There’s an old Wall Street saying that stocks “climb a wall of worry”. Certainly, during the twenty-eight plus years now that I’ve been an investment advisor – that has been a truism! Starting early in my career with the Asian Financial Crisis to this spring’s regional banking failures – looking back almost every year there seemed to be an issue that was seemingly insurmountable. And yet… markets have found a way over and through each crisis.
A Donor Advised Fund (DAF) is a charitable investment account established for the purpose of maximizing flexibility and tax-efficiency of charitable giving. It allows donors to make a charitable contribution of either cash, appreciated stock or even a business or appreciated real estate and receive an immediate tax deduction! The donor gets a deduction on their taxes for the gift in the year it’s contributed to the DAF but is allowed tremendous flexibility on the timing and ultimate charitable destination of those gifts.
Most of my clients have heard me say I like to rely on “dispassionate decisions made with data around the dinner table”.
Patriotism, having children and religion were values embraced by previous generations of Americans. However, these values are in steep decline according to a recent poll conducted by The Wall Street Journal.
In the famous words of Mark Twain, "history never repeats itself, but it often rhymes." Recent events, including the demise of Silicon Valley Bank and subsequent regulator response, are a painful reminder of policy mistakes made in the past.
Making a "financial gift" to your significant other may not be romantic - but it is evidence of love and devotion.
