We would argue that the most important job of a Financial Advisor is to talk people out of decisions that could have potential long term consequences. A very real test of this came during the first quarter of...

In investing as in life, our attitude has a lot to do with how successful we are. Because I have worked with so many investors over the years, it has become easy for me to identify the attitudes that win and those that lose. Losing...

It’s graduation season again. Due to the COVID-19 crisis this one is a little different, but regardless many of our kids are moving to new horizons. We all have a strong desire to impart wisdom and advice to these graduates. Through...

This crisis has affected different families in different ways and in varying degrees. I can’t emphasize enough that we are living through a significant event. Sometimes it may not feel like it but we are. Much of the normalcy of our...

COVID-19 cut hockey season short and we’ll see if my horns make it on the gridiron this fall for football season. In the meantime, it’s property tax season. If you live in Texas, you should have received your 2020 Value Notice by...

Were you completely prepared for this? Was your family, your business, or your investment portfolio? I know I wasn’t completely prepared. How could I have been? The current crisis is a reminder to us all that much in life is beyond our control. ...

*4/23/20 Update: EIDL and PPP EIDL and PPP checks are flowing. Remember, the EIDL check you receive is a tax-free grant. Make sure you annotate clearly on your books as something like EIDL – Other Income so your accountant can exclude it from...

It’s been over a decade now, and time softens even my most dramatic memories. I was in Chicago for the launch of an intensive year-long coaching program for advisors. My career up to that point had been successful but not focused. This program...

There was a major selloff in the stock market this week as investors processed information about the coronavirus. As we discussed these events, Austin and I inadvertently found ourselves talking in terms of what we thought could happen next....

There is a new sleeve of our portfolios that we are becoming more and more helpful. Adding to the traditional stock and bond mix, we are using Defined Outcome ETFs. Defined Outcome ETFs are buffered investments around different indexes that...

When I was young, sometimes I daydreamed about the fleet of cars I would own someday. Raising four children in the suburbs has certainly allowed me the opportunity to own a fleet of cars, but it’s not what I dreamed of. Recently, a...

I don’t like index annuities, and I especially dislike variable annuities with complicated riders that supposedly promise you’ll never lose money. With these products, you get lots of smoke and mirrors, high fees, surrender charges, very little...

Recently there has been more news and reports of phishing and spoofing of emails with trusted third parties like advisers. If fact, we have even seen some of these first hand. Because there are malicious individuals out there always after money...

A classic either/or question that comes up from time to time in client discussions. Based upon our own life experiences, we all tend to lean one way or the other as it relates to spending now or saving for later. As with many decisions in...

To help curb much of the anxiety and uneasy feelings of financial markets today, we can take a lesson from Mark Cuban on protecting our invested assets. In 1999 Cuban sold Broadcast.com to Yahoo! in a deal valued at $5.7 billion dollars. As part...

As the New Year turns I would encourage anybody who doesn’t have one, to go get a financial plan put together. But remember, just having one will not solve everything immediately all by itself. It’s a continual process, and your plan gets out of...

Thoughts on Time: Time and again, couples, when they set an appointment for an initial visit will say things like “We’ve been planning on coming to see you for years”, to which I always reply “Why did you wait so long?”. Generally, their...

Thoughts on Bonds Bonds are a crazy animal. With interest rates trending down bond funds look fantastic, yielding much higher returns than you would normally expect. But the only reason they are higher in value is because interest rates are...

Thoughts on Collaboration and Accountability Accountability is a powerful driver of success that most of us want to avoid like the plague. Just like planning it’s not very fun and sexy. Years ago, I decided it was time to get back in shape. At...

Avoid this Investing Pitfall There are often times when we’re too smart for our own good. Our success and genius in our work lives provides a false sense of competency in the realm of financial planning and investment management. For example:...

Our client process is designed to guide you successfully thru your financial goals. It starts with the creation of your initial personal financial statement, cash flow, and financial plan. From there, we meet semiannually to update your plan...