Tax Planning

Who would want to be tasked with investing their own and other people’s money in companies run by weirdos and jerks? But that turns out to be one of the most important skill sets shared by successful venture capitalists.

The final day of bidding for Warren Buffett’s last charity lunch just got interesting.

Electric-vehicle prices are going up at a dizzying pace these days.

For as long as the market allows, brokers, lenders, and investors are cashing in on the real estate boom in America’s prime vacation spots.

I have identified a few opportunities within my portfolio and wealth management practice that prompt consideration for your own strategies as you plan for large estates.

Mistakes are easy to make but are easier to avoid if you know what a “bad” succession plan looks like.

New research shows that positive returns to ESG portfolios from 2018-2020 were attributed to increased demand for “green“ stocks, raising the question of whether that outperformance will be sustained.

Even as the US real estate market shows signs of cooling, inflation and higher interest rates are making it difficult for young house hunters to buy properties — at least on their own.

The year 2022 sure has felt like a pretty bad one so far: interest rates and consumer prices have spiked up, and stock prices are sharply down. But, in terms of what really matters, many investors are better off than they were at the end of 2021–almost 5% better off for an investor in a diversified balanced portfolio.

My staff told me that we have “become totally focused on AUM and fees. It isn’t a nice place to work anymore.”

The advisors who figure out how to work with Generation Z will take your wealthy Baby Boomer clients away. Stop rolling your eyes and listen to why.

Using this five-question framework will go a long way to help you be effective as you work with foreign-born families in the U.S.

Countless examples of incorrect tax information, ranging from capital gains rates to Medicare premiums to gifting limits and especially the math on Roth conversions can be found prominently displayed across the internet, including on some of the most reputable websites.

New research quantifies the implicit cost that investors incur when index funds, such as those tracking the S&P 500, are rebalanced. Those costs may be avoidable by adopting trading strategies that introduce the possibility of tracking error.

Homeowners should take a total-balance-sheet view when evaluating options for their mortgage.

The world is struggling with simultaneous energy and climate crises. To solve the first could require undoing all the progress made toward greener power and cleaner air. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

While some continuous-care retirement communities (CCRCs) deliver on their promises, others don’t.

Investors in Bitcoin and other digital assets have been pummeled recently by the longest losing streak since 2011.

There are costs to living a virtuous life; It requires going without.

Even in 2022, pensions still command an aura of reverence. A benefit where you work for one company for 30 years and then retire with a livable wage? And you don’t have to fret about picking investments? What’s not to like?

The executive order signed by President Biden in March is clearly the first of several steps that will bring the IRS and regulators closer to your crypto wallet.

As an advocate of advisors working closely with tax preparers, and as a tax preparer myself, I hear the complaint of unreciprocated referrals all the time from financial advisors. Typically, I respond with questions such as…

Our fiscal deficit, as measured by the debt-to-GDP ratio, has grown to levels that could impede growth, as predicted by financial theory and confirmed by empirical evidence. Moreover, new research shows that our burgeoning deficit could increase risk premiums for both stocks and bonds.

How are advisors coping with the new Department of Labor (DOL) rollover rules? Here are a dozen observations.

Cryptocurrencies are the exact opposite of a prudent investment: They’re volatile, have little practical use beyond speculation and crime, often get lost or stolen, and lack the real-world cash flows that underpin the values of stocks and bonds.

The price of foods, fuels and other essential items are spiraling ever upward as Russia’s war on Ukraine compounds supply-chain woes stemming from the pandemic. Central banks may be in the driving seat when it comes to tackling inflation, but it’s governments that face the fallout and so are compelled to act.

I want to draw your focus to the three most important, yet boring, tax strategies that every advisor should be discussing with every client.

Shiller’s CAPE ratio is the most-cited predictor of long-term equity returns. But new research shows that the “Buffett” indicator does a good job of forecasting, and both ratios predict subdued, long-term returns for stocks.

Technology stocks have taken a deep dive, blue-chip stocks are ailing, stablecoins aren’t stable, and don’t even ask about traditional crypto. Art markets, however, are alive and well — and it’s worth asking why.

There are thousands of mutual funds that offer to select stocks and bonds for your portfolio. But which ones are right for you? Use our Premium membership service to add your logo and a note from you and forward it to your clients.

New graduates face fierce financial headwinds of soaring rent, ballooning student debt and inflation. The oft-repeated message to the young to “save early and often” may feel near-impossible. Still, it's worth highlighting the benefit of doing so for those who can somehow squirrel some money away.

The Twitter spat about taxes and inflation involving President Joe Biden, Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers has served mainly to prove that Twitter is a bad place to attempt intelligent debate. Still, the point at issue matters. It deserves a slightly less abbreviated treatment.