May 15, 2017 | Blog
Here’s a little tax humor for you:
“What did the Taxman say to the Qualified Plan?”
“Give me, give me, give me.”
I offer you this possible chuckle with a bit of seriousness too. It’s clear that many people contribute (or have an employer contribute on their behalf), to a qualified plan, such as a 401k, ESOP, defined contribution plan, or other pre-tax savings program. However, it’s also true that in order for these contributions to actually be taxed at a lower rate than your current rate, you’d have to have less income, for one, and the tax rate could not have increased, for another. But will both of these future conditions really be met? (more…)
Apr 13, 2017 | Blog
Recently, I was in Las Vegas for a convention and I happened to walk through some of the casinos. It appeared to me that some of the people playing the slot machines, poker tables, and other games of chance either looked rather depressed (perhaps they were losing?) or excited (perhaps they were winning?). But what also struck me about either situation was that all of them had at least one thing in common as related to playing the game; namely, they had to decide – at some point – to either be in the game or get out of it. If they had been losing, getting out likely meant locking in the losses. And, conversely, if they had been winning, getting out meant erasing the possibility of winning even more. Either way, a tough call.
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Mar 15, 2017 | Blog
When I was a boy, one of the rules I was taught to live by was to never hurry to a whooping. That meant that when the school bully threatened me with beating me up as I got off the bus, that perhaps, rather than try to fight him, the best thing to do was just not get off the bus! Go a little further to another stop and get off there instead. The extra walk would be worth missing the whooping!
The same is true in our financial life. Have you noticed that recently the banks have started to really push short-duration loans? Fifteen years, ten years, or even less? (more…)
Feb 15, 2017 | Blog
Sometimes people wonder what the difference is between what advisors at Dumont Financial do and, say, their accountant, or even their uncle who doesn’t work in finance at all (but is a really smart guy). I explain the difference with a question:
“If you had a toothache, would you call your podiatrist or your dentist?”
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