by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Jun 8, 2024 | Blog, Investing
Recessions and bear markets are a normal part of the business cycle. There have been ten recessions in the past seventy years; with a recession occurring about every seven years on average. Bear markets come in two varieties, short term, and secular. Short term bear...
by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Jun 7, 2024 | Blog, Estate Planning
Over my career as a financial advisor I have met with over 300 wealthy families to discuss their estate and retirement plan. About 80% of the time, assets that should be in a trust, are not in the trust. Trust funding is one of the most common estate...
by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Jun 6, 2024 | Blog, Estate Planning
Over the last 25 years I have advised hundreds of wealthy families with their estate plans. In my experience, around 80% of the time, there will be mistakes with trust funding. The most common mistake is simply not funding the trust. Many wealthy families assume that...
by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Jun 5, 2024 | Blog, Retirement Planning
The number of years a $1 million dollar portfolio will last a person in retirement will depend on the following four factors: Asset Allocation Spending Rate Percentage Investment Selection & Performance Behavior ASSET ALLOCATION Asset allocation is a critical...
by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | May 30, 2024 | Blog, Fiduciary Standard
What is the fiduciary duty and why is that important? The fiduciary duty requires an investment adviser, by law, to act in the best interest of her clients, putting her clients’ interests ahead of her own at all times.[i] Under the fiduciary duty, an investment...
by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | May 30, 2024 | Blog, Retirement Planning
HOW MUCH CAN I SPEND IN RETIREMENT? This question is one of the most common questions people ask me when working on their retirement plan. I have often had people tell me that they were planning to spend 5% of their portfolio during retirement. For some reason, many...
