Can you have financial success in a down market? I believe so. It’s easy to be pessimistic when markets are down, this can look smarter than being optimistic about future. I’m a realist and believe ongoing planning and strategy makes optimism possible. Here’s my...
Sunday October 9th marks World Post Day, recognizing postal services around the globe. Most of our communications today have moved electronically to phones and computers. Where would we be without text messaging and email? Yet, receiving a birthday card is still...
These three words are very powerful when you right size them to fit your financial decisions today. Saving to cash reserves for opportunities and planning margins. Investing for future wealth. Spending the rest with confidence. In a declining market, this approach...
We (investors) love watching our accounts expand. It’s nice to see forward progress in values so you get closer to what you want. This calendar year so far has been “less awesome” from an investment perspective. The roaring returns of the past several years, decade...
September will arrive later this week, so will our semiannual review meetings. I learned years ago that attempting to squeeze all planning items into a single annual meeting was unproductive. This didn’t allow time for clients to share personal updates or urgent...
To make better decisions with your money it helps to set up a financial plumbing system. What’s financial plumbing? Simply put, it’s moving the right monies to the right account through automation. Setting it up requires awareness of what’s coming in and what’s...
The spotlight continues to shine brightly on increasing prices. From big ticket purchases like a home to everyday shopping at the grocery store, stuff costs more. What we need to recognize is that it will take time for the data to arrive to illustrate prices are in...
My oldest son and I spent time on campus last week taking part in freshman orientation. The students were split up in small groups from the start and set off to explore campus and have fun. Meanwhile in the auditorium, parents heard from various university leaders...
If investing was a board game, it may be best categorized as Chutes & Ladders. I loved this game growing up as a kid, the premise is simple. Get to the top of the board by climbing ladders and progressing forward on each square, avoid the chutes if possible. I...
Summer is here as students are graduating and classes are ending, time to think about a vacation! This may be the most normal summer we’ve seen yet post pandemic; at least I hope so. I think it’s uber important to travel with family and friends during the summer...
During times of extreme volatility, both up but usually down, it may be comforting to know you have a friend to turn to. I welcome all questions as that’s how an investor may grow their knowledge on various topics. Clear definitive answers are often desired, “what...
What do you do when your account values shrink in the current investment environment? You may have created a well thought out plan and were happy with your progress, then life happened! With so many events taking place today, many out of our control; how do you stay...