Money Archives - Raymond J. Mills

Estate Taxes Don’t Start With the Middle Class—But They Rarely Stay That Way

Leave a Comment / Money, Politics / Raymond J Mills

Understanding the proposed Estate Tax Impact on the Middle Class in NYC and Its Financial Effects Most people don’t think about estate taxes, with good reason, as most estates don’t pay federal or state estate taxes. Why? Estates below the thresholds below pay no tax. Federal thresholds: ~$13.6 million per individual ~$27+ million for married […]

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AI: A Blessing and a Curse

Leave a Comment / Corporate Life, Money / Raymond J Mills

How AI is helping us work smarter—while introducing new uncertainty about what comes next. AI is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it has made me more productive, more capable, and more efficient than I’ve ever been. On the other hand, it’s introducing a level of uncertainty that none of us can

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The Tipping Culture’s New Twist

Leave a Comment / Money / Raymond J Mills

The Tipping Culture Debate My favorite radio host recently went on a rant about the Tipping Culture Debate. The impetus? A listener wrote in: “I stopped at Starbucks and was paying for my $6 cup of coffee—which took the barista about 11 seconds to pour—then she handed me an iPad. It included tip options of

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The Illusion of “Cheap Debt”

Leave a Comment / Money / Raymond J Mills

I recently saw someone say: “I never understood why people pay off a 3.5% mortgage. You can invest the money and earn more.” On paper, that math works—but it assumes the world stays stable. It is what Refer to as the illusion of Cheap Debt. What 2008 Really Looked Like. During the Global Financial Crisis,

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“Investing Smarter: How Low-Cost Index Funds Can Outperform Fees and Guesswork”

Leave a Comment / Money / Raymond J Mills

It’s interesting how many of my friends who worked in investment banking for over ten years still “have a guy” or “a gal” managing their investments — even friends who are CPAs. I understand it. For some people, investing simply isn’t interesting. Their eyes glaze over when the conversation turns to markets or portfolio construction.

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