Dimensional Fund Featured in The Wall Street Journal
Dimensional Fund Advisors are featured in the following article The Active-Passive Powerhouse published in The Wall Street Journal. dfa-wall-st-journal-nov-2016
New Jersey Gas Tax Hike and Impact to Estate and IncomeTax
Governor Christie struck a deal with Democratic leaders of the New Jersey legislature on October 14 that will raised the gas tax but has corresponding sales, estate and income tax cuts to be phased in over the years. Below is a synopsis: Increase the gas tax by $0.23 per gallon (effective November 1, 2016); Finance […]
Financial Planning Tips for the Fall
As Labor Day approaches, kids head back to school and football season kicks off, it is an essential time to get your finances in shape before year-end. Implementing the following ideas can save you money and alleviate stress. Think of it as Fall cleaning for the wallet. Open enrollment for health care benefits typically takes […]
Charitable Giving & Tax Planning
There are many ways to share your wealth. Following IRS rules can even give you a nice reduction in your annual tax bill. Tax planning allows you to give more to your favorite charity and maximize tax deductions. Cash/Check donations – always remember to keep good records of your donations and get receipts. Canceled checks […]
Don’t Leave 401K Matching On the Table
We encourage clients to max out workplace retirement accounts when possible (401k limit is $18,000 annually, or $24,000 age 50+). At a minimum, contribute as much as your employer will match; its free money! The employer matching is often structured as $.50 cents for every dollar you defer, up to 6% of your salary, effectively […]
10 Factors for Financial Success
Today, as a society we tend to view financial success in rather cut and dry ways. A few things we tend to get hung up on when we try to achieve financial success include: a big house, fancy cars, flashy jewelry, or the highest paying job. Are these the things that are really going to […]
Professional Advisors Win with DoL Fiduciary Rule
The recent announcement by the Department of Labor (DoL) establishing a Fiduciary Standard for retirement accounts is a watershed moment for consumers and professional advisors. The rule is a principles-based standard requiring advisors advising on retirement accounts (such as 401(k)s, 403(b)s and IRAs) to work in the best interests of their clients as opposed to […]
Industry Needs to Rid Itself of Misleading Labels
Profound misrepresentation is just one of the many ways the financial services field misleads customers with language. Language matters. Most financial services practitioners call themselves financial planners or financial advisers. But in reality, many, if not most, are salespeople selling products to earn commissions. Why do they call themselves financial planners or financial advisers? Because […]
Why I’m Always Rationally Optimistic
Happy New Year ! I am writing you to summarize the following: An overview of 2015 Stock Market Performance (All Data from Morningstar) January nose dive (or normal market volatility) Why I’m always rationally optimistic (Stolen from the title of Matt Ridley’s Book– The Rational Optimist) – and why you should be too. 2015 Total […]