Goldstein on Gelt

The best-selling book The E-Myth examines the success of McDonalds and what we can learn from it.

What did you do when you received a purple vase decorated with green stripes and gold roses as an inheritance from your late Aunt Minnie? Did you give it a place of honor in your breakfront, hide it away in the attic, or did you follow your spouse’s instructions and “sell that hideous thing because at least you might get some money for it”? Chances are that you wouldn’t dare sell the vase, simply because of its sentimental value.

There’s no such thing as a perfect investment.

Have you thought about investing in dividend-paying stocks? As the name suggests, these are stocks that pay out a certain percentage of the company’s earnings as a dividend periodically (usually quarterly) to the investor. Recently, dividend-paying stocks have received a good press in publications such as The Wall Street Journal. Have you considered why dividend-paying stocks might be good for you?

There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Since you can’t take it with you, why not give it away with a warm hand?

Should you sell out of your portfolio now?

What kind of investor are you? Do you try to time the market and jump in at the right minute? Or are you a more cautious kind of person who spends hours researching market performance before you consider buying or selling anything?

When I recently wished a friend “Mazal Tov” on his daughter’s engagement, I broached the issue of prenuptial agreements in accordance with Jewish law. My friend, a rosh yeshiva, turned to me and said, “Of course they’re signing one. People who don’t sign halachic prenuptial agreements are stupid.”

What is the greatest present that you can give your children when they get married? In certain communities, the answer is, “an apartment.” Many parents take on second or third mortgages, sell their own homes, or bury themselves in debt to make sure that an apartment comes along with the trousseau.

Watch out when salesmen want to sell you a unique or secret investment.

Your child’s wedding should be a simcha, and not a financial disaster.

There is a myth that if you buy a property in Jerusalem then you are assured to make money.

If your main reason to buy an investment is that you think someone else will buy it from you at a higher price, you may be sorely mistaken.

Which investment scammer has you in his sights? Who knows? But one thing is for sure - if you start by asking the most basic questions and not believing the unbelievable, you're well on your way to protecting yourself. The scammer will just move on to his next victim.

The quality of life has improved so much in Israel that the perception of needing to bring over essentials like washing powder and soft toilet paper or popular American consumer products is twenty years out of date.

Israel will tax your U.S. municipal bonds, many of which are tax exempt.