The Wall Street Journal did a whole series of articles last week on the big shift major mutual fund companies are seeing away from active management. See: Wall Street’s ‘Do-Nothing’ Investing Revolution. The evidence against active management has...

Do you have a fire safe at home? If you don’t, you should. It’s an important piece of any Estate plan, and too often overlooked. Some people prefer safe deposit boxes, but I like the convenience of being able to access important documents 24/7....

Indexing is not the same as smart, low cost investing. With indexing, you accept the market performance of an index designed to measure market performance. A key point here: market indices are designed to measure performance, not as investments...

One month away from the general election, everyone is talking about how the next President will affect the stock market. Opinions vary based upon political leanings, but most believe there is a connection. I recently reviewed some research from...

updated May 1, 2018 For many people, there is a point where things change financially. It’s at different stages of life for different people, but at that point, it’s time to get serious about personal finances. If you’re not sure you’re there...

As an investment adviser, people ask me all the time “how’s the market doing”, and I always try to answer politely. Believe it or not, I never watch CNBC and unless I’m trading that day, I don’t monitor intraday volume and pricing. I’m too busy...

One of the first things I realized when I started in this business was the need for long-term care insurance. It was clear then, and is still true today, that living longer increases the chances of needing assistance with normal activities of...

Life insurance agents created the financial planning community, and sadly their own was damaged in the process. Can recent regulation spur a rebirth? Needs-based selling, where an agent gathered pertinent client data, created a proposal, and...

You’ve still got time. Think of the DOL’s new fiduciary rules as a shot across the bow. Heed the warning, change course, and discover how rewarding this business can be without the glaring conflicts of commission. Loaded mutual funds, variable...

It’s inevitable, from working over twenty years in an industry like mine, you tend to get a little cynical. The ink is hardly dry on the new “fiduciary” standard promulgated by the Department of Labor so it’s hard to know exactly what’s in it,...

updated April 25, 2018 If your advisor is not on the same page with you, it makes it harder to weather downturns. There are five very basic service points your advisor should be hitting, and if she is not, you should consider making a change. ...

With billions of dollars exchanging hands each day, continual fluctuations in prices, and constant media chatter about the “market”, it’s easy to lose sight of what we are actually purchasing when we buy publicly-traded stocks. Let’s try to...

We headed into our first semi-annual client reviews of the year last week with a certain level of apprehension. A big drop in the market right out of the gate wore heavily on my mind. Are we headed into a bear market? Maybe. We’ve been through...

For many years now, the Department of Labor has been steadily attacking business as usual in the retirement plan selling business. Based upon the Pension Protection Act of 2006, final regulations were put in place in 2012 to insure full...

Last Tuesday, we pretended like a tornado hit the office. All day we worked from home, testing our communications and computer systems to make sure we would be able to do our jobs if the real thing occurred. The drill was similar to the ones we...

Without a plan it’s easy for things to get out of hand. Here are some steps you can take to make sure all of your gifts get handled reasonably and efficiently. Make a list: Write out everyone you need to purchase a gift for this season. Create a...

Like all Registered Investment Adviser Firms, we maintain cyber security policies and procedures to protect sensitive client data from theft and fraud. Many of the measures we take can be extended to you and your computers for the greatest level...

As you invest and save more, the movement of money between accounts becomes a larger part of your financial life. Here is some good information on the process, safety protocols, and different options available for moving money between accounts: ...

With four kids to raise, I have always maintained a good amount of life insurance coverage. Over the years, I have made changes from time to time to take advantage of lower costs and newer plan designs. I like having permanent coverage with high...

We have all formulated strong ideas of what success looks like since childhood. In many ways, personal financial success gets defined FOR us by the outward appearances of those we believe to be successful. The financial planning process helps...

The hot August sun was starting to make itself known as morning advanced. There were just a few plays to go until the first Freshman inter-squad scrimmage of the season would be over. Small groups of parents along the sideline idly watched and...

“Buy when there’s blood in the streets” – Baron Rothschild During the Panic of 1871 in Paris, when everyone was selling, Baron Rothschild (according to the story) was buying. This makes a lot sense, but it’s hard to translate into action due...

On the Fo’c’sle of the USS John Rodgers in the warm sun of Valparaiso, Chile we watched as command passed from one captain to another. We knew little and had learned less about our new CO in the two weeks he had been aboard. Quiet and unassuming,...

This is a two part series about two Captains I served under consecutively aboard the USS John Rodgers, a Spruance Class destroyer, shortly after the Persian Gulf War. The first came to us from a shore tour he had just completed at the Pentagon in...

It’s hard to believe the year is halfway over. Now is a good time to review and determine what steps need to be taken to finish out the second half. Here are five topics to help you put together a nice mid year review. Income and taxes. If your...