FINANCIaL
FIELd NOTES
Three Fascinating Books I Read This Year
As the year comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for your continued support. I have received notes of thankfulness, encouragement, and feedback - I appreciate them all!
Here are three books that I found particularly informative this year…
Is Saving In a 529 Plan a Mistake?
529 plans have long been the go-to for college savings. And for good reason - all the growth is tax-free if used for qualified educational expenses. But in recent years they have come under question as parents and grandparents wonder if all that college savings is for waste.
After all, many expect the education system to have some type of reform as the cost of college has ballooned over the past 40 years…
U.S. Debt - Can We Fix A $30 Trillion Problem?
Since 2008, US debt as a percentage of GDP has ballooned from 40% to nearly 100% - the highest levels we have seen since the end of WWII when the US issued all those War Bonds.
While the debt levels in the country are a tremendous concern, there are two larger themes at play that give us some hope for the future…
Potential Pitfalls In Bond Investing
Clients of mine know that we tilt heavily toward low-cost broadly diversified index funds to build portfolios. This has historically produced far better returns than using higher fee active fund managers to try to outperform the market.
However, there are a few areas of the market where we believe good active managers can outperform the index simply due to the flaws in how that index is made. One of those indexes is the bond market…
How To Set Up Sinking Funds
One of the most difficult parts about sticking to a savings plan is that no month looks the same. It’s easy to budget for fixed expenses like your mortgage, phone bill, and subscriptions. With time, you can estimate some variable expenses like eating out and groceries.
But it is much more difficult to plan for irregular expenses like out-of-pocket health care expenses, replacing an HVAC, a big vacation, or a broken transmission…
Why Your Social Security Statement Is Probably Wrong
“These personalized estimates are based on your earnings to date and assume you continue to earn $XXX,XXX per year until you start your benefit.”
When you receive your Social Security estimate, it assumes you will work until you collect benefits, and that is not always the case…