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Ready to start working on your family history? You’re not alone! Interest in genealogy has grown enormously in the age of online research and DNA testing. Several news outlets claim that genealogy is the second most popular hobby in the United States, after gardening.  Where to Start? Genealogy begins at home. Begin by gathering any […]

Three Times More Verbose Than God! Savant started managing money in April of 1993–exactly 25 years ago. The then, far-fetched concept of managing investments in a disciplined, evidence-based, fee-only, fiduciary way was unique and, frankly, on the fringes. At the time, index funds represented less than one percent of all mutual fund assets and ETFs […]

Global stocks finished the month up 0.9% with international large value stocks leading markets, up 3.1%. One market segment that experienced weakness last month was emerging markets, down 0.4%. Global bonds generally produced slightly negative returns, as yields rose. Increased market volatility in 2018 has resulted in low or negative returns for most stock and […]

With the new tax reform, now is a good time to re-evaluate your current and future tax strategies. With the ultimate goal of increasing after-tax return, the focus here will be less on items like standard deductions, personal exemptions or child tax credits and more on investment tax tools (see Figure 1 below) that can be […]

If you are one of the lucky ones, growing up, Mom always looked out for you, offered you advice, and was there for you in good times and in bad. This Mother’s Day, it’s time to look out for your mom or another mom you love by offering financial education that can help her, both […]

Yes, that is Pease, not peace. Donald Pease was a Congressman from Ohio who inserted a “stealth tax” into the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1990. The purpose of this Pease limitation was to raise revenue by limiting itemized deductions for high income earners. The limitation kicked in at a certain level of Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). […]

You may have heard that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act raised the shared Federal Estate Tax Exemption level to over $22 million for a married couple. It is estimated that this increase will reduce the number of estates subject to Federal Estate Tax in 2018 from 5,500 to only 1,700, which represents approximately only […]

Global stocks (-1.9%) finished the month down amidst rising geopolitical tensions and fears over a trade war. The S&P 500 (-2.5%) struggled while small and small value stocks had positive returns in March, up 1.3% and 1.4%, respectively. International stocks fell across the board. Bonds produced low stable returns – led by international bonds, up […]

On Saturday Night Live in the late 1970s, Gilda Radner did a series of comedic vignettes as Roseanne Roseannadanna, who gave rambling answers to viewer questions. At some point in each one, she would say, “Well, Jane, it just goes to show you, it’s always something — if it ain’t one thing, it’s another.” In the 30+ […]

Global stocks (-4.2%) recorded their first month of losses in over a year. U.S. and international stocks were down across the board with U.S. large value stocks (-5.0%) the worst performing of the group. February also saw Jerome Powell sworn in as Chairman of the Federal Reserve replacing outgoing Chairwoman Janet Yellen. Solid economic data […]

February saw the return of volatility in stocks after an unusually calm 2017. Global stocks had their worst month since January 2016, the S&P 500 experienced its worst single trading day since 2011, and the VIX hit its highest levels since August 2015. Although these events made plenty of headlines, what they actually mean for […]

Home ownership has changed from the way it used to work for prior generations. Fifty years ago, many people bought a home and stayed in it for 30 years or longer. Far fewer take that approach today. As a result, many past “rules of thumb” need to be reevaluated. The answer to “How should I […]