A few years ago, my wife Shelly took a considerable risk: she reached out to her real dad, whom she had never known. She is adopted, and although her adoptive parents raised her well and cared for her, something had always been missing. Then,...

"I cringe when I think about the advice I gave as a club pro back in the day." The sun filtered down around the two of us on a hot afternoon through the leaves of a small Cone Elm beside the chipping green at Sherrill Park. I was chipping up, and...

"War is the realm of uncertainty; three-quarters of the factors on which action in war is based are wrapped in a fog of greater or lesser uncertainty." -General Carl von Clausewitz, Chief-of-Staff III Corps, Waterloo Campaign. Serving on a...

I often get questions from business owners that sound like, "Why should I buy stocks in the stock market when I can make a 40% return on my business?" This is certainly a great question, and the answer has more to do with risk than with return. ...

I have been an avid sportsman all my life. I have a hard time explaining to others, or even to myself why I enjoy the pursuit of wild game. It must be partly the tradition and history of the act itself, and partly the memories of my dad and me in...

Back in the early ‘90s, while serving as a junior naval officer, my ship deployed for a six-month journey around South America. This extensive trip was marked by a total of thirty-two ports of call around the entire continent. During that...

Recently, I visited with an investment banker on the phone who, years prior, had transacted a large business sale in my neck of the woods. He asked if I knew the family, and I said, "Yup, they just cleared Chapter 13 personal bankruptcy". Silence...

Being Different Makes a Difference St. James Park was swarming with people as we made our way on foot toward Buckingham Palace. We had been ducking and darting the growing crowd, our tour guide leading the way, when suddenly we came upon a wall...

As earnings season cycles around again, publicly traded companies will release results for the last quarter and for the year-end. Smaller, closely-held companies are busy too as many close out their tax year, fund profit-sharing plans, and put...

When I was a young child, my great-uncle would arrive at our house with my grandparents just before Christmas. Most years, he would bunk up with me. My room was down a long hall from the living room, past the entryway and my sister’s room....

I hate the word “retirement” even more as I get older and closer to it myself. Why do I hate it? The word itself does not even remotely sound like fun at all. Retire comes from Middle French retirer (“draw back”) or withdraw. Therefore,...

When I first decided to start my own Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) firm, my longtime peer and friend responded incredulously, “You’re going to walk away from all of your trail commissions? Are you crazy?” Maybe I was crazy, but I was about...

In my pre-adolescent years, I had access to a small private lake on a property my parents owned with several other families. I always wanted to be out on that lake, but the outboard engines, gas tanks, and batteries associated with power were too...

Traditionally, when you die, your heirs have to go through a legal process of distributing your assets called probate. You are said to have died intestate if you die without a will. When this happens, a judge has to approve everything, and all of...

Schulz Wealth: PP&E 401(k) Retirement Savings from Shiny Box Pictures on Vimeo.

By now, most of you have heard about the Student Loan Relief Plan announced by the Biden administration. There are varying opinions on the announcement, but from my experience, for many, loans encourage poor decision-making when we don’t have to...

2022 Living Magazine Award Recognizes Schulz Wealth as Best Financial Advisor in Arlington & Mansfield Schulz Wealth is proud to announce that our firm has been recognized by Living Magazine as the 2022 Best Financial Advisor in Arlington and...

Human creativity is the secret ingredient of capitalism. Entrepreneurs and companies create new products, ideas, and ways of getting things done for the future with the knowledge and capital they have in the present. This process creates wealth...

Today’s post was inspired by the excellent book: Team of Teams, by Gen. McChrystal Modern destroyers use gas turbine engines for propulsion and electrical power. As a young junior officer, I was required to learn all about these marvelous...

This week’s Thoughts on Things Thursday come with a heavy heart, but I can only hope they will help someone if they are struggling. We lost two clients this week. One lived fully to an old age and died peacefully; the other tragically chose to...

Have you ever thought about how the tips, tricks, and insights you share with others can have a lasting impact? The sound advice you share with people can drastically change their lives even though it may seem so simple to you. We recently had a...

Rob’s Thoughts on Inflation: For my entire 30-year professional career, inflation has never been a factor. I have endured five bear markets, yet the peril of high inflation has not been a consideration for my clients ever until this year....

Clients First As large service corporations become more efficient and tech-forward, it creates opportunities for those of us who build personal relationships with our clients. When we bring on a new client, the first step is to help them...

Do You Have a Transition Plan? Tom Brady UnretiredFor over 20 years, we’ve watched one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to exist compete at the highest level. In February, Tom Brady retired. Six weeks later, Brady unretired and headed back to...