’re looking for a prediction on when interest rates will rise or fall, alas, I cannot give you that info as I left my crystal ball at home this morning. But, I want to point out how much the recent rise in interest rates affect the monthly payments homeowners must pay when refinancing or…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Concentrated Wealth – A good thing until it’s not.
I was in a meeting last week with a group of other local financial advisors. One of the advisors shared a story about a prospect (from long ago) that was a Yahoo executive. At the time, Yahoo stock was soaring. The advisor begged the prospect to diversify and engage in a strategy that would reduce…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Keeping Up With The Steinbergs
Last week, our family took a trip for our kids’ winter break from school. On the long drive, I had the chance to listen to a podcast, The Just Enough Family. It details the rise and fall of Saul Steinberg, an American businessman that rose to great wealth by the age of 30 only to…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Holiday Volatility In Perspective
In the past several weeks, markets have cooled off just a bit from the nearly non-stop bull market over the last 18 months. Here are a few keys things to remember about investing during these periods (and a short video): It is normal for markets to incorporate “new” information into stock prices. The recent Omicron…
Read More20 Second Advisor: How a $12 hamburger costs you $20.34
It’s not totally uncommon to talk to prospects or clients that make several hundred thousand dollars a year, and they don’t know where all their money goes. Ex: We make $300,000 per year, but don’t really have much savings to show for it. Here’s why I think this happens: The more someone makes, the more…
Read More20 Second Advisor: To borrow or not to borrow? Part 2 – Freedom from debt feels good.
Last time, I wrote about the financial elements to consider when you’re deciding whether to pay off your mortgage early. See here for that post. Today, I want to touch on the emotional elements of paying off debt early. As discussed in the last post, you are almost always better off financially to slowly pay…
Read More20 Second Advisor: To borrow or not to borrow? Part 1 – The true cost of mortgage debt.
With interest rates near their all time lows, I want to write a few blogs about mortgage debt. It’s a question we get asked all the time: “Should I pay off my mortgage quicker than scheduled?” Before we answer that question, I want to explore the true cost of carrying mortgage debt. The factors that…
Read More20 Second Advisor: The Boring Way to Building & Sustaining Wealth
I’m asked all the time about the latest investment trends: Should I invest in bitcoin? Real estate is really taking off, should I buy a rental? What about Tesla – are we all going to be driving electric cars in 20 years? At the heart of all these questions is that investors are often looking…
Read More20 Second Advisor: New Money from Uncle Sam (aka: child tax credit) and why it may give families a surprise tax bill next year!
For many American families with children, the Treasury Department started depositing money into their bank account starting in July. What is this new money? Well, the American Rescue Plan (passed earlier this year) expanded the child tax credit from $2000 per child* to either $3,600 (for kids under 6) or $3000 (for kids over age…
Read More20 Second Advisor: Summer Vacation Savings & Travel Tips
As COVID eases, A LOT of Americans are eager to start travelling again. It’s fair to say that there is a substantial amount of pent up demand for travel. Here are a few tips to consider as you plan summer vacations: If you fly, be sure to count up all the baggage fees you may…
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