At Apprise Wealth Management, we want to help people make better money-related decisions. We also read constantly and like sharing some of our favorite commentaries each week.
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On Saturday, January 4th, I will be giving a presentation on Behavioral Investing to the Baltimore Chapter of the American Association of Individual Investors. To learn more, check this link, or click here to register.
Here are this week’s articles as well as a brief description of each:
1. 10 Ways Retirement Has Changed Over the Past Decade. How people retire today has changed over the last 10 years. The way you think about retirement should be changing as well. The differences include the following:
· Retirees are living longer.
· Retirement could last for several decades.
· A shift from pensions to 401(k)s.
· Historically low tax rates.
2. Why Child Care Is So Ridiculously Expensive. Working-class parents with children know child-care costs are high. The typical family with children spends about 10% of their income on it. According to this 2013 paper, in the U.S., per-child spending doubled from the 1970s to the 2000s. Part of this was due to higher spending on education, toys, and games. But that paled in comparison to increased spending on child care. Such spending increased by a factor of 21 – roughly 2,000% in that 40-year period. There are three broad reasons for the increase:
· Labor, which is the biggest line item for child-care facilities.
· The industry is highly regulated.
· Real estate costs.
The problem, however, goes beyond the cost. The article also considers whether the U.S. should have a comprehensive, research-based approach to caring for our children before they start kindergarten.
3. The Roth IRA as the Perfect Post-College Starter Account. Any contributions you make to a Roth IRA can be withdrawn at any time, tax and penalty-free. A young adult entering the workforce, in particular, can benefit from these features of a Roth IRA. Their relatively low income makes the tax deduction that comes with an IRA or a 401(k) less meaningful. In addition, amounts contributed to the account can be used to pay for a wedding or a down payment on a home. Any earnings should remain in the account to avoid penalties.
4. How to Read: Lots of Inputs and a Strong Filter. When you read a book, do you insist on finishing it? The author suggests that starting as many books as you can but finishing only a few of them may be a better approach. This concept applies to more than reading books and involves more art than science. Perhaps you can raise your odds of finding the right piece of information if you can quickly say, “that ain’t it” when reading the wrong thing.
5. 10 Mistakes Nearly Everyone Makes When Saving for Retirement. This article focuses on the mistakes people can make in the last 10 years before retirement. In other words, you still have time for some course corrections. But you shouldn’t wait to get started. Adjustments can be made before you retire.
We hope you find the above posts valuable. If you would like to talk to us about financial topics including your investments, creating a financial plan, saving for college, or saving for retirement, please complete our contact form. We will be in touch. We can schedule a call, a virtual meeting via Zoom, or a meeting at Apprise Wealth Management’s office in Northern Baltimore County.
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Phil Weiss founded Apprise Wealth Management. He started his financial services career in 1987 working as a tax professional for Deloitte & Touche. For the past 25+ years, he has worked extensively in the areas of financial planning and investment management. Phil is both a CFA charterholder and a CPA.
Located just north of Baltimore, Apprise works with clients face-to-face locally and can also work virtually regardless of location.
