by Micah Porter | Jun 22, 2018 | Blog
Over the last few weeks, I’ve written about several cognitive biases. Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts we all use, but if we’re not careful, they can lead us astray. This is undoubtedly the case when it comes to investing and the pitfalls of overconfidence bias... 
by Micah Porter | Jun 14, 2018 | Blog
In my previous post, I began writing about cognitive biases. There are a number of cognitive biases that come into play in investing. The first one we examined in the post here was confirmation bias. This is the tendency to seek out information that confirms our... 
by Micah Porter | May 30, 2018 | Blog, Investment Management
Years ago, one of the first courses I took in college was introduction to cognition, or the science of human thought. A key concept that stuck with me long after the course, was the idea of a heuristic – a mental rule of thumb – or shortcut, that we all use in certain... 
by Micah Porter | May 24, 2018 | Blog, Retirement Planning
Early on in my career, clients would ask where I thought the market was headed, and I felt obliged to answer these questions on market movements. Valuations were high, I would explain, or I might point to the most obvious risks in China, or with U.S. interest rates or... 
by Micah Porter | May 17, 2018 | Blog, Federal Government Employees, Uncategorized
The Thrift Savings Plan, or TSP, is the Federal government’s version of a 401(k) plan. It shares the following characteristics with many 401(k) plans: Both a traditional option and a Roth option. Contributions to the traditional option reduce your taxable salary, but... 
by Micah Porter | May 9, 2018 | Blog, Tax Planning
One of the most controversial aspects of the new tax law is the limitation on the deduction for state and local taxes. The limit was set at $10,000, and as a result, many affluent taxpayers will find themselves able to deduct a good deal less than they actually pay in... 
by Micah Porter | May 2, 2018 | Blog, financial plans
One of the time-honored traditions in Corporate America is the buyout. Cutting labor costs is one way to keep Wall Street analysts onboard when profitability drops or growth slows and depending on how much you like your job, a buyout offer can be enticing. Once you... 
by Micah Porter | Apr 25, 2018 | Blog, Habits
If there is one date – one financial deadline – nearly everyone knows, it is April 15th. Through November of last year, the IRS had processed over 150 million returns for 2016, meaning that the majority of U.S. adults filed a return. But for many people,... 
by Micah Porter | Apr 18, 2018 | Blog, Tax Planning, Uncategorized
Charitable decisions typically aren’t solely driven by a desire for a charitable deduction. Most of us make charitable contributions because there are causes or institutions that are important to us. Still, we all appreciate the deduction at tax time, and at the very...