Growing up, one of my friends was obsessed with Jimmy Buffett’s silly song, Cheeseburger in Paradise. On the way to school, we played it on the car radio, clapping and belting out “I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and french fried potato”. Buffett’s laid-back tropical rock tunes have been a constant backdrop…
Church of Apple
In first grade, my elementary school opened a new campus. It had a computer lab stocked with Apple MacIntosh computers. For one hour each week, we learned coding language on an application called Logo Writer. If we were lucky, the teacher would let us play Oregon Trail when our assignments were complete. I remember the…
Numbers on a Screen
Dealing with money is less tangible today than at any time in the history of money. Paychecks are directly deposited into bank accounts. Bills are paid automatically online. Debit and credit cards can be used everywhere (even in NYC cabs), and we are quickly adopting the use of Apple Pay, Venmo, and Zelle for a…
Unsubscribe
A couple of weeks ago, I finally took a much-needed vacation, which was my first “real” one since joining Ritholtz Wealth five years ago. When I say “real”, I mean that I completely disconnected from work and refrained from checking my email or internal messages. It was a refreshing mental break for me. Nowadays, I…
Since You Asked – 401k Loan Update
I always know I’ve written something good when I get hate mail. I have received numerous emails, tweets, comments, and responses about my post on 401k loans. All of them contain a twinge of mansplaining and are variations on a similar theme. “But Blair, aren’t you paying back the loan with after-tax dollars that will…
Game of Chicken
The debt ceiling debate is about to take over the news cycle. House Republicans are dug in and demanding spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit. President Biden is adamant that the debate about spending cannot be tied to a debt ceiling increase. And Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that the country…
House Update
I am overdue for an update on my house purchase and house sale journey. In my defense, it’s been a slow process. But today, I’ve been thinking about all the costs of home ownership that get overlooked. Especially as they are staring me straight in the eye, from my banking app. First, we started sleeping…
Recap: CFA Institute Asset and Risk Allocation Conference
The CFA Institute has finally resumed in-person conferences, and I was lucky to be invited to emcee the Risk and Asset Allocation conference last week in Washington D.C. Held at the Watergate Hotel, where the room keys cheekily read, “You don’t need to break in” on the back, the conference was a nonstop firehose of…
Being a Financial Advisor – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
I’ve written a lot about how being a financial advisor is the best career in the world. And it is, for me. Lately, I’ve come to realize that it takes a certain temperament and skill set to enjoy the work. This is not a job you can leave at the office at night or on…
Should I Invest in Real Estate instead of my 401(k)?
This week, I joined Ben Carlson on his weekly, live YouTube show, Portfolio Rescue, to answer questions from two listeners. I discussed my defense of the 401k loan and gave examples of when using a 401k might make sense. The second question was about contributing to a 401k versus investing in multi-family real estate. These…
