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…
IWD Updates
Happy International Women’s Day! March 8 has become a global day of recognition of the women’s rights movement bringing attention to gender equity, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. It is even a national holiday in many countries. New Book Announcement This year, I am excited to announce that I contributed a chapter…
In Defense of the 401k Loan
I have always been opposed to 401k loans. There are many downsides. The money comes out of the market, potentially losing on growth and compounded returns. The borrower is unlikely to continue saving in the 401k while making loan repayments. And there’s a risk that the loan becomes taxable if the borrower leaves their job…
Do You Have an Overfunded 529 Plan?
Despite the astronomical cost of college these days, I meet investors with overfunded 529 plans all the time. By overfunded, I mean that when I run a financial projection with estimates for future tuition costs and market returns, there is money left over in the 529 account after the student finishes college. When this happens,…
Endowment Effect – Housing Market Edition
We just went under contract to buy a house. Yes, in this market with these interest rates, we are buying a house. We can’t put our life on hold because interest rates are higher than they were a year ago. The real world doesn’t work like that. Humans are, as it turns out, not economic…
