Richard's Articles

03/02/12 - Time to Refinance? Mortgage Rates Hit All Time Lows!!

There has never been a better time to obtain a mortgage or refinance a property due to mortgage rates at all time lows.  The problem is...read more

10/21/11 - Additional Stream of Income for Seniors

By: Richard Feldman, CFP, MBA Try and picture a scenario in which a mortgage company sends you a check every month rather than you sending...read more

09/15/11 - Additional Stream of Income for Seniors

Try and picture a scenario in which a mortgage company sends you a check every month rather than you sending them a check. This is exactly what...read more

08/18/11 - New Stream of Income for Seniors

Try and picture a scenario in which a mortgage company sends you a check every month rather than you sending them a check. This is exactly what...read more

06/17/11 - Bush Tax Cut Extension - Might Mean Two More Years of Tax Free Income

The extension of the Bush tax cuts through December 31 st 2011 provides two more years where individuals in the 10% and 15% tax bracket could pay...read more

03/18/11 - Tax Planning Strategies for Taxable Investors

The equity markets have snapped back aggressively from the bottom of the market in March 2009 causing investors to utilize capital loss carry...read more

11/26/10 - Controlling Interest Rate Risk

There has been tremendous talk in the financial media about the possibility of a bond bubble building in the fixed income markets.  In response...read more

05/21/10 - Tax Increases Require Revised Asset Location Strategies

Choosing the location of where your assets are invested can add significantly to your after tax returns.  Most people understand that modern...read more

04/01/10 - Is Dollar Doom Overhyped?

There have been a lot of discussions over the last several years regarding the dollar’s place as the number-one reserve currency in the world...read more

02/08/10 - Tax Policy--What Will It Look Like in the Future?

The number-one drag on investment results is taxes, and you can be sure that taxes in the future will be going up given the amount of money that...read more

12/11/09 - Currency's Effect on International Returns?

string(124) "Smarty error: [in evaluated template line 1]: syntax error: unrecognized tag 'literal' (Smarty_Compiler.class.php, line 590)" The falling dollar has been at the forefront of the financial press since the market bottomed out in March and the dollar started...read more

11/06/09 - 7 Year-End Tax Planning Strategies

Nobody likes paying more taxes than they have to but that is exactly what the average investor does. How? By failing to implement strategies that...read more

09/18/09 - Investor Behavior Continues to Decimate Long Term Portfolio Returns

The journey from the October 2007 peak in the equity markets to the lows of March 2009 was an emotional rollercoaster for most investors.  The...read more

04/17/09 - Accounting Rule: Mark to Market, Mark to Reality, or Mark to Fantasy

I have never heard people discuss accountants as much as I have over the last eighteen months of the economic downturn.  It became even more...read more

04/17/09 - Accounting Rule: Mark to Market, Mark to Reality, or Mark to Fantasy

I have never heard people discuss accountants as much as I have over the last eighteen months of the economic downturn.  It became even more...read more

12/01/08 - Finally We Are Addressing the Real Mortgage Issue!!!

The current financial crisis was born out of the real estate bubble that developed after the technology bubble burst from 2000 through 2002....read more

06/24/08 - The Mortgage Market is Broken

Individuals and families have found out how important it is to pick the right financing option for their primary residence. The sub-prime mortgage...read more

05/07/08 - Maximize Portfolio Wealth by Minimizing Risk

Picking the next hot stock or hot mutual fund has practically no bearing on building up a substantial investment portfolio.  Most retail...read more

10/06/07 - Congress Closes Upcoming Tax Break

Income shifting between parents and children has long been a strategy of affluent and even middle class parents to reduce taxes and help children...read more

08/17/07 - Value Investing versus Growth Investing - Who are the winners?

I have analyzed thousands of portfolios over my twelve years in the investment business, most of them individuals or families. The most common...read more

04/16/07 - AMT - Alternative Minimum Tax - How it may soon affect you!

Hopefully AMT reform is on the way if you believe what the politicians are telling you. A bipartisan group of senators in January introduced a...read more

03/12/07 - Value Or Growth Investing - Whose Style is Better?

Value investing has blown the doors off of growth investing over the last seven years. Value stocks have bested growth stocks every year since...read more

12/04/06 - Valuable Year End Tax Planning Strategies for Investment Assets

The end of the year has snuck up on us once again, so, it is time for me to discuss year end tax saving strategies.  The equity markets are...read more

06/02/06 - Not All Commodity Indexes Are Created Equal (Part One of a Two Part Series)

Direct investment in commodities has become far easier with the advent of a series of funds based on popular commodity indexes but performance can...read more

03/27/06 - The Biggest Retirement Tax Break You Never Heard Of

If you have employer stock in your retirement account rolling it over to an IRA could be the worst financial mistake you ever make.  An obscure...read more

02/17/06 - Small Cap Stocks: Will they continue to outperform?

