Newton Financial Planner

Common financial wisdom is that you should ‘max out your 401(k) contributions’, right?

Rick and I have been discussing this common belief and I decided to do a few calculations on it.

Back in July 15, 1903, the Ford Motor Company took its first order for a Model A. Selling price? A whopping $850.  This car did not have a top, had two cylinders, and could reach a top speed of 30 miles per hour. (Granted, you were probably taking your life in your hands if you went any faster).

Recently we’ve been approached by a few prospective clients who are just about to retire and would like a financial plan. Most have worked hard for years and now want to stop working. They are unsure how many more years they will want or be able to work. They have some money saved but have never really figured out whether they have enough to retire.

That matters and then some.

Last week, a new couple came in that was referred to me by a client of many years.

They were planning on retiring this year and their main concern was not running out of money.

The secret to financial freedom isn't really a secret at all.

Last week, I got a call from a woman that was referred to me by a client.  The conversation went like this.

This past weekend, I was unpacking some boxes of books from our recent move.

As I was sorting through them, I came across Dr. M. Scott Peck's classic, "A Road Less Traveled"

It has been years since I read this book and as I opened it, reading the first line of the book "Life is hard" caused me to pause.

Qualified Charitable Distributions.  The law that allows one to make a contribution to a charity from their IRA if they are over 70 ½ has been around awhile.  It was one of those laws that would lapse and then get reinstated.  With the passing of the PATH Act of 2015, it is now permanent.

In a previous blog article, I mentioned an investment property I bought way back in 1982

In that post, I mentioned how I was cleaning out the basement and there were actually items there that came with the house when I bought it.

The month of August marked an important milestone for the long-running bull market

On August 22, the bull market, as measured by the S&P 500 Index, extended its run to 3,453 calendar days (CNBC, various sources), becoming the lengthiest bull market in history, or at least since WWII.