Full Resource List
We take a "household CFO" approach, providing full-service financial planning and investment management with great services and ongoing support at a reasonable price. We are independent fiduciaries and keep our fees low, well below Wall Street rates, while providing services they don’t offer.
We write on practical, thoughtful, well-sourced topics that apply to our clients written by David, Alishia and other humans--not AI.
Below is our full list of resources. Click on the tags in each post to see more on that topic.
How Will You Change Your Life?
“The Myths of Happiness” by Sonja Lyubomirsky explores how good and bad events affect our happiness and dispels some common held beliefs. Having come through my own tough life events, I opened this practice wanting to help people on a deeper level that considers what they really want in life.
The Most Common Target Date Fund Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Most 401(k) plans offer ‘target date funds,’ one-stop investment portfolios with a mix of US stocks, international stocks and bonds that automatically get more conservative (fewer stocks, more bonds) as we approach retirement. But it’s not that simple. Here are the four most common mistakes I see with target date funds.
Study Shows Money Makes Us Happier... Sort Of
In a perfect world, Financial Advisors would be in the happiness business, not the money accumulation business. What’s the point of money and security if it doesn’t lead to more well-being?
When Should I Use a Donor Advised Fund?
Donor Advised funds are ‘a waiting room’ for charitable donations. The donor gets a current tax deduction, pays fees to a custodian (for instance, .60% for first $500,000 by Schwab), and then later suggests when and to whom the money should go.
Green Stocks Don't Perform as well as Investors Hope
One could reasonably take the position that a company better poised to manage the changing environmental future would deserve to be priced higher. But is that the case?
The Biggest Financial Risk for Boomers
You might think the frothy stock market is a risk for current retirees, and you aren’t wrong. What about historically low bond rates? That’s much less of an issue than people think. Long term care insurance, yeah but at least there is Medicaid as a (terrible) last resort. So what is it?
Financial Planning Support for Americans Working Abroad is Crucial
Does your nonprofit have foreign workers or US citizens abroad? Have you thought about providing them financial planning support?
Do You Have a SARSA?
Have you heard of the SARSA? The ‘Super Awesome Retirement Savings Account?’ No, you haven’t because it doesn’t exist. Instead, it’s stupidly called a ‘Healthcare Savings Account’. Do you have one? Are you maxing it out ($3,600 single, $7,200 family) and not spending it? You should.
The Big Six
Six documents you and your loved ones need to help navigate life as you age. Do you have them?
If you said ‘no,’ you are not alone. The number of Americans with a will continues to decrease and is now well below half, 31% according to one survey, and presumably some of those are outdated.