Perhaps this question has crossed your mind more than once as you consider your financial future. There are many issues surrounding this question and one of the first steps to finding the answer is to evaluate where you are today. It’s good to take a snapshot of where you are currently and paint a picture…
DetailsYou may have seen this anonymous piece before. With all that’s going on in our culture it is timely and a good reminder. A father used to say to his children when they were young: “When you all reach the age of 12, I will tell you the secret of life.” One day…
DetailsYou’ve probably noticed the volatility wreaking havoc in the markets over the past few weeks. To understand what’s going on, let me tell you a story. Imagine you are inside a fancy restaurant, waiting for your meal to be prepared. While you wait, you can watch the chefs as they work. Suddenly, though, you…
DetailsAccording to the Department of Health and Human Services (I know I’m quoting a government source), 70 percent of all people over age 65 will need some form of long-term care in their lifetimes. This is also confirmed by other non-government sources. The statistics are frightening. I talk to many that would add paralyzing.…
DetailsOne of the charts I watch daily is the 10-year treasury yield. It’s now started creeping higher again since about the first of the month. Traditionally, growth stocks with lots of debt typically do not do well in a rising rate environment. The US Debt Clock shows that the interest paid on the record $30.7…
DetailsYou may be tired of hearing me harp on taxes. Now some mainstream news sources are starting to chime in. This is a 4th of July article from Kiplinger. I am going to quote the very first sentence of the article. “Traditional IRAs are set up in a way that basically incentivizes you (and…
DetailsNearly each one of these Retirement Truths is worth a 30-minute conversation. Take a look at these truths and email me and let me know which ones we should discuss at our next meeting. When we talk about any of these, I want you to REVERSE your thinking to, “What if I could take…
DetailsPart 2 Last week I posed the question; which is easier to fix? Is a recession easier to fix or is inflation easier to fix? Thank you for all of the feedback I received. I had some unique and creative answers for sure! I hope the question stirred your thoughts on what’s currently happening.…
DetailsWhich Is Easier to Fix, Recession or Inflation? They did it again on Wednesday. The Federal Reserve raised by 0.75 percentage points yesterday and also June. Yesterday is the fourth rate increase this year. But what does all of this really mean? The most notable issue in the economy is inflation. Raising interest rates is…
DetailsA Careful Look At Beneficiaries For most people the choice of beneficiaries is simple: Spouse first, then adult children. For others it may not be that simple—or not stay that simple. Let’s see what we can learn. The most common cases requiring beneficiary designation are on wills and trusts, and on financial accounts like qualified…
DetailsMany have asked me about the government’s inflation protected savings bond which is currently paying 9.62 percent. It’s a great question. Who wouldn’t want 9.62%? I’ve found for most of our clients a $10,000 investment at 9.62% doesn’t really move the needle much. You can only have $10,000 and no more than $10,000. …
DetailsQuestions You Were Afraid To Ask Earlier this year, I started a series of letters called “Questions You Were Afraid to Ask.” Each time, we look at a common question that many investors have but feel uncomfortable asking. Because when it comes to investing, the only bad question is the one left unasked! We’ve…
DetailsHappy Independence Day! When we were kids, one of the things we had to learn is that many people are different from us – and that we are different from other people. We all look different, dress different, talk different, think different, you name it. Sometimes, those differences can be very pronounced, and it’s easy…
DetailsThe annual Social Security Trustees Report is out. At 275 pages I wouldn’t expect any of you to want to read it! I haven’t read it all, but I will share some highlights (I know where to look). The report really used to be one of those government reports that nobody paid much attention to,…
DetailsHappy Father’s Day! Back in March, a train from Ukraine arrived in Poland. Inside were dozens of tired, hungry children fleeing the war. I have no idea what the kids expected to see when they arrived at the station, but the sight that greeted them was certainly not it. Standing there, on the…
