How to Build a Common Sense Retirement Plan

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Mar 4, 2025 | Blog, Retirement Planning

Most retirement planning is done with complicated software. Unless the user is highly trained both on the software and with math and investments, mistakes frequently occur and go unnoticed. Making a mistake when building a software-based financial plan is extremely...

Tax Planning for Investors and Business Owners -Three Simple Steps

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Mar 1, 2025 | Blog, Tax Planning for Retirement

If you own a business or are an active investor, tax planning can help you eliminate surprise tax bills. Over the last 25 years I have met dozens of investors and business owners who tell me stories of large, unexpected tax bills. The story is always the same, the...

All Equity Retirement Portfolio. A Critique of Beyond The Status Quo Research Paper

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Feb 27, 2025 | Asset Allocation, Blog, Investing, Investment Risk, Retirement Planning

The recent research paper, Beyond The Status Quo: A Critical Assessment of Lifecycle Investment Advice, has created a lot of buzz since the paper was published. The authors advise an optimal retirement portfolio that is 100% equities with 33% in domestic stocks and...

Fidelity Government Money Market FDRXX You are Paying Too Much in State Tax!

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Feb 25, 2025 | Blog, Tax Planning for Retirement

Investors have invested over $230 billion in the Fidelity Government Cash Reserves Fund, FDRXX. Many of them end up paying state income tax on a portion of their dividend that should be tax-exempt at the state level. How the Tax Mistake Occurs For after-tax investment...

How Your Fee-Based Financial Advisor Hides Commissions

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Feb 22, 2025 | Blog, Fiduciary Standard

Fee-Based Financial Advisors, aka dual-registrants, have both a series 7 stockbroker license and a series 65 investment adviser license. Sometimes they have an insurance license too. According to FINRA, approximately 90% of financial advisors are fee-based dual...

Building a Diversified Portfolio – Three Signs Your Plan Will Fail

by Ethan S. Braid, CFA | Feb 21, 2025 | Asset Allocation, Blog

There is a simple litmus test to determine if your diversified portfolio will fail. Ask yourself the following questions. Do you understand every single investment in your portfolio? Do you know why you own every single investment in your portfolio? Can you...