If individuals could forecast which asset class performed best in any given year than there would be untold riches to be had.  The problem is...read more

01/17/06 - Asset Location Is As Important As Asset Allocation

Choosing the location of where your investments are located can add significantly to your after tax returns.  Most people understand that modern...read more

07/08/05 - Tracking Errors Cost Billions of Dollars a Year

Anomalies in the market place are typically few and far between.  The markets are extremely efficient and once an opportunity presents itself...read more

06/08/05 - Not All Indexes Are Created Equal

When benchmarking a portfolio or asset class investing investors have multiple indexes they can use.  But which index is most applicable?  You...read more

05/17/05 - Price Wars Help Individual Investors Increase Wealth

The first mission of a mutual fund company is to make money for themselves. The second mission for a mutual fund company is to make money for...read more

04/18/05 - Small Stocks Large Effect

The old saying no guts no glory is well represented in the world of microcap stock investing.  Microcap equities are the wild west of equity...read more

03/28/05 - Portfolio Turnover Can Lead to Lower Investment Returns

When dealing with investment vehicles the old adage less is more certainly rings true.  High portfolio turnover in equity mutual funds can lead...read more

03/28/05 - Portfolio Turnover Can Lead to Lower Investment Returns

When dealing with investment vehicles the old adage less is more certainly rings true. High portfolio turnover in equity mutual funds can lead to...read more

03/02/05 - Keeping Uncle Sam Out of Your Pocket

Investing money is all about keeping your eye on the prize.  In the real world individuals are hard pressed to spend theirs before tax returns. ...read more

02/15/05 - Can REITs Continue to Outperform?

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT) have been one of the best performing asset classes over the last two years and have outperformed the S&P...read more

01/27/05 - David and Goliath: Will Small Cap Stocks Make It Seven In a Row?

Institutional Investors and many Wall Street analysts didn't think it would happen again in 2004 but it did.  Small Cap stocks outperformed large...read more

12/13/04 - Year-End Tax Planning for Investment Assets

Investors often make the mistake of focusing on the wrong investment metric. Typically your investment goal should be to maximize your after tax...read more

11/24/04 - Value vs. Growth Investing

Most portfolios I have analyzed that were constructed by individual investors typically have one element in common; the largest asset class is...read more

11/18/04 - Buyer Beware: The Hidden Costs of Municipal Bonds

I am going to let you all in on a little secret that may come as a shock to some of you. Institutional investors get better prices than individual...read more

10/15/04 - Maximizing Portfolio Wealth By Minimizing Risk

Most amateur investors and even some professional financial advisors focus on the wrong factors when trying to maximize total portfolio wealth. ...read more

09/13/04 - Liabilities: Not Just A Number On The Balance Sheet

Individuals and families are leaving thousands of dollars a year on the table by not effectively managing their liabilities. Most individuals tend...read more

07/14/04 - Tax Savings for Retirement Plan Beneficiaries

One of the biggest impediments to obtaining wealth is taxes.  Many individual retirement beneficiaries may be missing out on a huge tax break...read more

07/13/04 - Naming A Trust As Beneficiary Could Mean Trouble for Your Heirs

Naming a trust as the beneficiary of your retirement plan or IRA could mean drastically less income for your heirs than first planned and higher...read more

06/05/04 - Controlling Interest Rate Risk

In the late 1990's a popular conversation you would hear at cocktail parties centered around the stock market.  I am sure you know what I am...read more

04/21/04 - New Cure for Health Care Rising Costs Part I

Sky Rocketing Health Care Costs are a serious threat to Americans financial well being.  The cost and percentage increase of insurance and...read more

03/10/04 - Cures For Ailing Roth IRA's

How has your Roth IRA fared since the revolutionary retirement vehicle first became available in 1998? The stock market had a remarkable recovery...read more

02/18/04 - Catching Up On The Alternative Minimum Tax

If you have never heard of the Alternative Minimum Tax pay very close attention because chances are it will affect you in the future and the...read more

01/24/04 - Understanding The New Reduced Tax Rates for Dividend and Capital Gains

A clear understanding of the new reduced tax rates on dividends and long term capital gains will allow you to take advantage of these very...read more

01/18/04 - Tax Advantages of Employer Stock

Understanding the tax consequences of holding employer stock in a retirement plan can yield huge tax savings at retirement.  Holding employer...read more

12/13/03 - Increasing Returns Through Asset Allocation

You can improve your after-tax rate of return significantly by allocating your investment capital efficiently.  The passing of the new tax law...read more