DetailsMany different factors drive the retirement decision and when to retire. To name a few I’ve seen in the last 2 years: Health or Spouses’ Health Age Job Issues Social Security Enough Money Layoffs Covid Marriage I have heard several stories of people running out of money or running short of money in retirement. Some…
DetailsQuestions You Were Afraid To Ask A few months ago, I started a series called “Questions You Were Afraid to Ask.” Each time, we look at a common question that many investors have but feel uncomfortable asking. Because when it comes to investing, the only bad question is the one left unasked! In…
DetailsHappy Memorial Day! On April 11, 1916, British troops on the front lines were visited by an imposing figure: Winston Churchill. It would be many years before Churchill became a legendary statesman, but he was already well-known, having most recently served as the First Lord of the Admiralty. As Churchill went down the lines, he…
DetailsOver the years, one of the most popular ways to save for retirement is to contribute to an Individual Retirement Account, or IRA. That’s because IRAs enable you to invest (and hopefully grow) your money for retirement in a way that also brings significant tax advantages. As you can imagine, much of my time as…
DetailsImagine Rip Van Winkle woke up from a two-year nap and cornered you on the street. “What’s been happening?” he asks. “What did I miss?” After catching him up on the last two years – COVID, the presidential election, Russia invading Ukraine, etc. – he asks you: “By the way, how are the markets doing?” …
DetailsHappy Mother’s Day! It’s Mother’s Day and one of our favorite songs lately has been “Unsung Hero” by For King & Country, an Australian Christian duo. The group, composed of two brothers dedicated “Unsung Hero” to their parents for the sacrifices they made in moving from Australia to the United States and molding them into…
DetailsBut Our Work Is Never Done. Most of you have filed your 2021 taxes and said “goodbye and good riddance” to tax season. You probably won’t be thinking about taxes again until next year. And that’s fine … you deserve a break from the stress of tax season. We, on the other hand, work…
DetailsFor most of us tax-day is past and taxes for 2021 are behind us. For a few we have another six months to pull it all together and get returns submitted by using the handy extension. Here is a very great review appearing in the Wall Street Journal by Ed Slott aka America’s tax…
DetailsHe is Risen, He is Risen Indeed! Each holiday is special in its own way, but of them all, there is no other celebration like Easter. Easter is about resurrection of life, rebirth, hope, spring and every other good thing that comes along with it. As you prepare for your Easter Sunday celebration we encourage…
DetailsQuestions You Were Afraid To Ask A few months ago, I started a series of letters called “Questions You Were Afraid to Ask.” Each month, we look at a common question that many investors have but feel uncomfortable asking. Because when it comes to your finances, the only bad question is the one left…
DetailsIntro to Biblically Responsible Investing Over the years I have been asked numerous times some version of, “Is there a way I can direct my investments where I want them to go?” After further conversation it was more about, can I direct them where I don’t want them to go? For me, finding…
DetailsWill It End? I’m writing about gas prices again. I last touched on this in July. And less than 12 months later I’m writing about it again. If you’ve driven anywhere in the last week, you’ve probably seen it. The sign on the side of the road. The one that makes your jaw drop. …
DetailsWith apologies to George Harrison and the Beatles, we know the headlines are nowhere near gently anything. As you may know, the market has gone into correction territory – meaning a drop of more than 10% below the most recent peak. (For the Dow, this “recent peak” was near 37,000 back in early January.) Whenever…
DetailsI just returned from a short investment conference in Orlando. I’ve been reflecting on some of the conversations I’ve had over the last few weeks with clients, investment managers, colleagues and other advisors. Ukraine has recently been the source of many of these questions and conversations. Everyone seems to want to know what the…
DetailsMost went on their merry way and $30T slipped right by us. Was it Putin and the fog of war? Rising interest rates? Ottawa? Extraordinary inflation? Most didn’t notice the alarm clock RINGING to wake us up to $30T. I’m referring to $30 TRILLION of US national debt. The milestone was hit in…
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