Dear Garden State Trust: I’ve read that when interest rates go up, bond prices go down. Why should this be so? It seems a bit irrational to me. —Cynical Investor Dear Cynical: It’s not irrational. It’s not emotional at all; it’s just math. Here’s a simplified example. You have a bond with a face value…
Author: gstc
Inflation Worries Keeping You Awake?
According to a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, reported at thehill.com, 85% of respondents are concerned about inflation, and 45% are very concerned. Beyond polling data, we can tell from looking at Google trend graphs that searches for information on inflation more than doubled in May, and that keyword search continues to be above average. Google’s…
Trust Decanting
Dear Garden State Trust: My brother and I are trust beneficiaries. The trust was established more than ten years ago, when our father died, so we’ve been told it’s irrevocable, it can’t be changed. But we need a change, this trust structure isn’t working out for us. Is there some way that we could at…
The Top Income Tax Rate
Dear Garden State Trust: I see that President Biden has proposed bringing back the 39.6% income tax rate early, before its already scheduled return in 2026. Why is that tax rate a fraction, instead of a whole percentage rate as all the other tax rates are? Where did that extra 0.6% come from? Wouldn’t it…
“Is Work an Obligation, or An Option I Choose?”
According to Pew Research, there was a big increase in baby boomer retirements last year, 1.2 million over the historical average! Although there are no reasons cited for the increase, it’s likely that many of those who had been holding off decided to go ahead with retirement when the work dynamics they enjoyed and were…
The Home Office Dedection
Dear Garden State Trust: I’ve been working from home during the pandemic, and my employer has indicated that will probably continue for me at least part time this year as well. Can I take a tax deduction for my home office? —Former Commuter Dear Former: You are most likely not eligible to take a deduction…
Myths About NFTs
When Beeple’s artwork sold last month for a record-breaking $69.3 million, one may have thought that NFTs have gone mainstream. When Saturday Night Live aired a spoof of the NFT market last month, one may have thought that NFTs have gone mainstream. When Rolling Stone Magazine published an article with the headline “Music NFTs Have…