Read Doug’s articles originally printed in The Jerusalem Post.
Profile Perspectives
Proper financial planning can change your relationship with money.
How Living in Israel Affects Your IRA and 401(k) Retirement Account
If you worked in America before moving to Israel, chances are you have an IRA account.
Should you transfer your retirement accounts to Israel?
An IRA is an “Individual Retirement Account.” There are several types of IRA (i.e., traditional, Roth, simple, and SEP), but the main differences relate to when taxes are paid…. Read more
Does Spending or Saving Make You Happier?
Does having more money make you happier?
Interestingly enough, studies show that the very wealthy may not be significantly happier than “regular folk.” I recently discussed this issue on The Goldstein on Gelt Show with Michael Norton, associate professor at Harvard Business School and the co-author of Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending…. Read more
Should Your Financial Plan Retire When You Do?
When you retire, will you spend your time worrying about your financial situation or enjoying yourself?
When a newly retired couple recently visited my office, they gave me a rundown of their recent expenses. These included traveling, buying gifts for their children, and membership dues to various organizations. They worked hard,… Read more
Four Tips For Retirement Planning
Imagine someone gives you a NIS200 bill and tells you to buy dinner – but without saying where or what you should order. For some people, it would be enough for the entire meal, including the drinks and the tip, but for others it would be gone before the entrée arrives at the table…. Read more
Retirement Planning Isn’t Only About Numbers
Retirement planning is not only financial.
Retirement planning is more than analyzing your expenses and investment accounts. It is a deeply personal journey of who you are, what you like to do, and what type of legacy you wish to create. Retirement planning has a financial component, but before you gather all your bank statements,… Read more
How Much Money Do You Need to Save?
Traditionally, the rule of thumb in retirement planning is that you need 70-80% of your current income during retirement. This lower figure represents all the expenses (transportation, income tax, etc.) that may not appear in your retirement budget. However, basing the size of your retirement nest egg on the size of your income target doesn’t always make sense…. Read more
Your Emergency Fund: An Investment or an Insurance Policy?
Putting aside money for an emergency is a good idea, but for an emergency fund to be fully accessible, it needs to be in a liquid asset. Liquid assets, like money markets and CDs receive low interest. So why is putting money aside that won’t grow a good investment?
Reasons not to invest your emergency fund
The money you put aside for emergencies should be enough to cover several months of fixed income…. Read more
Adding Global Assets to Your Retirement Portfolio
Putting a portion of your retirement portfolio in another country is a good way to diversify risk on a global level. The risks associated with the economy of any single country can be mitigated by purchasing assets in other countries. Geographic diversification can be achieved through a U.S. brokerage firm by buying foreign stocks,… Read more
The Opposite of Spoiled
As a financial advisor, I sometimes come across parents who, in trying to avoid spoiling their children, have passed down negative or unhealthy attitudes to money, either by not speaking about it at all or not teaching their children to relate to money appropriately. This is often reflected in poor spending habits,… Read more
Are Junk Bonds Worth the Higher Yield?
Higher yield usually means greater risk. Frequently, investors are mesmerized by high-yield bonds and ignore the reason for the high yield. Higher yield bonds mean that there is a greater chance the bond might default. Investing in a bond fund or an exchange-traded fund diversifies away some of the risk, but won’t completely protect you from defaults on principal or interest payments…. Read more