Read Doug’s articles originally printed in The Jerusalem Post.
Profile Perspectives
Proper financial planning can change your relationship with money.
When Mutual Funds Trigger Unexpected Tax Bills for Americans in Israel
A couple came to me with a portfolio they had accumulated over many years, long before we began working together. They asked about their previous year’s large tax bill. “We haven’t sold anything nor withdrawn money from the account,” they said. “So why do we owe capital gains tax?”
When I reviewed the paperwork with them and their accountant,… Read more
Earning More in Retirement Than While Working? Your Financial Plan May Need Updating
A client called for a portfolio review. Within minutes, she said something that I always like to hear. She and her husband were earning more in retirement than they had during their working years. She paused, as if the reality still surprised her. They weren’t touching savings at all. Everything they needed came from monthly income. … Read more
Forced Early Retirement in Israel? Why Cross-Border Planning Can’t Wait
A professional I spoke with recently had been mentally preparing for retirement at 62. He was still working full time for a U.S. company, managing a team remotely from Israel. Then new leadership began flagging his cross-border arrangement as a compliance issue. Suddenly, retirement was no longer a choice he controlled. … Read more
Can a Trust Protect Your Children Without Causing Conflict?
A client called to discuss how to protect his sons after he was gone… without creating any conflict.
Several years earlier, he had worked with an attorney to establish a trust. A professional trustee would manage the assets, a trust protector would provide oversight, and both sons would be protected from outside pressure or impulsive decisions. … Read more
Scattered U.S. Accounts Are Costing Americans in Israel More Than They Realize
A woman in her early 80s called for a financial planning discussion along with her son. She lives comfortably in Jerusalem, managing expenses from Social Security, Bituach Leumi, and a pension from her time as a teacher. Her American accounts had been scattered across a few financial institutions for years, untouched and slowly leaking value she didn’t realize she was losing. … Read more
The Portfolio Your Spouse Built May Not Be the One You Need
A prospective client sat across from me wanting to review her portfolio. She had moved to Israel several years earlier with accounts managed by a firm in the U.S. and wanted to know if she should stay or switch to someone local.
I pulled up the statement. About half the portfolio was in equity funds and structured products linked to the S&P 500…. Read more
Blockchain Is Not Bitcoin: What Investors Confuse and Why It Matters
“I keep hearing about this blockchain thing,” a client said on a recent call. “Now it seems like it’s actually happening in a big way.” She wanted to invest in a blockchain ETF, but when I asked what caught her interest, the conversation revealed a pattern I see often: investors confuse the blockchain with Bitcoin. … Read more
Retirement Income Gaps: What Americans in Israel Often Overlook
A client called recently because he wasn’t sure what to do next. He and his wife had just sold an inherited property in Israel and received a little over a million shekels. It should have felt like a windfall, but when we walked through the numbers, the reality became clear. Even with the proceeds deposited,… Read more
When Semiconductors Soar in Your Portfolio, Should You Sell or Hold?
A client called while commuting between cities in Israel. The connection was noisy, but the question came through clearly: semiconductors had been performing exceptionally well in his portfolio, and he wanted to know if it was time to trim before a correction.
We reviewed his holdings. He owned several major chip stocks and a semiconductor-focused fund…. Read more
Inherited a U.S. Portfolio? Why the Structure May No Longer Fit
A woman called recently about a retirement account she had inherited. She mentioned Warren Buffett’s advice about simplicity and low-cost index funds, then asked whether she should restructure what she owned. But the real issue surfaced quickly. She was holding about 30 individual stocks, most of them small positions. She had never chosen any of them. … Read more