It has been well documented that the S&P 500 index fund has outperformed the vast majority of actively managed funds historically. Having said that, it may not be a prudent strategy to own only the S&P 500. Imagine it is late 1999 and you … [Read more...] about Should You Just Put Everything in the S&P 500?
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Tariffs and Your Portfolio
Foreign trade can be a win-win for everyone involved, and it often is. Tariffs can be a lose-lose for for everyone involved, and they often are. A major factor explaining our trade deficit with China is consumer demand. We Americans enjoy … [Read more...] about Tariffs and Your Portfolio
Why I Started My Own Financial Planning Firm
On March 6th of this year I started an independent registered investment advisor. I wanted to write my first blog post for Meredith Wealth Planning about why I did it, how it's different than every other firm, why it's beneficial to the clients I … [Read more...] about Why I Started My Own Financial Planning Firm
A Bullish Case
Stocks are down big this quarter, and just this month may end up taking home the trophy as worst December in recorded history. Ben Carlson, who writes a blog titled "A Wealth of Common Sense," compiled some data regarding past drops of this … [Read more...] about A Bullish Case
It’s a Wonderful Market
George Bailey had grand aspirations. He planned to leave the crummy town of Bedford Falls and explore the world. When his father asked him if he'd ever consider returning someday to run the family Building and Loan, George responded: "I couldn't … [Read more...] about It’s a Wonderful Market
Warren Buffett: Buy American
Last month was the 10 year anniversary of Warren Buffett's historic Op-ed in the New York Times titled "Buy American. I am". Financial markets were quite scary when this article was released. Since the wisdom of Warren Buffett is much greater than … [Read more...] about Warren Buffett: Buy American
The Economy is Good, So Why Are Stocks Falling?
"Don't just do something, sit there!" -John Bogle Most available economic data suggests things are going quite well. The unemployment rate is 3.7%, which is the lowest in 49 years. Third quarter GDP came in at 3.5%, which solidified the best … [Read more...] about The Economy is Good, So Why Are Stocks Falling?
Tracking Your Budget
Tracking your monthly expenses will not always result in saving money, but it will give you a good understanding of where the money is going, and if there are areas you can cut back on. … [Read more...] about Tracking Your Budget
Wolves Dressed as Sheep
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Matthew 7:15 Victor Lustig sold the Eiffel Tower in 1925 for scrap metal. You read that correctly. Lustig invited a small group of scrap … [Read more...] about Wolves Dressed as Sheep
The Roth IRA Advantage
Conventional wisdom is that your choice between a traditional pre-tax retirement account and an after-tax Roth is irrelevant as long as your tax rate never changes. As a reminder, both a traditional IRA and Roth IRA are tax-deferred retirement … [Read more...] about The Roth IRA Advantage