Long-time readers know that the way to tell if a financier is lying about stock buybacks is to check if their mouth is moving. But since buybacks are back in the news, meaning lies about buybacks are back in the news, I thought I'd offer a quick refresher. If buybacks and dividends are identical, why do buybacks at all? The lie about buybacks always starts the same way: … [Read more...] about Reminder: the buyback debate is about taxes, not corporate finance
taxes
“Opportunity Zones” are a terrible idea, poorly implemented, but big ambitious policies can and do work
Over the course of 2018 we've seen increasing clarity about the so-called "Opportunity Zones" included in the Republican smash-and-grab tax heist of 2017. Over at Alpha Architect they have an excellent breakdown of the tax advantages of these investment vehicles, so I'll stick to the roughest possible outline: taxable capital gains (e.g. from the sale of an appreciated … [Read more...] about “Opportunity Zones” are a terrible idea, poorly implemented, but big ambitious policies can and do work
Thinking about Vanguard’s no-transaction-fee ETF announcement
The finance blogosphere has been ablaze the last week with Vanguard's announcement that they'll be eliminating trading fees on an enormous swathe of ETF's that currently cost $7 to buy and sell. Reducing transaction fees is an unalloyed good for investors, but I think there are some interesting additional consequences of the change to think about. What's happening On July 2, … [Read more...] about Thinking about Vanguard’s no-transaction-fee ETF announcement
Wrapping my head around variable annuities
I've written before about indexed annuities, one of the most expensive, abusive, unnecessary financial products known to man, but I've recently had a couple occasions to learn more about variable annuities, the confusingly-similarly-named product offered at lower cost by more reputable firms, like Vanguard and Fidelity. Variable annuities are expensive There are two expenses … [Read more...] about Wrapping my head around variable annuities
Basics of IRA recharacterizations
Like aircraft flying at very low altitudes, the US tax code does strange things when very low incomes are involved. Most people know about, or have at least heard of, the earned income credit, which phases in quickly as "earned income" (which includes wage and self-employment income) rises, then phases out somewhat more slowly. I think that's bad program design, since it … [Read more...] about Basics of IRA recharacterizations