Blog
What’s on our mind? You can read about it in our blog. Whether it’s ideas from the industry or emerging trends, you can read about it here. And once in a while, we may throw in a movie review, a history lesson or some other surprise. Always something relevant. So keep checking in. We’re glad to have you reading along.
What Is Your Most Valuable Asset?
What would you list as your most valuable asset? Your home? Your business? 401k? Life insurance? While these things can all be very valuable assets, they're not the most valuable. Think about this: ...
Read MoreValue of a Fee-Based Advisor
Does fee-based advising make sense? At the end of the day, I believe it boils down to philosophy. Many advisors, like us, have decided that a business model that requires transparency and trust is just the right thing to do. It should...
Read MoreIt's What Your Advisor DOESN'T Know...
In my prior years of owning and managing two Property & Casualty Insurance agencies, I saw more than one instance of an insurance company declining to insure a home that had peeling paint on the outside. While...
Read MoreIt's the Planning, Stupid
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush held a 90% war-time approval rating. However, the following year during a mild recession in the midst of an election cycle, Clinton strategist James Carville famously coined the phrase "It's...
Read MoreIRS Releases 2024 Tax Brackets, Retirement Contribution Limits
The Internal Revenue Service recently released updated income tax brackets, standard deduction, and retirement contribution limits for the 2024 tax year. While these taxes are not due for some time, it may benefit you to start...
Read MoreShow All
What's Your Risk Number?
Everyone has a Risk Number whether they know it or not. Your tolerance for market volatility is unique. We use a risk assessment built upon a Nobel Prize-winning framework, and you can do it yourself in just a few minutes. It’s...
Read MoreCongress Set for a Busy January
The Senate and the House have returned to work but are unlikely to get much done before the Christmas break— which means January is going to be busy. To recap, Congress passed a short-term budget package before the Thanksgiving...
Read MoreInflation Math for Today’s Retiree
You may have heard the saying, “inflation hurts savers and benefits borrowers.” The expression suggests that borrowers benefit from inflation because they pay back lenders with dollars worth less than when the money...
Read MoreReasons Not to Write Your Own Will
Ever considered writing your own will? While you can draft a will on your own, there are plenty of reasons why you may not want to go that route. Most people do it to save money, but they may overlook or forget to take care of some...
Read MoreOpportunity Cost
Small opportunity costs today can add up to big reductions in your retirement nest egg later in life. If you don't know how to identify and/or calculate opportunity costs in your life, you need to find someone who can help you do it.
Read More4 Toughest Financial Questions
Many people have never stopped to calculate what it will take to retire. They may be contributing a percentage of their salary to their 401(k) and getting a match, but they still have no idea whether what they're doing will get...
Read MoreYou Finance Everything You Buy
Are you good at saving money so you can pay cash for the things you need? You've probably never thought about it this way, but did you know that in reality you finance everything you buy, even if you pay cash? Here's a...
Read MoreTransfers of Your Wealth
Everyone has transfers of wealth going on their lives. Learning to identify these transfers can enable you to recapture these dollars and bring them back to the table to help solidify your future. This could be one of the...
Read MoreAre you Social Security savvy?
How much do you know about Social Security? Given how layered the topic can be, it’s wise to educate yourself as much as you can about your options. We have a number of resources on our website that can help you take a bite out...
Read MoreSecrets of a Wealth Creator: How to Buy, Borrow, and Pay Smarter
Let’s face it, we all buy things and we will need to buy things our entire life. It’s not necessarily what we buy, but rather the way we choose to pay for them that can have a lasting impact on our financial well being....
Read MoreQualified Plans: The Hidden Truth
For many people, the term 401k is synonymous with retirement preparation, and sometimes represents the full extent of their preparedness. Such accounts are often included as part of a benefits package provided by employers, and chances...
Read MoreMortgages: Spoiled for Choice
It is likely that during your lifetime you will allocate more dollars to the place you are going to sleep than anything else. As such, the potential to transfer your wealth away unknowingly and unnecessarily as a result of decisions...
Read MoreThe Golf Caddie Analogy
Throughout the years, I’ve found that people tend to have a wide range of expectations that come to mind when they hear the term “Financial Advisor.” And it’s no wonder that sometimes even the advisors...
Read MoreYour Personal Economic Model®
One of the tools we are able to utilize when discussing the best course of action to secure your financial future is known as the Personal Economic Model®. Much as a medical doctor would use an anatomical model to convey medical...
Read MoreWhy My Clients Choose to Work With Me
If you have had any previous experience with a financial advisor, chances are the conversation revolved around how much money you have, where it’s located, we can do a better job. It would seem that most investment firms share...
Read MoreRelationships are Fundamental
It’s a funny thing about advice. Everyone seems to have an overabundance of knowing what others should do, and they have no problem telling you about it, especially when monetary gain is a motivating factor. However, there also...
Read MoreTrains, Tickets, and Taxes: All Aboard!
Imagine that there are four people in line to purchase tickets at the train station. One after the other, they each purchase one ticket of the same class, on the same train, bound for the same destination. As they board, they take...
Read MoreA Matter of Perspective
There once was a blind man who was miraculously given his eyesight. For his entire life he had accomplished everything he needed to do without the benefit of eyesight. Instead of utilizing his vision, he leaned heavily on the use of...
Read MoreOn the Road to Financial Ruin
Have you ever stopped long enough to notice how many tools we have to assist our road travel these days? From traditional traffic lights and road signs, to programmable electronic billboards, GPS, and a bevy of smart-phone apps for...
Read More