The recent shock retirement of 85-year-old Pope Benedict XVI, the first papal retirement in more than 600 years, has brought work/life balance issues during retirement into the forefront. While it used to be that you basically worked until you died, today many retirees can expect to live 20 to 30 years in retirement, and the […]
A few weeks ago I received a call from a 24 year old, who unfortunately lost his father to cancer. He was set to receive about $200,000 and said he had no clue how to handle money let alone such a sizeable sum. He said he felt overwhelmed and found it necessary to speak with […]
Here come the locusts. If anyone needed a reminder to start their Pessah cleaning, the infiltration of millions of the eighth-plague star should sound the “cleaning bell.” While my son, who loves scaring various female family members with his plastic cockroach, eagerly awaits the locusts’ arrival in Jerusalem so that he can really get a […]
Finally the incessant play by play of the post-election coalition negotiations was bumped from the headlines as Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer surprised some with the announcement of his resignation. While Fischer is getting accolades from all corners of the political spectrum, readers of this column know that I have been quite critical of […]
One of the hottest trades for investors over the last two years has been buying large companies that pay high dividends. With a continued weak global economy and near-zero interest rates, investors have turned to “blue-chip” companies that they know and that pay dividends significantly higher than they can get on a bond or bank […]
A question that is frequently asked, both by clients and in the media, is where speculative investors should put their money. Investors want to know what’s next. As they realize that markets such as China can’t always keep moving up they want to find the “next” China and make a profit while they can. Well […]
With a little less than a month left before the US presidential elections, clients have been calling me to ask how they should position their investments for the various outcomes and what impact the winner will have on the economy. While I certainly have an opinion of what has the potential to be a good […]
Earlier this week I celebrated the 20th anniversary of my arrival in Israel. I came straight out of university and landed here with no job, no wife and no real idea of what it was like to live in Israel. After 20 years I am happy to say that I have a job, a beautiful […]
“If it was good enough for my father, it’s good enough for me.” I can’t tell you how often I hear that line when speaking with someone who has received an inheritance. Children often refuse to make changes to a portfolio that they received as an inheritance. Very often, this is due to sentimental reasons; […]
A few nights ago I was watching the Olympics and much to my surprise up stepped a weightlifter from Colombia who was competing in the clean and jerk competition. Now I happen to be a bit of a sports junkie but weightlifting isn’t something that I pay much attention to. I have a general principal […]
