Blog
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...
The Importance of a Health Savings Account
Blog “The Importance of a Health Savings Account" If the last few months are any indication, we can see that healthcare needs and associated expenses are truly an unknown quantity. Healthcare costs can be a major stumbling block for both the young and elderly and...
Trends in a Post-COVID World
Blog “Trends in a Post-COVID World" Where is the stock market going from here? Why has the market recovered so quickly? If we don’t find a vaccine for the virus soon, will we see a huge drop in the market? These are all common questions we are getting from clients...
Money Lessons to Teach in High School
Blog “4 Money Lessons They Should Teach in High School" Growing up in America we are taught many valuable things in high school, but an area that has historically been ignored is personal finance. While Chemistry is almost always on the curriculum (I haven’t had to...
Stock Markets and Presidential Elections
Blog “Stock Markets and Presidential Elections" While our post this week might not directly assist you in your quest towards financial independence, but it’s also fun to see how finances can play into so many aspects of our world. If 2020 hasn’t already been eventful...
When Should I Refinance My Mortgage?
Blog “When Should I Refinance My Mortgage?" This week’s post is a revamped version of a post from 2019. With mortgage rates now at historic lows, we feel it is valuable to revisit this idea. Everybody loves to save money, and since we are in a period of...
ETFs vs. Mutual Funds
Blog “ETFs vs. Mutual Funds" Exchange Traded Funds or ETF’s are fairly new on the investing scene, at least in relative terms. ETF’s first came on the scene in 1993 while Mutual Funds have been around since the 1920’s. Since ETF’s began, there is an ongoing debate...
Tips for Lowering Taxes in Retirement
Blog “Tips for Lowering Taxes in Retirement" So many financial articles talk about the importance of saving for retirement and how much money you should have saved to retire comfortably. While that is certainly an important topic, considering how these savings will...
FOMO with the Stock Market
Blog “FOMO with the Stock Market" “Fear of Missing Out” (AKA FOMO), has become very apparent as individuals try to make sense of the meteoric rise in the stock market over the past 60 days. We dive into why the stock market has been going up in a recent post which...
Paying with Cash vs. Affording Payments
Blog “Paying with Cash vs. Affording Payments" America has an all-consuming culture. Earning an income of $32,400 in the United States puts you in the top 1% of global earners, however, to earn in the top 1% in the United States you would need to pull in over...
Robo Advisor vs. Financial Advisor
Blog“Robo Advisor vs. Financial Advisor" There has been a lot of debate, especially over the last 10 years, about the “value” that a real-life financial advisor brings to a client. During this time, the massive growth of rob-advisors such as Betterment, Ally,...
A Checklist a Decade Away from Retirement
Blog“A Checklist a Decade Away from Retirement" For many individuals, saving for retirement is not high on their priority list until those years begin to come into focus. As you begin the count down to retirement, the pressure can mount, and nerves can start to set...
Why Is the Stock Market Going Up?
Blog“Why is the Stock Market Going Up?" Despite record unemployment levels and economic uncertainty that we haven’t seen since 2008, the stock market continues to rally from it’s lows in late March. From January 1st, 2020 to March 23rd, 2020 the S&P 500 index was...
Increasing Retirement Success with Small Tweaks
Blog“Increasing Retirement Success with Small Tweaks" The last couple of months have challenged individuals, families, businesses, and governments around the world. While certain health experts have always cautioned against pandemics, they tend to operate like...
Is Now the Time for Individual Stocks?
Blog“Is Now the Time for Individual Stocks?" As people across the globe are being told to stay put in their homes, it’s not surprising to see some companies suffering more than others. Our normal routines are turned upside down, and so are our normal consumer spending...
Consistency Revisited
Blog“Consistency Revisited" Almost a year ago, we put out a post titled, “Consistency is Attractive.” With everything going on right now, we felt it was a timely reminder that being consistent, not only with our finances, can be a great source of strength in times of...
The Necessity of an Emergency Fund
“The Necessity of an Emergency Fund" If the last couple of months has taught us anything it is that the often talked about, but rarely pursued emergency fund is the essential cornerstone of a financial plan. Whether this is for a single individual, married couple,...
Highlights from Coronavirus Stimulus Package
“Highlights from Coronavirus Stimulus Package" The recent $2.2 Trillion stimulus package approved by the federal government is the single largest package in our country’s history. It shows that the federal government is taking this virus very seriously, and...
What Could a Recovery Look Like?
“What Could a Recovery Look Like?" A recent article coming out of the Capital Group did a great job of outlining what a recovery from the Coronavirus could look like. The unbiased takeaways are that COVID-19 will certainly have (and already has) major impacts on the...
Benefits of Buying Into the Market Over Time
“Benefits of Buying Into the Market Over Time" I’ve received several questions over the past month about where the “bottom” of the stock market is and when is the right time to buy back in? While I appreciate that these people have sought out my advice, the reality...
Making Sense of Market Volatility
“Making Sense of Market Volatility" No doubt most of you would have seen the headlines the past couple of weeks as markets rose and fell quite dramatically. While we agree there will be financial impacts felt by the global economy, we can’t help but think that...
Determining Life Insurance Needs
“Determining Life Insurance Needs" Life insurance is not a one size fits all game. Factors around someone’s stage in life, their financial commitments, and their current available resources all contribute to the answer. If you are wondering what type of life...
What to Make of the Corona Virus Impact
“What to Make of the Corona Virus Impact" We’ve all seen the news recently as cases of COVID-19 (AKA Corona Virus) have increased not only across China, but also spread into countries such as Italy, Iran, and South Korea. What should we make of this outbreak and the...
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