“I see Israel as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. Next week I celebrate the 22nd anniversary of my arrival in Israel, which means […]
“There are an awful lot of things going on that need understanding and explanation. To put it mildly: The world is a mess.” – Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright I can’t begin to tell you how many of my clients believe that we are approaching the end of the world. Well maybe not […]
Talk about inspiration. Tuesday’s arrival of the first Nefesh B’Nefesh flight of the summer, with hundreds of North American olim coming here in the midst of a war, was certainly the definition of Zionism. I want to personally wish all of you freshly minted olim a big mazel tov and wish you success in your […]
Have you received a letter from your US investment firm telling you that on such and such a date you will no longer be able to purchase mutual funds or invest new money with them because you live overseas? Well if you have, you are not alone. Many firms have sent out similar letters over […]
“There is no lonelier man in death, except the suicide, than that man who has lived many years with a good wife and then outlived her. If two people love each other, there can be no happy end to it.” – Ernest Hemingway I want to apologize from the outset for what could be classified as […]
As we celebrate Shavuot, the holiday of the Jews’ receiving the Torah on Mt. Sinai, outside of eating cheesecake with blueberry topping, one of the high points of the day is the reading of the Ten Commandments. While far less spiritual, what better time is there to discuss the Ten Commandments to help achieve financial security than […]
A shocking study was recently released by the FINRA Investor Education Foundation, “The Financial Capability of Young Adults – A Generational View,” which showed a serious lack of financial knowledge and problematic financial behavior. Only 24 percent of millennials were able to answer four or five questions on a five-question financial literacy quiz correctly. And […]
As the U.S. stock market ( as measured by the S&P 500) continues on its almost daily march to new highs, investors need to remember that nothing goes up in a straight line forever, and they should start thinking about investing in markets that may provide more value. It’s also important to note that earnings […]
As the noose tightens for American citizens living abroad trying to invest, the latest causality appears to be mutual funds. Many American olim now living in Israel are no longer able to purchase many mutual funds because of their foreign domicile. Many big name mutual fund families have set up a blanket rule that if […]
In a recent column I wrote for Marketwatch.com, I was lambasted for questioning the wisdom of using dividend stocks as a replacement for bonds. It didn’t help that the headline writer changed my original title to “Time to dump high-dividend stocks?” Nothing like a little shock value to get a lot more article views. In […]
