
Insights

Natural Stupidity vs. Artificial Intelligence
As artificial intelligence grows more advanced, it paradoxically highlights a rise in 'natural stupidity'—our diminishing critical thinking skills. Fueled by social media algorithms, confirmation bias and echo chambers that distort our decision-making. By embracing skepticism and fostering critical reasoning, we can navigate the challenges posed by AI, make smarter investments, and create a more balanced future.

Leveraged ETFs Are Fundamentally Flawed
Leveraged ETFs are securities that use financial derivatives (i.e., leverage) to magnify the returns of an underlying index or security. Mechanically, leveraged ETFs are forced to rebalance at the end of each trading day to ensure they remain within their target leverage ratio. This results in volatile price action as leveraged ETF returns are influenced by: the direction and volatility of the underlying index.

Discipline vs. FOMO
Equity markets have reached new highs, with the S&P 500 rising ~15% this year, on the back of a 26% gain in 2023, and is up an astonishing ~46% between Jan 2023 and June 2024. It’s at times like these when it’s important to remain disciplined, and to resist the FOMO (fear of missing out).

Autonomous Cars Could Save More Than 30,000 Lives
Self-driving cars could end up saving ~37,000 lives per year in the US. That’s almost as large as eliminating deaths from breast cancer (breast cancer claims ~42,000 people per year)[4].

Optimizing Credit Card Rewards
With so many choices and different spending patterns, there is no single one-size-fits-all strategy. For the user who just wants a single card, a 2% cash back credit card is the simplest path. However, with a little effort, a cash back percentage north of that base is easily achievable.

2023 Year In Review
2023 was a strong year for most asset classes, an investor could hardly help but to prosper from investments in traditional assets like cash, bonds, or stocks.


The Wealth Multiplier: Tax Efficiency & Compounding
We often emphasize to our clients the pivotal role of tax efficiency in magnifying their wealth over time. Though the topic might seem tedious, our fascination with it is well-grounded. We often say: “we prioritize after-tax wealth creation, above headline returns.”

Unlocking Freedom: Embracing a Life of Purpose and Meaning
Embark on a transformative journey where wealth meets purpose, as we delve into Michael Bloomberg's remarkable story, and unveil how a simple shift from "spending" to "investing" can shape a life of intention, paving the way to a future of fulfillment and greatness.

The Stock Market is Getting Greedy
Since the start of the year and through the end of June, the equity markets have been red hot with the S&P 500 and NASDAQ up YTD +17% and +32%. Let’s dive into some of the many potential reasons for the rally in the stocks market.

Kamel Tarazi Joins Ahara Advisors as Chief Operating Officer
Please join us in congratulating Kamel Tarazi for being appointed Ahara Advisor’s Chief Operating Officer. Kamel will provide leadership for the firm’s business operations, including finance and compliance, and work with clients in tax and estate advisory services.

Preparing Your Household For a New Era of Rising Interest Rates
A financial sea change may be on the horizon. After approximately four decades of steadily declining interest rates, we might be at the cusp of a long-term debt cycle shift that could see interest rates rise for multiple decades, reminiscent of the period between 1945-1980.

The Ins and Outs of Being Philanthropic
Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) provide a flexible and efficient way to donate to charities, while taking advantage of tax benefits. DAFs allow donors to control and invest their donated assets, grant funds at their discretion, and serve as a due diligence representative.

The Retirement Cliff
At Ahara Advisors, we seek to manage your wealth and financial health. We try to optimize your after-tax return on your investments, your retirement assets, and, ultimately, your potential wealth transfer to your heirs or philanthropic endeavors.

Artificial Intelligence: The Next Industrial Revolution?
Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) enabled tools, applications, and services have become incredibly powerful. AI is now capable of things that seemed like science fiction.

Everything You Need to Know About College Savings
There are several options to address college savings, we’ll dive into the different strategies and help you understand the “pushes and pulls” of each.

The Best Places to Put Your Cash
Given the rise in interest rates, we outline ways investors can earn the best yield on their cash.

How to Be Smarter About Investment Taxes
Let’s take a deeper dive and review several strategies that maximize after-tax wealth creation.

What 2022 Can Teach You About 2023
We believe last year’s sell-off has created some favorable opportunities to invest in quality businesses at very reasonable valuations. Some of the best opportunities exist amongst the most beaten-down sectors in 2022: COVID winners, high growth, and technology.

Gratitude and Giving
It is the goal of Ahara Advisors to help other families enjoy financial prosperity and to be able to use that prosperity to help others.