Analysis leads to paralysis, and this holds true for homebuying. It’s the biggest expense you’ll ever encounter, aside from retirement. That’s why it’s so important to get it right. And right now, many people are getting this wrong. Very wrong, actually. But there’s still time to fix this. So, what are people doing? Many people assume with financial conditions that whatever happened recently will continue forever. In fact, financial conditions are ALWAYS changing. Change IS the constant. And right now, many people are fixated on mortgage rates. As a result, many homebuyers are sitting on the s ..read more

With the combination of elevated mortgage rates, sky-high home prices, and scarce inventory, housing market conditions are more challenging than they have been in a long time. That’s why we wrote this blog to better understand the motivations of both buyers and sellers in the current market, in the form of a dialogue.   Seller: Hi there! Welcome to the open house for our humble abode.   Buyer: Thanks. I've been eyeing this neighborhood for a while. But I've got some concerns about buying when mortgage rates have jumped sharply, and home prices are sky-high. Seller: Yeah, it's a bit ..read more

Year after year, most people ‘leave money on the table’ by neglecting small actions they can take to reduce their tax bill. This happens in spite of the fact that most actions require very little effort, and people hate paying taxes. That’s why we created the Tax Cut Challenge. It’s a list of 7 easily implemented actions you can take to reduce your tax bill for 2023. Also, we’ve included common objections to taking action, and why that’s often not the best choice. So, what’s the catch? There is no catch, but there is a deadline.  To reduce your taxes for 2023, each of these must be ..read more

The tech world has been abuzz with the news of the VMWare acquisition by Broadcom since it was announced. Even for Broadcom, which is a serial acquirer, this is a big deal. This M&A transaction holds the potential for exciting changes and opportunities, but it also raises important questions about what will happen to your employee stock options, Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), and owned shares. For many employees, these are an important piece of your total compensation package, and understanding how they will be handled in this transaction is crucial to receiving everything that you have ea ..read more

The imminent IPO of Klaviyo, a star in the e-commerce marketing space, has sent ripples of excitement throughout the tech startup community. How come? It’s not just because Klaviyo has done so well and gathered a great level of attention along the way (they’re really good at marketing!) Of course, there are other startups doing quite well, in Boston or elsewhere. It’s also because the IPO market for tech startups has been at a near standstill for almost two years. After a white-hot IPO market in 2021, 2022 brought on large losses for many IPO investors, leading many companies to delay their ho ..read more

One of the unexpected, but positive, side effects of high inflation is that rates on deposits and short-term bonds have risen dramatically. For most people, this has not gone unnoticed. As a result, many people have been plowing money into accounts to earn rates of interest they may not have seen in a very long time, or ever. Inflation reached levels not seen in nearly 40 years, so for savers and investors below the age of 60 (i.e., working age the last time this happened) this is a very foreign experience. Recently, I spoke to Rachel Christian from Penny Hoarder in this article, including ho ..read more

When it comes to money, some topics can be difficult to discuss with your partner. And on top of that, not every household chooses to do things the same way. So what’s key to discussing (and handling) money in a marriage? Some people choose to combine their finances, and others don’t. BOTH are completely fine. What matters most? Both partners need to be on the same page. This means spending habits, transparency, and open communication. It’s not reasonable to expect to agree on everything, but you both need to be fully informed. Several months ago, I spoke to Nathan Place from Financial Planni ..read more

Real estate decisions can be a polarizing topic for many families, not just because it is often the largest financial asset they own, but also due to differing opinions on whether it should be considered an investment or a living expense. Recently, I shared my insights with Nathan Place from Financial Planning magazine, and in this article I’ve included my complete thoughts. So, should real estate be treated an investment? The short answer is “it depends”, but it really comes down to the purpose for which the property was purchased. Primary residences are a living expense Primary residences s ..read more

After a flurry of activity leading up to tax day each year, many people want to put taxes out of sight and mind. Instead, a better course of action is to take proactive steps and reduce your tax bill going forward. Pro Tip: Stop waiting for tax reform, and give yourself a “tax cut” by taking proactive steps to reduce your tax bill this year. Why now? Because many of the things you can do to reduce taxes need to occur during the year, rather than after. And having recently filed your return, you’ll have a good memory of what went into your return. Recently, I shared key tips with Jo Consta ..read more

Recent bank failures have prompted many people to ask, “Are my bank deposits safe?” This hasn’t come up much since 2009, so last week I shared my insights with Dinah Brin from ThinkAdvisor on the topic. Thankfully, the answer is often an unqualified “YES” (i.e. below FDIC deposit insurance limits), or it can be easily resolved by spreading money across a sufficient number of banks and accounts. That’s because FDIC insurance limits are $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each ownership category (see this FDIC guide on what’s covered). So for people with over $250,000 in bank deposits ..read more