Investing
Inflation: The Silent Killer of Retirement Plans
Blog“Inflation: The Silent Killer of Retirement Plans" We talk a lot about inflation in the headlines – rising gas prices, higher grocery bills, the cost of... well, everything. But while we feel its immediate pinch in our daily lives, there's a far more insidious and...
The 4% Rule is now the 5% Rule
Blog“The 4% Rule is now the 5% Rule" A financial expert named Bill Bengen, who created the famous 4% Rule, has a new book called A Richer Retirement: Supercharging the 4% Rule to Spend More and Enjoy More. The 4% Rule was a game-changer for retirement planning because...
Mirror Image Quarters and Iran
Blog“Mirror Image Quarters and Iran” Maybe it goes without saying, but 2025 has not been short of news headlines and we are just coming up to the halfway point in the year! Interestingly the entire 2020’s decade so far has been quite a volatile one. Up to this point...
You Can’t Put a Price On Mental Freedom
Blog“You Can’t Put a Price On Mental Freedom" We typically don’t recommend individual stock holdings for customers. While we will keep some holdings if the client is adamant about a specific company, we believe in a more passive and diversified equity strategy. This...
The Boring Advice Proves Itself Again
Blog“The Boring Advice Proves Itself Again" 2025 has certainly been a roller coaster ride for stocks. Just over a month ago the S&P 500 was down over 15% for the year, and now, as I write this on May 13th, the S&P 500 has gained 18.3% since April 8th. It’s...
Navigating Tariffs: Why History Favors the Patient Investor
Blog“Navigating Tariffs: Why History Favors the Patient Investor" Staying the Course Amidst Tariff Turbulence It’s hard to ignore the recent headlines. Talk of tariffs, potential trade disputes, and the resulting market swings can naturally cause unease for even the...
Your Goals > Stock Market Movements
Blog“Your Goals > Stock Market Movements" Investors are nervous right now. For those who’ve been reading our weekly articles for some time, you might recognize the above title. We have re-visited the idea that your personal goals should hold a greater weight in...
Thoughts on this Weeks Volatility
Blog“Thoughts on this Weeks Volatility" I’m writing this on Tuesday, August 6th so take the context into account as you read this on Friday morning but we’ve already had a busy week in the market. I find it helpful to always take a step back, breathe, and put market...
A History of the Federal Funds Rate
Blog“A History of the Federal Funds Rate" There is a lot of talk about the Federal Funds rate recently and whether or not the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates in 2024. I thought this recent article from Yahoo Finance did a good job explaining the history of...
Is the AI Fever Too Hot?
Blog“Is the AI Fever Too Hot?" I get a lot of questions about Artificial Intelligence and whether clients think we should be investing more heavily in some of these companies. While the growth has certainly been eye-catching, it’s important to not get caught up in the...
Why America is Still a Safe Bet
Blog“Why America is Still a Safe Bet" Over the past few years I regularly get asked if I think that America is in a downward spiral and whether investing in our future is still a safe bet. While I understand the question, and I don’t think you can argue that the...
Why the Stock Market Isn’t a Casino
Blog“Why the Stock Market Isn’t a Casino" I’ve heard people say before that the stock market is simply organized gambling and while I understand the sentiment I would have to disagree especially when you take into account the time it takes for a bet to play out in a...
Roger Federer vs. the Stock Market
Blog“Roger Federer vs. the Stock Market" If someone has a large amount of money to invest, it can sometimes be easier psychologically to put that money to work slowly over time. In other words, rather than investing $500,000 in one day, it can feel better to invest...
“Bearish is Easier than Bullish”
Blog“Bearish is Easier than Bullish" No matter what is happening in the markets or wider economy it seems you can always make a case for why the market is about to crash or why we are set for another bull run. 10 different advisors or economic “experts” can view the...
The Increase in Americans Retiring Overseas
Blog“The Increase in Americans Retiring Overseas” America can be an expensive place. Having personally lived overseas, it’s not to say that other areas are always cheaper, but the reality is that more and more Americans are finding retirement locations that they love...
Humility Comes with Experience
BlogHumility Comes with Experience The more time I spend in finance, the more I realize how little we truly know or how foolish it is to try and predict what is going to take place. I’m convinced that if someone is absolutely certain of their belief of what will...
Your Goals > Stock Market Movements
Blog“Your Goals > Stock Market Movements” For those who’ve been reading our weekly articles for some time, you might recognize the title. We have re-visited the idea that your personal goals should hold a greater weight in your mind than what is happening in the...
5 Keys to Investing in 2024
Blog"5 Keys to Investing in 2024" I enjoyed reading this recently published piece from American Funds. Yes, there are concerns as we enter into 2024, but is there ever a perfect time to invest?? What a difference a year makes. At the start of 2023, market pessimism...
Retirement for the Next Generation
BlogRetirement for the Next Generation We have written posts in the past about setting your children up for retirement which you can find here. In this article, we wanted to dive in deeper to this concept of a Custodial IRA (sometimes called a minor IRA). I also...
“The realities of Diversification“
Blog “The realities of Diversification" 2023 has been an interesting year in the stock market. As we outlined a couple of weeks ago, the rally in the S&P 500 has really been driven by a handful of companies. When this happens, diversification can feel...
“Housing Market Frustrations”
Blog“Housing Market Frustrations" Last week I spoke about the complacency we feel in the US economy despite some attractive economic metrics. Yes, unemployment is historically low, yes GDP grew over 4% in the third quarter of 2023, and yes inflation seems more under...
“Avoiding Common Retirement Pitfalls“
Blog“Avoiding Common Retirement Pitfalls" There's no such thing as one-size-fits-all retirement planning and planning the perfect retirement may be a pipe dream. For many folks, their view of what retirement will look like tends to change after the first few months...
“America’s Problems are Relative”
Blog “America’s Problems are Relative” Not many people would argue with you if you said that America is a great place to live but also has many problems. Whether it’s our national debt, inflation, interest rates, or political division, it can be easy to assume that...
“In Good Years the Market Still Goes Down”
Blog“In Good Years the Market Still Goes Down" It’s a simple thought, but I really enjoyed this article from Ben Carlson over at A Wealth of Common Sense. I hope you enjoy it too: The S&P 500 is up just shy of 17% so far in 2023. Maybe these gains...
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