These articles have been compiled from the last 25+ years and are archived here to serve as an incredible free resource for our long time listeners and those new to the show. Topics range from financial planning basics to politics, life, the economy and more.
In the Book of Genesis, God gives Adam and Eve dominion over all the earth, forbidding them only from tasting the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. And for a moment, their innocence is perfect. Then, being only human, they succumb, and bite the apple. This is the original transgression, and when they […]
More Trouble from the Firm with the Aging Hippies in Their Ad Campaign The Wall Street Journal reported that a group of Exxon Mobil Corp. employees who claimed that their broker pushed them into unsuitable risky investments were awarded $22 million, including $3.5 million in punitive damages. This happens to be one of the largest […]
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… Companies that sold pet food online, web portals geared toward left-handed vegetarian cross-dressers, and just about any company that held the criteria of having a dot com attached to it and was led by some “visionary” 22 year-old with a goat-tee and black turtleneck had […]
For individuals who have a life insurance policy that is more than two years old, chances are that you are paying too much. Increased life expectancy coupled with a term life insurance industry that has grown very competitive has pushed rates down. We have been conducting insurance reviews for our clients and have often come […]
The House and Senate have agreed in principal to a tax package that would increase the exemption for the alternative minimum tax in 2006. The exemption would increase to $62,550 and $42,500 for joint and individual filers respectively. The AMT exemption was $58,000 for joint filers and $40,250 for individual in 2005. Charles Grassley R-Iowa […]
The IRS released the new depreciation limits for vehicles used 100% for business. For 2006 it is $2,960, $4,800 in 2007, $2850 in 2008, and $1,775 in the following years. Under the current depreciation limits it would take approximately 20 years to fully depreciate an automobile with a cost basis of $40,000. A strategy that […]
This past month we were alerted to some sobering, but expected news from the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. Most homeowners are expecting to retire “on the house” using their home as their primary retirement vehicle. The study also notes at the same time these same individuals are reducing their equity by borrowing […]
Our old nemesis H&R Block is in the news once again. The New York State Attorney Generals office has sued the tax preparation behemoth for fraudulently marketing individual retirement accounts. It is alleged that H&R Block opened more than 500,000 “Express IRA” accounts over the past four years. However, 85% of the customers who opened […]
The House and Senate have agreed in principal to a tax package that would increase the exemption for the alternative minimum tax in 2006. The exemption would increase to $62,550 and $42,500 for joint and individual filers respectively. The AMT exemption was $58,000 for joint filers and $40,250 for individual in 2005. Charles Grassley R-Iowa […]
In all the years I have been writing this newsletter and doing the radio show I have never witnessed the precipitous instances of investment fraud throughout the nation. I have read on average about ten stories a day about one investment scam or another from all corners of the country. It is quite a lot […]
Over the past five years we have reported on many of the nefarious practices put into play by the big brokerage firms in order to further their long-term goal of ridding themselves of “small investors” to boost the bottom-line. Dumping on the small investor has not only become policy for some firms, it has also […]
Albert Rocha stared at financial papers on his table for a moment then detailed how he, a World War II veteran, invested more than $100,000 in what prosecutors now say was a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme. More than a decade ago businessman John Heath sat in the 91-year-old’s home and promised him large returns for […]