Using Charitable Gifts to Reduce Taxes
December is the time when many people think about giving to charity. Why? One reason is to reduce taxes, and a charitable contribution may accomplish this goal. Perhaps the only other time of the year when people are as philanthropic is in early April, although the donations made in April before you file your prior […]
Tarren Schaar is now a CFP® Professional
We are very proud to announce that Tarren Schaar became a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional in February. Earning the CFP® certification means Tarren has joined a select group of competent and ethical personal financial planning advisors.
Smart Decisions for College Savings
Clients came to me for advice about saving for their children’s college education. They didn’t know why their prior advisor recommended they set up an UTMA account and a Section 529 college savings plan for each child. During our discovery process, the clients explained that they did not want their children to have access to […]
Emerging Market Stocks
Many investors fell for emerging market stocks after they delivered sizeable returns. More recently, the associated risk of this asset class has reasserted itself and the infatuation has faded. What’s the best approach for investors? A major theme in media
Pre-IPO Wealth Planning
If you’re an employee of a private company on the verge of an initial public offering (IPO) or buyout, here are 5 things you need to do now to maximize your wealth potential: Prepare an inventory of your company stock, options, and other equity awards. Include the vesting schedule for each. Early-exercise your stock options, […]
Protecting Your Survivors
In the event of your unexpected death or disability, your survivors will have greater security if you’ve thought through and acted on the following: Identify your insurance needs. Do you want to leave a legacy? Or is providing for the comfort of your survivors your main goal? Life insurance provides a lump-sum payment upon death. […]
Preserving Wealth After an IPO or Liquidity Event
For the lucky few who manage to work at—or start—the right company at the right time, a big wealth creation event—an IPO, a merger, an acquisition, or other liquidity event—is a once in a lifetime happening. (For an even luckier few, lightning may strike twice or three times.) It’s important to realize early on—before the […]
The Pizzazz of Investing in Gold
Each January, a group of prominent investment professionals gather in New York as members of the Barron’s Roundtable to trade quips, stock ideas, and the outlook for markets and economic trends worldwide. Barron’s—a weekly financial newspaper with
How Much House Is Too Much?
Do you ever wonder about your future? In my interviews with dozens of high-tech executives for my forthcoming book, I heard the same story again and again about how financial decisions made without considering the “fat tails” tend to have considerable negative impact. It goes something like this: After a big IPO or liquidity event, […]
One Journalist’s Personal 401(k) Story and Lessons Learned
Joe Nocera is a bright guy. Over the course of a lengthy career, the former Fortune executive editor who now hangs his hat at the New York Times has won numerous awards for excellence in business journalism and recently co-authored a penetrating analysis of the financial crisis, All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History […]
