Read Doug’s articles originally printed in The Jerusalem Post.
Profile Perspectives
Proper financial planning can change your relationship with money.
Is Social Security Another Ponzi Scheme?
Boy! I really riled the feathers of a Nobel Prize winner recently when I suggested that the U.S. Social Security system resembles a Ponzi scheme. Let me give you the background: Since I work with many American olim when I help them put together financial plans and handle their U.S…. Read more
The Real Risk You Need to Know About Now
On Wall Street, risk means the possibility of losing some, or even all, of your original investment. Risk is the chance that your final investment return will be different than what you expect it to be. The risk/return tradeoff is the balance between the lowest possible risk one is willing to assume and the highest possible return one can hope to achieve based on the risk taken…. Read more
The Secret of Planning a Good Retirement
The most important time to focus on a successful retirement may be the five years preceding retirement.
Five Years and Counting
The five-year period leading up to retirement is generally the time people bring home their largest paychecks due to their experience and company seniority. At the same time,… Read more
How “Have Nots” Can Become “Haves”
People are often divided into two categories: “haves” and “have-nots,” or fiscally “organized” versus “disorganized.” Some folks can recite their monthly expenses, savings and pension plans by heart, while others have no idea what they spend weekly on groceries. While these two categories of people may approach their finances from dramatically different angles,… Read more
Should You Consider a Stock’s Price or Value?
You’re about to read an article about how to choose stocks to buy. If you’d rather not choose your own stocks, but still think you should have them in your portfolio, consider using an “institutional money manager.” Learn how the big players have their portfolios managed in the video called,… Read more
How Thinking Like an Economist Can Help You Retire Successfully
Are your financial decisions based on emotions or are they a rational evaluation of facts? Would making decisions like an economist help you further your financial goals?
Recently, on The Goldstein on Gelt Show, I discussed the role of reasoning in making economic decisions with Randall Bartlett,… Read more
Two Ways to Choose a Good Investment
Two common investing strategies are growth investing and value investing. While both have the same objective of increasing principal, they each have different ways of achieving that goal.
Growth investing
Growth portfolios invest in corporations whose profits are expected to grow rapidly. This generally includes such companies as pharmaceuticals,… Read more
Family Economics: Is it Rational?
Being both a financial planner and the owner of a company has given me the unique opportunity of seeing how running a household can be very similar to running a small business.
Both require rational decision-making, planning, and strategy in order to be successful. Just as a business owner needs to know what his resources are and if his targets can be met realistically,… Read more
Did You Get a Letter Saying You Can No Longer Buy U.S. Mutual Funds?
When you lived in America, you probably bought mutual funds through your U.S. brokerage firm. However, now that you live overseas, you might have some difficulties doing the same. Recently, many people contacted me after receiving a letter from their brokerage saying, “You can no longer purchase shares in U.S…. Read more
Three Tips for a Successful Portfolio
When building your investment portfolio, keep the following three tips in mind:
Diversify your investments
It’s never a good idea to keep most of your money in a single stock or investment. Even if the firm is solid, you never know what the future may bring. If the company tumbled,… Read more