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Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo, LLC
Does stock-picking work? Stock-picking, the practice of selecting individual stocks to outperform the market, is far easier said than done. It is mathematically impossible for the average stock picker to beat a buy-and-hold investor in the same stocks. Compared to their benchmarks, most stocks return less and are far more volatile. The empirical evidence is…
Read MoreMoisand Fitzgerald Tamayo marks 25 years! 2023 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of our firm. Reflecting back on these years brings a sense of pride for sure but the overwhelming emotion is one of gratitude. Instead of working for a financial services company and getting paid to sell their products, we decided to…
Read MoreWhat “The Sting” Can Teach Us About Scams Key Points: Scams are being carried out in more sophisticated ways. Technology both protects us and makes scam artists more effective. Diligence, proper “digital hygiene,” adherence to processes and protocols, and skepticism remain the primary tools to protect ourselves from scams. Scams have been around a long…
Read MoreWhen are Roth IRA distributions taxable? From Ken in Satellite Beach: I thought once you turned 59 ½ Roth IRAs are tax free but a 63 year old co-worker insists he had to pay some tax last year when he withdrew from his Roth IRA. What gives? Ken, it is possible to owe taxes on…
Read MoreManaging risk Some of you may have been concerned about the recent failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and any ripple effects on the banking system and the stock market. Before we get into the risk management lessons of SVB, we want to make sure our clients understand that their assets with us are secure.…
Read MoreWhat you need to know about tax extensions and new tax rules Many taxpayers will not file their 2022 tax returns by the April 18, 2023 deadline. Done properly, such taxpayers can receive a six-month extension of time to file and avoid any interest charges or penalties from the IRS. What does “done properly” mean,…
Read MoreWas “always be diversified” the most important lesson from 2022? 2022 presented several useful investing lessons. The news was full of reports about high inflation, yet many assets that were supposed to be good hedges against inflation were down. This is an example of how it is wise to expect the unexpected. Nonetheless, while there…
Read MoreEveryone is a temporary owner of their assets We have all heard the adage, “You can’t take it with you.” At some point, everything we own will be inherited by someone. But for as long as we own our assets, we get to choose how they are used and eventually who will be the…
Read MoreHow inflation may reduce your tax bill for 2023 Thanks to inflation, reducing your tax bill in 2023 may be easier than you think. All things being equal, lower inflation readings are preferred but there are aspects of higher inflation readings that work in your favor. And inflation-induced tax savings can help offset inflation’s higher…
Read MoreHow do I make charitable donations from my 401(k)? Direct donations from a 401(k) to charity on a tax favored basis are not possible. However, direct donations to charities from IRAs, called Qualified Charitable Distributions, are permitted. There are a few requirements to make those donations completely tax-free, chief among them is you must be…
Read More Before we get to the personal finance related happenings from Washington D.C., we wanted to take a moment to send our thoughts and prayers to our fellow Floridians. The devastation from hurricane Ian is incredible. While the storm weakened as it passed across Florida, it was still quite capable of causing damage. If you…
Read More Does it matter if we go into a recession? Key Points: Determining when an economy goes into and out of a recession is difficult and requires hindsight. Making economic forecasts such as the start and end date of a recession is not likely to improve investment results. Recessions are not problematic for most people…
Read More With the Fed raising rates, how high will rates go? The media keeps front and center the issue of how many interest rate increases by the Federal Reserve are coming and how high those increases will be. However, no one knows for certain how far up interest rates might go. The interest rates for…
Read MoreYou’ve got this! Key Points: If watching the news gets you riled up, turn it off. If you can’t, try to remember they are stirring your emotions so you will tune in and they can sell more ads. Stocks often start to recover with an initial surge when things look awful. Diversifying among different types…
Read MoreWill a stock market decline kill my retirement? Key Points: Those with a sound plan based on realistic goals and expectations who stay diversified, patient, and disciplined have little reason to worry that the stock market decline seen in 2022, or even declines much worse, will radically derail their retirement. While the exact timing…
Read MoreIs now the time to move into dividend paying stocks? With costs rising and interest rates up, is now the time to emphasize dividend paying stocks? We like dividend paying stocks as a permanent portion of a portfolio. But the question implies there is some aspect of dividend paying stocks that could make them a…
Read MoreMoisand Fitzgerald Tamayo named a “Best Place to Work” Being recognized as among the best financial planners in the country has been a goal since the founding of what is now Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo, LLC in 1998. Seeing that dream come to fruition is only possible if we give great advice that makes a difference…
Read MoreWill my tax return be processed quicker this year? The 2021 tax filing season was the worst in memory. There was a slew of legislation creating Covid-related tax provisions that never existed before. Some of that legislation was passed late in the year leaving the IRS scrambling to adapt. This was very difficult given the…
Read MoreEmotional investing can be costly Emotional investing is inferior to evidence-based investing. It’s a belief of ours that comes up in the very first conversation we have with a prospective client and one we repeat often. Recent times reinforce our belief. In many ways, it has been a rough couple of years. There has been…
Read MoreHow to achieve and maintain financial independence If you listen to a few famous success stories, you might get the idea that the best way to achieve financial independence is to start a tech company out of your garage. Who doesn’t like a good rags-to-riches story? Markets have been strong and as a result more…
Read MoreHave RMD rules changed? Required Minimum Distributions (RMD) are back in 2021 after a one year COVID-related waiver in 2020. No changes were made this year to the Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) rules for IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s and other retirement accounts but changes are coming in 2022. To determine the RMD for a given year,…
Read MoreHow your tax rates can change As we enter the last part of 2021, Congress is debating a series of changes to the tax code. Whether you find the proposed changes disconcerting is largely a function of how the changes affect you specifically. From our perspective as advisors, changes in the tax code can alter…
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Is there a downside to diversification?
Is there a downside to diversification? Which would you have rather owned A or B? A lost an average of almost 1% per year for the decade January 2000-Decemeber 2009 but returned almost 13% per year from January 2010 through June 2023. Cumulatively, A averaged a 6.84% annual return for the period January 2000 through…
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