Dimensional Fund Advisors and Vanguard (Part II): Dimensional’s Advantages
As I discussed in a previous article, Dimensional and Vanguard are similar but are different in some key respects. While neither fund family relies on…
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Using Donor Advised Funds to Maximize the Value of Charitable Gifts of Appreciated Stock
Through a Donor Advised Fund (DAF), a donor can make a charitable contribution, get an upfront tax deduction, and then recommend what charities to support…
Dimensional Fund Advisors and Vanguard (Part I): What’s the Difference?
Vanguard and Dimensional Fund Advisors (Dimensional) both offer mutual funds that provide investors with broad exposure to various asset classes at a very low cost.…
Using a Donor Advised Fund for Charitable Giving
In the past, when it came to income taxes, people who were charitably inclined could make charitable gifts to reduce their taxable income. While that…
2018 Year in Review
2018 was an unusual year. On the one hand, the US economy posted perhaps its best year since the global financial crisis of 2008: worker…
Why Are Stocks So Volatile?
I had a discussion with someone about the recent stock market decline and he observed that despite the drop in stock prices, corporations seemed to…
Holidays, Gifts and Your Happiness
As a financial planner, I am always intrigued by the behaviors regarding money that I routinely witness during this time of the year. As soon as…
What Is the Yield Curve?
The “yield curve” is a term that is used frequently when discussing the state of the economy. But what is a yield curve to begin…