It’s More Than Money

Quarter In Charts – Q4 2019

It’s interesting to think about what an impact Julius Caesar had on the calendar and from that, our lives. I remember when I started at Smith Partners Wealth Management (then Jonathan Smith & Co.) in 2005. The great Legg Mason Value Trust mutual fund manager Bill Miller was in the middle of his 15th consecutive

The SECURE Act

President Trump signed The SECURE Act of 2019 (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement of 2019), into law on December 20, 2019. While it has a far-reaching scope (see the chart below from Michael Kitces’ in-depth summary,) in this post, I’ll focus on a few provisions likely to affect most workers, retirees, and 401k

Budgeting (Part 1): Rules and Tools

You can find part 2 of Budgeting HERE When I was ten, we would visit our family friends in Michigan called “the five boys”, for obvious reasons. Being a ten-year-old looking for fun, their pig farm was perfect. We would arrive and clamber out of the car yearning for the green light from our parents.

Aging Isn’t For Sissies

Thanksgiving 1986, we traveled to Sewanee, TN to see Jonathan’s family: parents, sisters, cousins, and a host of golden retrievers. Jonathan’s mom, Charlotte, always got an A+ on Thanksgiving. Her home was inviting, her turkey was perfect, she had mastered all the sides as well – always with what seemed like such ease.  But that

The Quarter in Charts – Q2 2019

On the heels of a rough end to 2018, we’ve seen the largest increase in the S&P 500 to start the year since 1997. The chart below from Charlie Bilello details the other top 10 first 127 trading days of the year since 1928. And before your eyes drift to the red, remember that you’re