The P&A Blog
Ka-Boom
My Dad is a pilot, and a good one at that. He started the learning process back in the late 80s, motivated to find a quicker way to get to our summer cabin in Northern Minnesota (in an effort to avoid the 4 hours of commercial connections from Lincoln – Minneapolis –...
Charitable contributions deadline looms
As we approach the end of 2018, those of you who have a Fidelity donor-advised fund (DAF) need to be aware of several tax-related deadlines. However, before we jump into these deadlines, let’s define two terms tied to DAFs that can be confusing: contributions and...
Identity theft protection
Email accounts get hacked every day because of weak passwords. Phishing campaigns succeed when the receiver unknowingly clicks on a corrupted file or link. Phone scams continue to prey on the elderly. Identity theft protection and cybersecurity are top-of-mind at...
Why investment fees matter
Do you know the amount of your monthly cable bill? How about the price of your cell phone plan? Now, the million-dollar question: how much are your investments costing you? Chances are, you can ballpark the first two, but the third is a mystery. There’s a reason...
Cybersecurity & identity theft
Cybersecurity is top-of-mind at Pittenger & Anderson. Read through the following PDF's to learn some tips for preventing fraud, how to respond to a data breach, and the steps Charles Schwab takes to protect your information. Tips for preventing fraud How to...
2018 – 3rd Quarter Letter – Metathesiophobia
The latest P&A quarterly letter to clients is available in PDF form. You can download it here. Topics include historical stock market investment returns, bull and bear markets, corrections, portfolio management, reversion to the mean, and the meaning of...
Does your money have confidence?
Beryl Markham was a pilot, racehorse trainer, author, and adventurer. She was the first female to fly solo and non-stop across the Atlantic from east to west. While not as famous as Amelia Earhart, Markham’s life was just as interesting. She also authored a great...
Cash is King?
Since June 2011, when I started working at P&A, U.S. stocks have powered an average annual return of 14.5%. In dollar terms, that would’ve turned $100 into $267, or more than 2.5x your original investment! This is the point where I’m obligated to tell you past...
P&A has a new website!
We live in a digital world that bombards us with notifications, breaking news, and casino-like noise. Because we are constantly filtering through so much information, our attention spans have become much shorter. With this in mind, we have redesigned our website to...
What to know when inheriting an IRA
In addition to dealing with the emotional aspects of losing a loved one, there are financial elements to consider as well. Inheriting an IRA can be a relatively straightforward process or it can become more complicated. If you are the beneficiary of an IRA of someone...
A tax-advantaged NUA-nce
You are probably well aware there are many acronyms in the financial industry and the world as a whole. While most of these aren’t worth remembering, after reading Trey’s article “SIPC or ROTFL, which is your favorite acronym?” you’ll know about SIPC. In this...
SIPC or ROTFL, which is your favorite acronym?
We live in a world of acronyms. TBA, IDK, BTW and my personal favorite ROTFL. You might have to Google that one. In the world of investing, there is an acronym that you should become very familiar with, SIPC. Help me become familiar, you ask? Well OK, here goes…...
Announcement: The P&A app is here!
A few months ago, we notified our clients that we were in the process of releasing our very own mobile app. Well rejoice because it is finally available! The app will only be accessible to current clients with an active P&A client portal. If you haven’t...
On bears and corrections
Many investors live in fear of corrections and bear markets, even though they happen fairly regularly. This article is not a bear market call---we still like stocks--but if you’re interested in our proactive approach to helping you through the next one, keep reading....
An invitation to the Bunch Club
“Bunching” has always been a tax strategy, often utilized to maximize one’s tax deduction. Now with the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in December 2017, including a near doubling of the standard deduction, the strategy of bunching is gaining steam. Find out if...
2018 – 2nd Quarter Letter – Cashology Revisited
The latest P&A quarterly letter to clients is available in PDF form. You can download it here. Topics include cashology (the study of earning, saving, & investing money), compound interest, the Rule of 72, investment risk, & the DOL fiduciary...
What you need to know about annuities
Going back to last summer, we’ve had a noticeable uptick in questions about annuities. Most are coming from prospective or new clients who were sold an annuity by their current or previous advisor. They want to know if they should keep it or get out. If you find...
Catching words of wisdom
Even though I’ve seen the movie “A River Runs Through It” a handful of times, I’d never read the book. Then Stephen King recommended it to me.* I figured Stephen King would know good writing, so I checked out the Kindle version from the library. The nice thing about...
