Our ‘Blog’
Taxes and a wary eye on 2013
OVERVIEW With the April 15th tax filing deadline behind us and the US stock market intermittently approaching its pre-recession high, most taxpayers are likely seeking a breather from anxiety about financial and estate planning. But there's another important milestone on the horizon that you shouldn't ignore for too long - January 1, 2013. The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 ...
Is China’s economy headed for a “hard landing”?
According to the UK newspaper The Telegraph, monetary supply in China - as measured by real M1 deposits - has contracted since November 2011. Real M1 deposits are generally considered a leading indicator of economic growth six months or so in advance. Other warning signs include electricity up less than 1% for the past 12 months, housing sales falling 25% in ...
An objective explanation of the shrinking Social Security Trust Fund
In the April 25, 2012 edition of Advisor Perspectives, James Moore of Pimco, the world's leading manager of fixed income investments, provided a clear, concise and objective explanation of the report by the trustees of the Social Security system. In a nutshell, the shortfall can be explained by three factors: mortality, demographics and economic growth. You can read the entire article
How to select a financial planner
A helpful article in the April 25, 2012 edition of the Sacramento Bee newspaper discussed how to select a financial planner. You can read the entire article here.
A great Financial Times article about the shrinking American labor force
"Had the labor force participation rate not declined from around 66 percent in mid2008 to under 64 percent in February [2012], the unemployment rate would still be over 10 percent". In this April 19, 2012 article in the Financial Times entitled "A Workforce on the Wane", the author reviews three possible scenarios for why this has happened. One is sad, one ...
Do we agree with “perma-bear” asset manager John Hussman? Well, in at least one regard…
While we don't always agree with Hussman's "perma-bear" position, we do wholeheartedly agree with his assessment of the impact of the Fed's actions on investor behavior: keeping interest rates artificially low drives investors into riskier investments than they might otherwise prefer, in pursuit of higher yields. There is no "free lunch" - risk and return are related. You can read his ...
Who wants to be a trustee?
Every trust, including charitable remainder trusts (CRT's), requires a trustee. Generally, there are three choices for the role of trustee: (1) a corporate trustee, such as a bank or trust company; (2) the charity or an individual, including the donor; or (3) a professional trustee. Which is the best choice? The answer really depends on the powers contained in the ...
Survey shows most young Americans don’t invest in retirement accounts
According to a recent CouponCabin survey, nearly four in 10 (39%) US adults aged 18 and over report they don't currently have any types of financial investments, like 401(k)s or IRA retirement accounts, mutual funds or stocks. In addition, 61% of US adults said they have reservations about investing in the stock market. Their concerns include not having enough money ...
GMO’s Jeremy Grantham has harsh words for modern capitalism
The February 28, 2012 edition of Investment News includes an excerpt of GMO investment manager Jeremy Grantham's latest quarterly newsletter, in which he assesses the impact of modern capitalism's "growth at any cost" short term thinking. Food for thought, if nothing else. You can read the excerpt in Investment News here, and the entire letter on GMO's website
Keynes versus Hayek – Battle of the Dead Economists
Earlier this month at the IMCA conference in New York, two living economists rekindled the powerful debate of the 1930s between Keynes and Hayek about interventionist versus laissez-faire policies to address the Great Depression. You can read the entire article on Advisor One - and watch a YouTube video - here.
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