Over the past 12 months, I’ve added a few municipal bond ETFs (exchange-traded funds) to my taxable investment portfolio. I’ve done this to diversify my dividend income and reduce taxes in non-retirement accounts. These investments are easy to buy, have low volatility and risk, and provide monthly dividend income. I use the monthly tax-exempt income…
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10 Wise Investments for a Cash Windfall
The U.S. government is borrowing $1.9 trillion to provide pandemic relief and stimulate the economy. A big chunk of that will be direct payments to Americans. I won’t get into the details of who gets what; you can find that here. Long story short, many Americans will get more than a thousand dollars deposited to…
10 Ways to Improve Your Finances in 2021
Happy New Year! The turning of the new year brings two things to mind for a lot of us: Whoa, I spent too much money last month/year How can I improve my finances this year? I’m not a big fan of new years resolutions (most don’t stick). But I believe in habitual change — deciding…
Growth Stocks vs. Dividend Stocks
What’s the best choice between growth stocks vs. dividend stocks? The answer depends on which strategy helps you to best achieve you investment objectives. One of the biggest financial mistakes I ever made was selling a stock. In 2006, I bought 40 shares of Apple (AAPL) for about $58 a share. I called myself a…
Investing Strategies in Light of the Market Volatility
Patience is not a skill or an inherent ability. It’s a practice, one that does not necessarily develop with age or wisdom. Successful investing takes patience because as you extend your investment horizon, your chances of success increase. You can’t expect good results in the short-term, but you can expect excellent results 10-20 years out…
11 Financial Goals to Set Any Time of the Year
Are you thinking about what financial goals to set this year? According to a motivational flyer in my office, 71% of Americans make resolutions, but only 8% succeed. Put me in that 8%. This year, I’d like to lose about 15 pounds. I also ate a lot of chocolate last week. With setting financial goals,…
Lifetime Income: How to Build it Without Annuities
Have you heard advertisements about creating lifetime income for a secure retirement? I’m always skeptical about annuities because they are so confusing, even for those of us that pay attention. Turns out, the term “lifetime income” is a marketing phrase meant to demystify annuities by highlighting their main benefit. Unfortunately, a new marketing campaign doesn’t…
My Retirement Asset Allocations and Improved Portfolio Page
To be more transparent about my overall investment strategy, I’ve redesigned my Portfolio page and will be explaining the changes in today’s blog post. It now includes the details of our retirement asset allocations, my dividend growth stock portfolio, the forward 12-month investment income (F12MII) chart, and a new financial independence progress chart. I did…
How to Retire at Age 55 – An Interview with Fritz Gilbert of The Retirement Manifesto
Not long ago, a fellow retirement blogger retired at the age of 55. I have the same retirement goal! So when I read about his triumphant exit from corporate America, I thought, who better to interview about how to retire at age 55 than Fritz Gilbert of The Retirement Manifesto? Fritz spent 30+ years at…
Transferring Retirement Assets from Vanguard to Fidelity
I recently completed a six-figure transfer of retirement assets from Vanguard to Fidelity. The transfer is part of an account consolidation effort I put in motion last year to simplify our finances. The need to consolidate accounts became apparent when we started working on our family estate plan. We’re coming close to finally completing our…
6 Powerful (and Low-Risk) Financial Maneuvers that Put Extreme Frugality to Shame
Powerful financial maneuvers are meaningful decisions you make with your money and lifestyle that have a significant long-term impact on building wealth. Too often, we focus on the little ways to save money. We used to be a coupon clipping couple before having kids. We had more time back then. Coupons influenced our shopping choices…
Never Depend on a Single Income
Never depend on single income. Make investment to create a second source. – Warren Buffett Buffett quotes are usually more eloquent. My grammar checker hated this one. But it’s one of my favorites because he sounds like a caveman. And it’s one way I like to think about investing, as a secondary source of income. …
Should You Max Out Your 401(k) in 2021?
Should you max out 401(k) in 2021? The short answer is yes. This article explains why, and the limits for maxing out your 401(k) and IRAs in 2021. The department head at my job invited me into his office for a 30-minute chat when I first started. We spent the time getting to know each other and…
A Three-Pronged Approach To Funding Your Child’s College Education
About twelve years ago before starting a family, I met up with an old college friend for happy hour at a bar in Washington D.C. called The Big Hunt. I remember the booth, nachos, and the conversation like it was not so long ago. My friend was a new Dad. He told me about the college…