While it’s important to divide your assets between stocks and bonds, cash plays an important role in your asset allocation.
Cash as an investment vehicle is not the same as any cash in your emergency fund, which should be the equivalent of three to six months’ living expenses. Successful investment portfolios sometimes have a slice of their pie invested specifically in liquid (cash) investments…. Read more
The compliance officers at many mutual fund companies seem to believe that the Patriot Act (which was supposed to deter and punish terrorism, and strengthen U.S. measures to prevent, detect, and prosecute international money laundering and financing of terrorism) made it illegal to let people living outside the United States buy U.S…. Read more
Have you ever wondered which kinds of thinking strategies successful businessmen follow?
According to Stanley Ridgley, a professor in the department of management at Drexel University, the answer to what makes one person stand out from the rest is strategic thinking. When I interviewed Professor Ridgley on The Goldstein on Gelt Show,… Read more
Recently, I received an interesting phone call. The caller was a young Israeli woman. After apologizing for her “not great” English, she told me that she has lived in Israel all her life and has never visited the United States. Her mother was originally from New York but has lived in Israel for several decades and is married to an Israeli…. Read more
As a financial planner, my exposure to the field of behavioral finance isn’t just theoretical. When clients come to my Jerusalem office for a consultation, I’m constantly amazed at how frequently their thought processes and rationalization of decisions follows the scientific research of behavioral finance.
What influences financial decisions?
I recently discussed why people invest the way they do,… Read more
A retired client of mine sent me an email that started: “What a crazy world it’s become! Corona, riots, elections! Who knows what’s next?” I wrote back, “No one knows, but there’s a lot more going on in the world than just that.” I then explained the following three potential money messes and concluded,… Read more
“You always tell people to save,” a prospective client said. “When can I enjoy life and spend money?”
If you’ve been reading my articles and blogs and listening to my podcast (GoldsteinOnGelt.com) over the years, and if you haven’t been spending any money, let’s consider some options for using your cash. … Read more
If you live in the United States and are in a high tax bracket, a good move to minimize your tax bill is to purchase tax-exempt municipal bonds. This may be a smart move since the tax-exempt status of many of these bonds means that you don’t pay tax on the interest payments that you receive…. Read more
Since Americans living abroad are frequently denied the opportunity to buy mutual funds, how can investors diversify their portfolios without being responsible for the day-to-day management of dozens of individual stocks and bonds?
One possible answer is a separately managed account, or SMA. An SMA is a customized portfolio offered by a brokerage firm and managed by an independent investment management firm or money manager…. Read more
Many people consider their home to be their best investment because they get to live in what they hope is a one-way street to real estate appreciation. People’s homes are often the largest percentage of their net worth. However, as I often remind clients, it may be fine to enjoy living in a nice house,… Read more
