Investments

What Was Your Tax Rate for 2023?

It’s that time of year, when you’ve received most of your tax forms for putting together your 2023 tax return. Yes, you can pass that pile along to your accountant, but aren’t you curious about what you’re really paying in taxes? At a minimum, so you can complain with accuracy? THE THREE MAIN COMPONENTS OF […]

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Washington’s New State Capital Gains Tax

After two years of waiting, Washington has a new tax. Last week, the state Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in favor of the new 7% tax on capital gains. At issue was whether it was an income tax or an excise tax. HOW THE NEW TAX APPLIES Before you panic, note that the new tax probably doesn’t […]

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Farewell 2022 (Welcome 2023!)

As we start the New Year, it’s hard not to feel like we are living in some kind of Groundhog’s Day hamster wheel, starting this year with so many elements of the last one. War in Europe, virus warnings, threats to democracy and the challenges of new technologies. We have experienced some major setbacks in […]

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Inflation and the “Post-Pandemic” Portfolio

Just as we have adjusted to everyday life with a global virus, and worked through waves of Delta, Omicron and BA2, BA4, BA5, our financial lives are beset with old fears about inflation, recession and financial market declines.  We knew that we would not be able to just flip a switch and turn the post-pandemic […]

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A Cold, Dark Winter: Crisis, Uncertainty, Ukraine

This month’s intended topic was taxes.  We know that the best laid plans will hit one obstacle or another along the way.  But having a plan – and sticking to it – is one of the best countermeasures to uncertainty. And so this week began with an escalating crisis in eastern Europe. With a 24-hour […]

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Taking Stock of Markets: Institutions, Inaugurations, Elections, Insurrections

After the first week of the year, you might have wanted to cancel your 7-day trial subscription to 2021. But onward we went: election, insurrection, inauguration, impeachment. It shows that the Universe has a wicked sense of humor when we were closing out an impeachment hearing over President’s Day weekend. I’m going to try to […]

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Coronavirus, the Economy and a Recovery: The Way Through, Part 2

March seems like a long time ago, even though it’s only been six months. Life in Corona Times. Back in March we had just started shutdown here in the United States, the economy ground to a halt with exception of a few essentials, the stock market plummeted. We found comfort in Netflix and a stockpile […]

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Investments You Can Make Now (That Have Nothing To Do With Your Portfolio)

Like other advisors during the current market turmoil, I am working with clients on portfolio rebalancing, tax loss harvesting, Roth conversions while account balances may be diminished, and shoring up emergency funds. All of these are good things to consider. But are those the ONLY things you might be thinking about with regard to your […]

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Supply, Demand and the Way Through

For about a week now, most of us have been hunkered down in our little COVID caves under a “social isolation” directive. Some of the rest of you are under strict shelter-in-place orders. Here’s the bottom line: We will get through this. And not in a dystopian, I Am Legend kind of way, though if […]

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Portfolios and Pandemics

They say March goes in like a lion and out like a lamb. The last week of February was not meek nor fierce, but ugly, and I don’t know what to call it. February begins with hearts and flowers, and ends with a new virus, entire cities under quarantine, and all the stock traders heading […]

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