The Balance Sheet – The Map for Financial Professionals
June 30, 2020
Professional investors need to have a good grasp on the balance sheet of a business they are investing in. Having a deep understanding can inform strategy and help make the best decisions. The same goes for your personal wealth. Without a full view of your assets and liabilities, you are flying blind. Previously, we have […]
Secret Retirement Saving Super-Power: The Mega Back Door Roth
May 26, 2020
For high earners and big savers, there are limitations on contributions to designated retirement accounts. Specifically, in 401k accounts, the maximum you can deduct from your salary is $19,500 in 2020. For those over 50, a “catch-up” contribution is allowed up to an additional $6,500. What many don’t know about 401k accounts is that there […]
The Income Statement – Vital for Businesses and Financial Professionals
April 21, 2020
Let’s say for a moment that you are solely responsible for investing $10,000,000 into a company – either public or private. With a big decision like that – what would you want to see from your target company? Would you want to see an income statement? A balance sheet? A governance structure with appropriate risk […]
The Cobbler’s Children Paradox Affects Financial Professionals Too
October 29, 2019
The cobbler’s children have no shoes and financial professionals (private equity professionals, investment bankers, asset managers) have no financial plan. This paradox seems to consistently plague the individuals I meet who work in the finance industry. One would think that those in the industry are buttoned up in terms of their own financial needs; however, […]
How and When to Invest That Bonus Money
August 27, 2019
To invest or not to invest? That is the question. For financial professionals (private equity professionals, investment bankers, and asset managers) this question surfaces on an annual basis as bonuses are paid. After determining your saving priorities, a decision must be made about how to deploy the cash. Since bonuses and carry are such a […]
Picking Up Pennies
July 11, 2019
In investments, there’s not much more boring than cash. Sure, it provides immense comfort when the markets go south, but in the long-term, cash is the piece of your portfolio which is basically set up to fail versus inflation. By that measure alone, it’s exposure should be limited. Even so, cash still plays a critical […]
What Do Financial Professionals Do With That Legacy Whole Life Policy They Own?
June 18, 2019
“What do I do with this whole life insurance policy I have?” I am constantly asked this question when I work with financial professionals (private equity professionals, investment bankers, and asset managers). Within this industry, a lot of professionals are sold this policy early in their career to protect a budding family and save money, […]
Annoying Averages
June 13, 2019
Growing up in school, no one wants to be average. From the start, averages are ingrained into us, and behaviorally, we always want to be better than average in everything we do. Take this question: Are you an above average driver? My guess is you’d answer yes. And I’d venture to say that more than […]
Your Beneficiary Designations – Are They Correct?
May 28, 2019
Beneficiary designations are an extremely important component of an estate plan. They are found on many types of assets such as IRAs, 401Ks, life insurance and annuities and designate who receives the asset after the account owner passes away. The primary advantage of a beneficiary designation is that asset ownership transfers without the complexities and […]
Chasing Performance – Six Examples to Learn From
May 23, 2019
Who doesn’t like a story? With investments, a good story almost always accompanies chasing a hot investment. In our view, chasing performance is a dangerous game and extremely difficult to win. When it comes to investing, we believe there are no shortcuts. Higher returns equal higher risk and a greater chance of loss as a […]
The Pluses and Perils of Private Equity
May 9, 2019
As investors, there are a plethora of investment options out there and it’s important to keep track of them. Not to chase investments or a story, but to watch how things change, what data becomes available, and when something that might not have been an investment for you looking backward should become an investment looking […]
Smoothing Out Lumpy Cash Flow
April 16, 2019
Receiving most of your compensation in a few large paychecks is exciting to finally see in your bank account. But it causes a lot of headache when juggling cash flow for the year ahead. Financial professionals (private equity professionals, investment bankers, and asset managers) struggle with this problem given the industry’s compensation models. Investment bankers, […]