I haven’t had time to write too many posts because I am fighting fires set by this new crazy administration. Last year, I wrote a post entitled, “Diversification is 2024 theme: Banking, Health, Tech, Everything” and that was based on all the cyber security and related incidents throughout the year. This year, it seems every…
Month: February 2025
Portfolio Risk Management & Collar Strategy
I have been concerned about the economy for a while now but the growing volatility I’ve seen in the market the past few months coupled with the new administration policies lead me to believe that now is a good time to shift to different options strategies. I’ve written about my ladder covered call strategy here…
Retirement Planning: Lower Taxes & Return on Capital
As I continue to optimize my investment portfolio for retirement as well looking at tax optimization, I came across this great video on ETFs that focus on return on capital and lowering tax liability. I like the video because it covers that tax advantages and some potential pitfalls of the strategy. I’ve written about return…
AI: Risk Mitigating Investment Portfolio During Tariff & Trade War
With the stock market showing signs of fatigue and fracturing, I had an interesting conversation with AI on how best to risk mitigate an investment portfolio during a tariff and trade war. There are specific recommendations below but don’t take what AI wrote as gospel and do your own due diligence. I asked for recommendations…
Tariff Warnings: Laptop Prices Going Up 10% In March
It looks like my strategy hoarding electronics was prudent and timely. According to TomsHardware, the price of laptops are expected to rise 10% in March due to the new administration’s tariff scheme. Acer Laptop prices in the U.S. are set to rise by 10% from March 2025, commented CEO Jason Chen in an interview with The…
More 7% Municipal Bonds!
I subscribe to Fidelity alerts for municipal bonds and this week I got what looks like a great one. This deal isn’t as good as the last one I signed up for at 7.25% tax equivalent yield but it’s not too bad at 7.16% tax equivalent yield. These municipal bonds are part of my new…
I Owe Uncle Sam $5000 For 2024
After a disastrous 2023 tax year in which I ended up owing $15,000, I am happy to report that I’ve now reduced that tax bill down to $5000. At least that’s where I stand at the time of this post and I’ll wait till April to officially file my return. What Worked To Reduce My…
Retirement: Qualified Dividends vs Non-Qualified Dividends
Do you know the difference between qualified dividends and non-qualified dividends in your investment portfolio? Knowing the difference could mean a smaller tax bill or a much larger one in retirement. I’ve come across a great YouTube video on the subject so rather than write a wordy explanation, it’s just easier to watch this video…
Is My Secret Source For Eye Glasses In Danger?
As I’ve gotten older, I seem to be in need for more frequent changes of glasses. First it was “readers” then my eyes went out of whack so now I wear bi-focals. But lately, my eyes seem to change every six months instead of annually. Because I go through glasses like tissues I had to…
Happy Valentine’s Day
Best wishes on time with the one you love.