Posts by W.A. Smith Financial

Imagine if, sadly, Dad dies or becomes incapacitated. You’re in charge of handling all his financial affairs, from managing his investments to putting income sources in place for Mom.   There’s just one problem: He was an old-school guy who never consolidated his assets or set up online accounts. Also, it appears he worked with…

While the 2020 presidential election gains steam, it seems that the passion for new legislation has taken a backseat. As of July 1, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives had passed 169 bills this year1 while the Republican-dominated Senate had passed 61.2 Unfortunately, as of the same date, this divided impasse had produced only 24 enacted…

Kiplinger recently noted that the U.S. stock market appeared more resilient than ever, having bounced back from a devastating end of 2018. Employment remains relatively steady, inflation flat and the Fed has indicated reticence to increasing interest rates through the end of the year. In fact, the only headwinds for the rest of the year…

Technology is the largest single segment of the stock market — bigger than the industrial and financial sectors. It’s also an industry of constant innovation and unlimited potential, presenting enormous investment opportunities for both institutional and Main Street investors. This is great for tech companies needing substantial capital to fund research and development for new…

One of the first discussions a young couple may have when starting a family is about affordability. How will they pay for child care? Will one spouse quit their job to stay home and raise the child? Here are a couple of interesting facts that may enter that equation:1   The average income for first-time…

Between 1926 and 2018, the S&P 500 experienced double-digit annual losses only 11 times. Not only did the market recover, but the index has never permanently lost ground in any rolling 15-year period during that timeframe.1   While past performance is no guarantee of future results, that bit of history is good for stock investors…

According to IRS estimates, taxpayers collectively pay about 82 percent of taxes they legitimately owe. This amounts to about $458 billion annually in lost taxes, based on data from 2008 to 2010.1   Of course, we do not recommend strategies to avoid legitimate tax liabilities. However, it is important to stay current with the constantly…

Financial literacy has always been a challenge. However, now that much of the burden of retirement income has shifted to employees instead of employers, it is all the more important that we begin teaching the principles of saving and investing to people as early as possible.1 In a recent survey, 44 percent of Americans said…

In 1985, only 10 percent of people aged 65 and older were either in the workforce or job hunting. Today, that share has doubled, for a couple of reasons. First, fewer 65-year-olds have enough money to retire. Second, the number of people in this demographic with a college degree has more than doubled (53 percent…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not just for Amazon’s Alexa anymore. Health care patients are starting to see more mainstream uses of AI-enabled tools, such as:1 Robot-assisted surgery Virtual nursing assistants that stay in contact with both patients and providers Connected health management devices that you can download on your smartphone, wear on your body or…