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Updates From The Experts

Thoughts On Things | 3.10.22

How will you respond to uncertainty? Impossible to Predict, Possible to PlanPeople are unpredictable, and therefore the future is unpredictable. In Christian terms, we call it free will, and it means we believe that God grants us the ability to...

Thoughts On Things | 02.24.22

Inflation is running at 7.5%. What’s your move? Inflation is hitting historic levels meaning this is the kind of stuff you tell your grandchildren about someday. Even depreciating assets, like your car, boat, or RV, have appreciated over the last...

Thoughts on Things on Thursday | 01.27.2022

In our recent semi-annual reviews with clients, it has become almost routine for us to look at portfolio returns together and say, “That looks great!” Well, last week was not so great. The market corrected, and there was nowhere to hide. Didn’t...

What Happened When My Kids Started Investing?

Some years back, my two younger kids expressed an interest in investing. Admittedly, I botched their initial entry into the finance world. The recent acceleration of stock trading by new investors fueled by online message boards parallels the...

At What Age Do You Need a Financial Planner?

Rob got the chance to talk with Kelechi from the Rambling Mind podcast. Together they discuss Rob’s concept of net spenders and net savers along with many other things. Are you a net spender or a net saver? Tune in to find out!

Don't Confuse Your Politics With Your Pocketbook

All too often, people make investment decisions based upon their political concerns. Sure, policymakers can make changes to things like our taxes, minimum wage, and other regulations that affect our economy somehow, but not...

Thoughts on Recent Market Activity

Two weeks ago, I got a call from one of my clients. He owns almost 40,000 shares in an unknown local technology company that he bought from the founder many years ago. He paid around $20,000 for it at the time. The stock trades on...

What Is A Roth Conversion And Why Do I Care?

I had a new client in the office this morning whose situation lends itself perfectly to a Roth conversion. They are 53 years old and have almost 2 million dollars in 401(k) and IRA retirement account funds. All of their 401(k) and...

Investing: The Long Game

“What’s one thing you wish you knew about investing when you were 20?” I was asked this question as a guest on a recent podcast. My answer? “I wish I knew how phenomenally well Apple stock was going to do because I owned it when I...

Thoughts on Housing

Our mortgage loan officer told us what we qualified for and I couldn’t help myself as I burst out laughing. Shelly whacked me on the leg under the big conference room table as I regained my composure. “There is no way we can afford...

Is Tax Advantaged Really Tax Advantaged?

This is going to sound crazy, but maybe you should not be taking advantage of your 401(k). Maybe you should go ahead and pay taxes on your investments now, not later. Most of the people I come into contact with believe tax rates are...

Resilience

I have had deep and detailed financial discussions with most of my clients during our current pandemic crisis. Some are having the most successful years of their lives while others have had their income decimated. It’s easy to...

The Greatest Story Ever Told (About Money)

Check out this fun excerpt from my latest book for your reading enjoyment. I used to tell this story to 401(k) participants in enrollment meetings. It’s a real conversation I had with my dad in our garage in 1978! What do you think?

The 7 Steps to Personal Financial Success

I have had the opportunity to help many people gain personal financial success over the last quarter decade. It’s been a great ride, and I continue to be inspired by their achievements. How did they do it? I think these seven steps were a key...

Is Your 401(k) Enough? Probably Not.

In working with successful clients, I’m reminded often that just maxing out your 401(k) rarely cuts it. For most of the families we work with, it takes more than just retirement plan assets to effectively retire. Why? Because your...

The Death of Bonds?

The first time I reviewed and worked with a nice bond retirement portfolio it was my grandparents investment account. In the mid to late 90’s I found myself driving down to Temple Texas once a week to help them out with medical and...

What's The Market Got To Do With It?

Many of the conversations I’ve had recently about the stock market have revolved around the question “why” as in, “why is the NASDAQ hitting record highs in the middle of a pandemic?” “Why is Tesla up so much?” It’s a natural...

Thoughts on Annuities

In this video, Austin and I talk about Equity Indexed Annuities. We’ve been analyzing quite a few of these lately and there are two major takeaways: They are complicated. They provide a guaranteed income...