What Is Direct Indexing?
In 1924, mutual funds made it possible for everyday investors to buy a basket of stocks in one shot. In 1976, index mutual funds took it a step further by letting you buy “the market” at low cost. In 1993, ETFs added intraday trading and even better tax efficiency. The latest step in that evolution […]
The One Big Beautiful Bill: Portfolio Implications & Strategic Responses
By Anthony Pacione – Gasima Global, July 2025 Executive Summary The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBAA) is reshaping the investment landscape through a mix of tax extensions and trade measures. In this paper, we examine how OBBBA’s policy shifts, from tariff-driven inflation to tax code tweaks, may influence portfolio construction, risk management, and long-term […]
The Backdoor Roth: Key Benefits and Pitfalls to Avoid
So you make too much money to contribute directly to a Roth IRA. First off, congratulations – that’s a good problem to have! But it’s also frustrating when you want those sweet tax-free retirement benefits and the IRS basically says, “Sorry, you’re too successful for this party.” Enter the backdoor Roth – a perfectly legal […]
Should I Convert My Traditional Savings to Roth?
You’re standing at a crossroads, holding your retirement savings, and Uncle Sam is offering you two deals. Door number one? Pay him later when you’re older and wiser. Door number two? Pay him now, and he’ll call it even forever. That’s essentially the choice between Traditional and Roth retirement accounts, and honestly, it could be […]
Why Stocks and Bonds Might Not Be Enough: The Case for Alternative Investments
Remember when retirement planning involved little more than clipping bond coupons and counting on a pension? Grandpa’s biggest market‐risk decision was whether to hold his savings in 8 % CDs or 9 % CDs. Then, in the 1970s, the 401(k) was born, and with it came a seismic shift in how Americans approached retirement. As […]
How Exactly Financial Advisors Add Value to Your Portfolio
Let me take you back in time for a moment. In 1720, Sir Isaac Newton – yes, the brilliant physicist – learned a hard lesson about investing. Newton got swept up in history’s first stock-market bubble, the South Sea Company. He initially cashed out with a 100% profit, but then greed (or perhaps FOMO in […]
The Five Retirement Risks That Catch Retirees Off Guard
Looking to retire? Wondering how to time your exit in today’s volatile market? Let’s start with a little history lesson. When Chancellor Otto von Bismarck introduced the world’s first state pension system, retirement wasn’t exactly the extended chapter of life we know today. The retirement age was set at 70, while the average German man […]
Market Volatility and Missing the Market’s Best Days
The markets have been putting even seasoned investors through their paces lately. Between the Federal Reserve’s next moves, earnings questions, and geopolitical tensions, we’re seeing the kind of complexity that makes investment decisions particularly challenging. Look at what’s happening in the markets right now. Volatility is climbing, emotions are running high, and investors are making […]
Why Portfolio Diversification is So Important
Let’s go back to the spring of 2000. Everyone was chasing dot-com stocks, and the sky seemed the limit. People were convinced they’d retire at 35 thanks to their tech portfolios. So many investors were all-in on a couple of flashy Internet companies. For a while, account balances soared. But then the bubble burst, and […]
Tax-Smart Investing: Matching the Right Assets and Accounts
In 1999, tech investor Peter Thiel put less than $2,000 into a Roth IRA. Fast forward ~20 years, and that Roth IRA ballooned to $5 billion (yes, with a “b”) tax-free. How? Thiel used his Roth IRA to buy dirt-cheap startup shares (think early Facebook), and all the growth happened inside the Roth wrapper. Because […]