It’s that time of year when mutual funds make their capital gains distributions. As of Nov 23, the S&P 500 is up a little over 1% for the year. The Dow (DJIA) is actually fractionally down for the year. However, many mutual funds will be paying out large taxable distributions in the coming weeks. How is this […]
Big changes that affect Social Security claiming strategies
The recent budget bill signed into law on November 2 contained some surprising changes that limit Social Security claiming strategies. The legislation made some major changes to the “File and Suspend” and associated “Restricted claim for spousal benefits”. These strategies allowed retirees to optimize their Social Security payouts, and many advisors had incorporated these into clients’ retirement plans. […]
A Financial Lesson for the New College Grad
It’s that time of year again when college seniors head into the real world. First of all, we would like to congratulate all the new grads on their achievement. Luckily, the job hiring environment is better this year than it’s been in a long time, with the unemployment rate around 5.5%. New grads are often bombarded […]
Is Bad Service Ever a Good Thing?
At L Squared Wealth Management, excellent service is one of our core values. It surprises us when a company that provides poor service is very profitable. Spirit Airlines is one of the fastest growing airlines in the US, with revenue growth over 20% per year for the last five years. Spirit has specialized in a la […]
Manifest Destiny
24 years ago, I quit my job at IBM’s East Fishkill semiconductor facility to go to work for a small, high tech company in California. It wasn’t an easy decision at the time. I had grown up in an IBM family in the Hudson Valley. IBM was in my blood. At that time, very few […]
Are You Your Own Worst Enemy
I am often asked my prediction for the market. I typically tell people the truth: I don’t know what the market will do, especially for the short term. Good news doesn’t necessarily translate into higher stock prices, and conversely, bad news doesn’t always translate into lower prices. Honestly, I don’t believe anyone can predict the […]
Help! My Restricted Stock Units Just Vested. What Do I Do?
Many employees in the Bay Area, especially in Silicon Valley, have restricted stock units (RSUs) that have been granted to them by their employer. These RSUs are one method that your company uses to retain talent. Back in the 1990s, many companies used stock options for this purpose, but these have largely been replaced by […]
Are Markets Rigged Against You?
There has been a lot of news coverage of High Frequency Trading (HFT) and its effects on the markets following the publication of Michael Lewis’ new book, Flash Boys. Mr. Lewis is a well-respected financial journalist who has written several books about the market and investing including Liar’s Poker and The Big Short. Mr. Lewis’ contention […]