Posts by ssolares

Start your engines . . . Ying and yang. Chocolate and vanilla. Led Zeppelin and The Who. Throughout history, there have always been battles between two competing forces. And now we can add driver versus passenger to that list. Here’s what I mean. Money can create an interesting power dynamic between you (the client) and…

The remaining four things to look out for… In your quest for a good financial advisor, we know we want to work with a fiduciary, a separate custodian, and someone who has their CFP® designation. Is that it? Not quite, but we’re getting close. Criteria 4 – Stick to the 10,000 Hour Rule Psychologist Anders…

Pop quiz. Quick, which of the following is not a real financial designation? LifeUnderwriterTrainingCouncilFellow CharteredMutualFundCounselor CertifiedSeniorConsultant CertifiedFundSpecialist They are actually all real! And trust me, I use the term “real” very generously. So what does this mean? It means there are a whole lot of “professional designations” available to financial advisors to make them sound…

So you want to find a good financial advisor? Okay, that’s great. You want someone to work with you and help you make good financial decisions. Excellent! There’s just one problem. There are hundreds of thousands of financial advisors out there. How are you going to find the one who is right for you? I’m…

You’ll want these three all-stars working for you You can do it! This is the age of information and access. There has never been a better time to take control of your finances yourself than right now. You don’t need help! You can do it all yourself! That sure sounds good, doesn’t it? But it’s…

How could a 5% return be better than a 7% return? You’re about to enter a new dimension, a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind . . . Want to impress your friends and advisors? Want to make more money? This lesson is for you. The question is can a…

There are really only three options when it comes to filing your taxes each year. 1.) Don’t file your taxes. Although this one is a real time saver in the short-run, prison can really ruin a perfectly good day. So that leaves just two options. 2.) Do it yourself. For simple situations, you could probably…

I’ve thought about writing a book called Everything You Need to Know about Income Tax, but it turns out, someone already did. It’s called the tax code, and it consists of rules, explanations, formulas, and opinions on all things related to the federal income tax. You won’t believe how many pages it is. 73,954 –…

As an investor, you are guaranteed to make money, right? That would be nice, but we know you can and will lose money on some investments. So what happens if you buy a stock at $100 and then sell it later for $75? After you have a good cry, you then need to figure out…

Quick Recap Ordinary income is income from most sources, like your job. It’s taxed the most. Capital gains are what happens when you sell an investment for more than you bought it for. These are also taxed, but not as much as ordinary income. And then there is this. It’s a highly secretive investment. Some…