World chess champion Susan Polgar once told me that all games of chess will end up as a draw unless one side makes a mistake. After she checkmated me, Susan pointed out that my pieces weren’t coordinated. She explained that individually, every piece on the board is relatively weak. However, when they properly work together,… Read more
A tax lawyer recently called me to ask if I could help one of his clients who is inheriting “all sorts of stuff from America.” That “stuff” turned out to be brokerage accounts at two different firms and a retirement account (IRA). “To make matters worse, Doug,” the lawyer told me,… Read more
A retired couple met me in my Jerusalem office and within minutes of sitting down, it was clear that they each had drastically different views about how to handle their retirement nest egg. The husband wanted to invest heavily in the stock market and the wife wanted more conservative investments to protect their nest egg from breaking…. Read more
Are you having difficulty buying American mutual funds?
Recently, many people contacted me after receiving a letter from their existing American brokerage firm saying, “You can no longer purchase shares in U.S. mutual funds.”
Who says you can’t buy shares in certain U.S. mutual funds?
Ultimately, the compliance division (lawyers) of the mutual fund companies must decide where they want to do business…. Read more
If the market goes up, and your stocks make a profit, do you still need to worry about stocks and market risk?
Some folks would say, “Awesome!” But others would worry and think, “What goes up must come down.” Worse yet, people with appreciated stocks realize that if they sell their positions in order to lower the risk,… Read more
I just saw some of the fantastic “selfies” sent back from Space IL’s Beresheet. As of this writing, it is set to land on the moon on April 11th.
While this is certainly a giant step in Israeli aviation history, it is also a powerful lesson in the power of small steps and compound interest…. Read more
To make sure you have a financially successful retirement in Israel, follow these easy tricks.
“I wasn’t sure if I should speak with a financial professional,” a new client explained, “because I didn’t think there was anything you could do.” She continued, “But then I read your article, Retirees Fired by Their Brokers in America, on the same day that I got a letter from my brokerage firm telling me that since I live in Israel,… Read more
If you’ve ever tried to claim an inheritance from abroad, you know the confusion can feel overwhelming. While the deceased may have meant for you to be an heir, the funds don’t magically end up in your account. You’ve got to deal with quite a lot of paperwork and plenty of notarized signatures…. Read more
More and more Americans living in Israel have recently “been fired” by their brokers in America. Their advisors, with whom they may have worked for decades, have informed them that their brokerage firm will no longer service accounts with non-American addresses. Although people of all ages have been ousted, retirees have been hit the hardest…. Read more
