Dec 16, 2015

…Call it “the year of mimicking dangerously.”, says Jason Zweig, Wall Street Journal columnist and author of the Intelligent investor.

A handful of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds seek to emulate such leading investors as hedge-fund manager William Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management. Zweig points...

Dec 15, 2015

It's tax time if you are looking for year-end tax planning ideas and strategies. Since 1969, many, many families have used charitable remainder trusts (CRTs) to increase their incomes, save taxes and benefit charities.

What does a CRT do?
A CRT lets you convert a highly appreciated asset like stock or real estate into...

Dec 14, 2015

Up until 2005, Morningstar reports that the expense ratio of ETFs averaged 0.4 percent, according to Morningstar. Since 2005, the average expense of new funds has now jumped to over 0.6 percent, and some new exchange-traded products are charging over 1.0 percent in fees annually.

ETFs suddenly cost more than people...

Dec 11, 2015

You think you have it bad with 1% CDs and 0.025% money markets? If you lived in Europe, you'd be thrilled.

In the topsy-turvy world of negative interest rates, the ECB’s deposit rate is minus 0.2%. Two-year German bonds are now yielding minus 0.4%.

Bond yields across the eurozone have tumbled, meaning investors are...

Dec 10, 2015

For married couples seeking tax savings and lifetime access to cash, a spousal lifetime access trust (SLAT) has become increasingly popular in estate planning in recent years.

The SLAT—the spousal lifetime access trust-- is creating positive buzz because it combines the estate tax savings of an ILIT used for life...