Do You Have Too Much Company Stock In Your Portfolio? (Part 2)

Do You Have Too Much Company Stock In Your Portfolio? (Part 2)

In a previous article I discussed what can happen when the concentration of a stock in an investment portfolio has become too high. The simplest solution is to sell some amount of the stock and pay the taxes, reminding yourself how much the stock’s growth (even after taxes) has increased your wealth. But there are…
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Do You Have Too Much Company Stock In Your Portfolio? (Part 1)

If you are employed by one of the myriad tech companies here in Silicon Valley, you have likely accumulated lots of company stock through stock options and/or restricted stock units (RSUs). If you haven’t been selling your shares as they vested, the runup in stock prices over the past decade has probably been a cause…
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One Unintended Source of Housing Unaffordability

Many cities today face the challenge of increasing the availability of affordable housing. The common approach is to find ways to generate more new housing. That usually involves municipal or state subsidies or tax breaks for land and development. A recent analysis by Moody’s Analytics suggests there may be an additional way to address this…
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How Bad Can Bad Market Timing Be?

The S&P 500 is up over 14% so far this year. But job growth is slowing and Trump tariffs are starting to drive up prices in numerous sectors. Is the economy heading for a fall? Are we nearing a market peak? Is this a good time to sell stocks? Investors ask themselves these kinds of…
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How Do Government Shutdowns Affect The Stock Market?

It seems that federal government shutdowns are becoming more frequent. Perhaps it’s a consequence of the decline of the collaborative process in a nation that’s becoming increasingly polarized politically. Whatever the reason, investors undoubtedly would like to know how the current shutdown might affect their portfolios. I wish I had the answer. But we can…
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The Latest Thinking On Retirement Withdrawal Rates

In 1994 Bill Bengen, an obscure financial planner in southern California, came up with a simple guideline his clients could use for determining a safe (minimum) withdrawal rate in retirement. Based on historical data, he calculated that an individual starting retirement should be able to spend up to 4% of their investment assets for a…
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