The income side of fiscal policy (i.e. taxation) is always highly politicized. The song never seems to change. Republicans think everyone pays too much. Democrats think everyone pays too little. An oversimplification? Maybe. Nonetheless a basic understanding of the proposals independent of the emotionally-charged rhetoric can go a long way towards achieving Thomas Jefferson’s view [...]
Two plus two equals four. That’s math. It’s real. It’s measurable. It’s fact. That’s how finance is supposed to work. But maybe four is not enough. Maybe it’s too much. How quickly can I get from two to four? I used to be at four but now I’m at two and since four is ‘right’ [...]
Why would anyone want to live in California? The more you have the more they want…so they can give it to someone else. In our two-party system country it’s a one-party state anomaly. It’s been Democratic for eons but for the brief tenure of Gov. Schwarzenegger. Where does the system of checks and balances lead [...]
What each candidate has in mind for our tax dollars:
Realizing that in 2020 we speak in silly absolutes (e.g. if you aren’t outraged that your toaster has darkness settings then you are racist) we’ll preface this post with the following: We’re apolitical. We don’t care. Democrat or Republican. Whatever. Can we all just get along? Anyway... Back in 2016 we wrote about the Delaware [...]
Feb 2020: The S&P 500 hits an all-time high before the COVID-induced selloff. Aug 2020: The S&P 500 recovery is complete as the index sets a new all-time high. A funny thing happened along the way that’s not captured in the above graph. Earnings and projected future earnings fell off a cliff – the [...]
When the government rushes out a program that lacks oversight and is based upon arbitrary rules it’s going to create many unintended consequences. If you’re pro-Democrat or pro-Republican you can find what you like/dislike about ‘stimulus’ payments and head over to Twitter for ‘reasonable and intelligent discourse.’ This post is not about commentary. We’ve already [...]
Maybe it’s fight or flight but when times are good people tend to worry about the next downturn. When times are bad people tend to worry it can only get worse. It’s why those preaching negativity sound astute whereas those being pragmatic or positive sound out of touch with reality. Consider the economy and its [...]
The so-called TINA trade (“there is no alternative”) suggests stocks are the only place to invest. Cash is yielding nothing unless you want a 1-year CD at 0.10%. The 10-year Treasury (currently at 0.695%) is risky as rates have nowhere to go but up. Corporate bonds might be attractive on a risk/return basis but for [...]
IRA owners in mandatory distribution status need not take their Required Minimum Distributions for tax year 2020. The waiver is part of last week’s legislative action taken by Congress and signed into law by the President to provide fiscal stimulus during the COVID-19 crisis. Governmental logic (not meant as an oxymoron but…) is that without [...]