CKBlog

Thursday, November 16, 2017

The Family Bank

Many wealthy families are increasingly looking to family members to help finance a home or new business venture. Going into business with family certainly can be tricky but if you have a good relationship with a wealthy family member, such loans may make sense. In order to pass muster with the IRS, though, family loans must contain a promissory note, must spell out a fixed repayment schedule, and must comply with Applicable Federal Tax Rates(AFRs) per IRS guidelines.

Read on: The Family Bank

Topic: Strategies

Thursday, November 02, 2017

If Your Advisor Retires, Where Does That Leave You?

Is your financial advisor going to retire before you do? Ernst & Young says most financial advisors are aged 50-plus. Then consider CastleKeep: a multigenerational team set up to provide advice for generations.

Read on: If Your Advisor Retires, Where Does That Leave You?

Topic: Strategies

Thursday, October 19, 2017

NEWS: CastleKeep Adds Two Partners and Promotes VP of Investments

CastleKeep Investment Advisors LLC, a family-owned Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) based in Westport, CT announces the addition of two partners and the promotion of VP of Investments. The announcement builds upon the company’s commitment to deliver world-class wealth management solutions to existing and future generations of clients.

Read on: NEWS: CastleKeep Adds Two Partners and Promotes VP of Investments

Topic: Inside CastleKeep

Black Monday

What would’ve happened to a $10,000 investment made on Black Monday if you’d just left it in the market for the next 30 years?

Read on: Black Monday

Topic: The Market

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Looking for Losses

Summer has come and gone in the U.S. Fall is here. So while many people are excited about this year’s harvest at the local apple orchard, here at CastleKeep we’re focused on a different kind of harvest: tax losses. Yes, it may sound peculiar, but we are currently looking for losses in our client portfolios. And you should be too.

Read on: Looking for Losses

Topic: Strategies

Friday, October 06, 2017

The Dark Side of the Fiduciary Rule

The Department of Labor has plans to implement the “Fiduciary Rule.” What does it mean, and how might it affect your investment portfolio?

Read on: The Dark Side of the Fiduciary Rule

Topic: Standards

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Warren Buffett Turns 87 Today

The Oracle of Omaha turns 87 today—an impressive accomplishment for anyone. But all the more impressive that he still runs a “Fortune 5” (yes, that’s a five) company and does so with the energy and wit of a person half his age.

Read on: Warren Buffett Turns 87 Today

Topic: Standards

Monday, July 31, 2017

2017 Semi-Annual Review

If someone stood before you on December 31, 2016 and told you that by June 30th, 2017 the S&P 500 Index would be up +9.34% including dividends, you’d likely have assumed that the Trump administration accomplished several key aspects of their “Pro Business” agenda. You might have expected that major tax reforms were passed, regulations were slashed, an infrastructure bill was moving through Congress and a reasonable solution to the Affordable Health Care Act was achieved. You’d be wrong.

In fact, despite the stalemate and dysfunction in Washington, D.C., the S&P 500 Index is up +14.74% since Trump was elected through June 30th 2017. So if the US stock market performance cannot be attributed pro-business legislation, what can we point to?

Read on: 2017 Semi-Annual Review

Topic: The Market

Friday, May 12, 2017

Warren Buffett Responded

Back in February, I wrote a piece in reaction to Warren Buffett’s discussion on hedge fund and investment management fees in his latest Annual Letter to Shareholders. The heart of my post was that yes, many hedge fund and investment managers are not worth the fees they charge, but much like how Buffett relies on his Co-Chairman Charlie Munger for financial advice, surely, the average investor can receive value when paying for financial advice and expertise. My final post ended, “So would Buffett be willing to pay his ‘advisor,’ Charlie Munger, 1% per year to help him manage large and impactful investment decisions? I’m willing to wager he’d say ‘yes.’”

Well, at the Berkshire Annual meeting this year, I won my wager ...

Read on: Warren Buffett Responded

Topic: Standards

Tuesday, May 02, 2017

My Father & I had Breakfast with Meg Whitman this Morning

Sure, there were several hundred other people in the room having breakfast with her. But details people, details. I was fortunate to have been invited to a breakfast discussion featuring Meg Whitman this morning by a good friend of mine who is an Estate Planning Attorney at Day Pitney. Her firm was one of the sponsors for this fundraising event which benefits a great non-profit called Family Centers. The discussion at our intimate breakfast centered on Meg’s advice regarding leadership. She covered many aspects of her successful career and gave useful anecdotes and feedback on how to run a world-class organization, regardless of its size.

Read on: My Father & I had Breakfast with Meg Whitman this Morning

Topic: Standards