Why sell shares when you can gift them? If you have appreciated stocks in your portfolio (and you hold them in a non-qualified account that doesn’t get special tax treatment), then you might want to consider donating those shares to charity rather than selling them someday. Why, exactly? Donating appreciated stock to a tax-exempt charity…
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A first-world problem, and nothing more? Not quite. Getting rich quick can be liberating, but it can also be frustrating. Sudden wealth can help you resolve anxieties about funding your retirement or your children’s college educations, and newfound financial freedom can lead to time freedom – greater opportunity to live and work on your terms.…
Read MoreYear after year, in bull and bear markets, investors make some all-too-common blunders. They have been written about, talked about, and critiqued at some length – and yet they are still made. You can chalk them up to psychology, human nature, perhaps even a degree of peer pressure. You just don’t want to find yourself…
Read MoreThe playing field is level – but only at the federal level. A year after the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in U.S. v. Windsor, financial options have definitely improved for gay and lesbian couples who have married or intend to marry. Irritating residency issues remain, however, en route to true equality. Residing in a state…
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TOD & JTWROS…what do these obscure acronyms signify? They are shorthand for transfer on death and joint tenancy with right of ownership – two designations that permit the automatic transfer of bank or investment accounts from a deceased spouse to a surviving spouse. This automatic transfer of assets reflects a legal tenet called the right…
Read MoreHow will Wall Street fare if interest rates climb back to historic norms? Rising interest rates could certainly impact investments, the real estate market and the overall economy – but their influence might not be as negative as some perceive. Why are rates rising? You can cite three factors. The Federal Reserve is gradually reducing…
Read MoreRobert Pagliarini was quoted in a New York Times column by John Tierney titled “How to Win the Lottery (Happily)“. Here is an excerpt: If you have won the lottery, or if you plan to do so, please keep reading this column. The information is vital not just to your happiness but also to the…
Read MoreHow would you like a guardian angel watching over your investments? Impossible you say? Many sophisticated investors who have their assets in a trust are using something called a “trust protector” to look over the activities in the trust and to protect the beneficiaries. A trust protector is something (and someone) you can describe in…
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