The idea that typical American home owner should pay down mortgage debt rapidly is nothing new. The sentiment certainly makes sense at face value; by eliminating your mortgage payment you free up a huge chunk of cash. You also no longer have to pay the bank interest, which must feel incredibly liberating. However, there are also significant problems with strategies that prioritize rapidly paying down your mortgage, namely “opportunity loss,” which complicate the issue.
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How to access retirement funds early, without being penalized. Investing for your retirement can actually be pretty easy to get right. However, the rules governing retirement accounts are often anything but straightforward. In my previous role at the investment firm I work for, I assisted hundreds of alternative asset investors working with “self-directed” IRA accounts. These investors are typically savvier than the average 401k holder, even they are often unclear about the rules determining contributions, and perhaps more importantly, how they can access funds early and without being penalized.
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Most casual investors aren’t aware that they could own real estate in an IRA, HSA and even some 401Ks. Not just the ability to access real estate through REITS, IRAs can actually hold tangible rental real estate. Though typically riskier (and demanding more time and expertise) than a broadly diversified mutual fund portfolio, owning rental properties, private equity, or even a business within your retirement accounts is a secret that wealthy investors have known about for years and that has the potential to significantly increase investment returns, if you know what you’re doing.
The major benefit of holding alternative assets in a etirement account is
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At Valuist we often put broad financial topics under the microscope to provide in-depth analysis and, hopefully, determine their inherent value. But sometimes the most impactful articles are the ones that provide easy-to-digest tips on a range of pertinent topics. So, for this post, I am going to summarize some of the most important money lessons that I have learned and covered for Valuist.
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Dividend investment strategies are too often touted as, ‘easy passive income.’ These strategies have been around forever but have become extremely popular on social media platforms, seemingly among beginner investors.
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There are numerous ways to calculate how much money you’ll need to save to retire comfortably but perhaps the easiest method, is to first determine how much you plan to
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There are some pushy door-to-door sales people in my neighborhood. Let me start by stating that if I’m not seeking out a service, then I’m not interested. Door-to-door sales guys
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Valuist readers are likely aware that I advocate for a broadly diversified portfolio of low-cost ETFs and mutual funds, especially for core retirement investing. Over time, it becomes increasingly difficult
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Before I bought a house, I wrote an article for Valuist covering the, “True Cost of Buying a Home.” Though that article is still relevant (and a great read too,
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When I say, “Valuist” investments, I’m not referring to value investing specifically (though I am a big fan). I’m talking about earning the best risk-adjusted returns from the stock market
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One of the most popular early posts by Valuist is, 15 Money Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make. But over the last few years I’ve made (and hopefully, learned to
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A colleague at the investment firm that I work for sometimes pokes fun at the Valuist philosophy. He probably thinks I am a penny-pincher. However, the truth is that I’ve been spending a lot of money lately.
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There are many great ways to manage your personal finances but as your income increases, tracking income and spending becomes increasingly complicated. Thus, the Valuist Best Free Budgeting and Net Worth Tracking Spreadsheet was born. I get so much value out of this tool that I wanted to provide it, for free, to all new subscribers
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Working from home is often touted as the ultimate goal for office workers. I didn’t realize how difficult the transition would be, or how unprepared I was to work from home. Here are the 5 most important lessons I gleaned working from home.
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Only one option makes sense for the long-term, well diversified investor: to buy. If you’re like me, invested mostly in index funds that track the entire US or world markets, all you need to build wealth is time.
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