T-Bill & Chill
January 17, 2024  | By Kevin Smith

Hop in the time machine with me. You could have bought a 30 year Treasury Bond in 1981 yielding 15% annual income! That income was backed by the taxing authority of the United States Treasury, so it was pretty safe….Read More

2024 Retirement Plan Limit Changes
December 1, 2023  | By David Lowe

The IRS recently announced that the maximum contribution for various investment accounts has increased for 2024. 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, Thrift Savings Plan Employee contribution limit: $23,000 That equals $958.33 per paycheck if you get paid twice a month…Read More

2023 Increases for Social Security Income, Retirement Plans, HSAs & IRAs
November 30, 2022  | By David Lowe

There are some bright spots amid inflation news. Social Security benefits are set to increase, and workers will be able to contribute more to their retirement accounts in 2023 than in 2022. The following details are important considerations for open…Read More

What To Do With All That Home Equity?
May 3, 2021  | By Kevin Smith

Elon is here and he brought Tesla. It seems like a new celebrity or ultra-wealthy tech investor moves to Austin every week, and I hear casual Austin references in podcasts so often I barely take note anymore. This type of…Read More

Our Updated View on Bitcoin
January 22, 2021  | By Kevin Smith

We have been studying Bitcoin for a few years, trying to understand it from many angles to figure out why, how and when it might make sense to buy. ‘Because the price of Bitcoin has gone up dramatically’ is not…Read More

Cracked screens and the sunk cost fallacy
September 11, 2020  | By Kevin Smith

I almost got tripped up by the sunk cost fallacy. Almost! This is a public service announcement to help others avoid a costly mistake. A sunk cost is the time and/or money already spent. It’s done. For example, you spent…Read More

Great companies at bad prices
July 22, 2020  | By Kevin Smith

Prices matter. In fact, we think prices matter a lot. There is a price low enough to make an unimpressive investment attractive. There is a price high enough to make an amazing investment unattractive. Today, investors in the US stock…Read More

Three Mortgage Refinance Strategies
July 6, 2020  | By Kevin Smith

After a video interview with Nick Flanagan of Summit Funding, I asked if he could share some helpful examples of the different types of mortgage refinancing. Here is what he gave us. Special thanks to Nick for the education. Cost…Read More

How much MSFT, AAPL, AMZN, GOOGL, FB do I own?
May 21, 2020  | By Kevin Smith

When you own a diversified portfolio, it doesn’t feel like owning stocks. What you see on your statement is a list of ETFs or mutual funds with names that describe the type of stocks you own “US Large Cap”, “International…Read More

Podcast: “Personal Finances and COVID-19”
May 4, 2020  | By Kevin Smith

Follow this link to our latest podcast. This is a conversation with Austin-based tech entrepreneur, Kevin McLaughlin. He and I regularly discuss the financial challenges and economic opportunities of the Millennial generation. We talk about methods to deal with losses…Read More