MannAdvisoryServices 

Thing One When Should You Take Social Security? A Practical Framework for Making the Right Decision One of the most important financial decisions you will make heading into retirement is when to begin taking Social Security. Many people approach this decision with the goal of “getting the most,” but the reality is that the right answer depends on how long you live and how this income fits into your broader plan. A simple way to evaluate this decision is through a break-

Thing One The Tax Trap You Might Not See Until It's Too Late After years of a strong, buoyant market, many people are quietly sitting on much larger IRA balances than they ever expected. What started as steady retirement savings has, in many cases, turned into one to two million dollars or more in pre-tax accounts. At age 62, everything still feels under control. Income is solid.Taxes look reasonable.Nothing feels urgent. In fact, many people look at their tax retu

Thing One Don’t Pay That Bill Dealing with the torrent of emotions triggered by the death of a loved one can be difficult. Add to that the settling of a decedent’s financial matters, and the situation can become a stressful and confusing mess. Believe it or not, there are companies hoping to find you in just that state of mind. These businesses buy up the debt of people who’ve passed away for pennies on the dollar and then start calling surviving family members almost immedia

Thing One Three Roles If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you’ve undoubtedly seen us touch on life insurance more than once. That’s not by accident. It’s one of the most misunderstood—and often underutilized—tools in personal finance. So whether this is a refresher or your first introduction, let’s break down the real reasons someone should consider owning a life insurance policy. At its core, life insurance isn’t about fear—it’s about planning. And when use

Thing One A Shameful Experiment The Name Of Equity Last week, we talked about the severe negative impact that the lack of education is having on American students - on a macro level - while the people in charge focus on the wrong “problem”. This week we highlight the issue on a micro level using an example from San Francisco. This sad tale about a generation that local system has failed, without any accountability, is a reminder we should be more careful about choosing

Thing One A Minimum Wage Metaphor Imagine for a moment that you are in need of a new pair of running shoes. You know of a strip mall that has two shoe stores, so you get in your car and make the short drive. The first store, Uncle Sam's Sports, is closer to where you parked, so you start there. When you walk in, you're greeted by the manager who asks if he can help you. You politely tell him that you're looking for a pair of running shoes, but you also indicate that you'd

Thing One What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen: A Lesson for Today’s Policy Debates The 19th-century French economist Frédéric Bastiat offered a timeless warning about how we evaluate economic policy. In his essay What Is Seen and What Is Not Seen, he wrote: “...In the economic sphere an act, a habit, an institution, a law produces not only one effect, but a series of effects. Of these effects, the first alone is immediate; it appears simultaneously with its cause; it is s

Thing One The $2.7 Million Opportunity Most Parents Might Miss (More On The Trump Accounts) ( The following is a synopsis of insights shared in article summarized by financial advisor Fran Walsh, CFA, co-founder of Opulus LLC) Parents are always looking for ways to give their kids a financial head start. According to financial advisor Fran Walsh, one new savings vehicle could potentially grow into millions for children who start early. Walsh recently highlighted the p

Thing One Play The Long Game In early 2009, the world felt like it was coming apart. The financial crisis was in full swing, major banks had failed, unemployment was rising, and fear dominated every headline. The S&P 500 had fallen nearly 50% from its highs. It didn’t feel like an opportunity. It felt like the end. But history tells a different story. If you had invested $1,000 into a simple S&P 500 index fund at the market lows in 2009 and done nothing but reinvest the div

Thing One All Debt Must Be Repaid Ten years ago, a good friend wrote about an article he'd read about debt. Below is a rewrite with updated stats. It's defintiely worth a read... The article "Managing Debt in an Overleveraged World" by Michael Spence warned that global debt had surged by roughly $60 trillion since the financial crisis — a 75% jump relative to global GDP. At the time, that number felt staggering. The world had failed to deleverage after 2008 and instea