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...

World markets shuddered today as the Prime Minister of Greece acted in a very unpredictable manner. Prime Minister Tsipras called for a vote by the Greek people on whether or not to accept bailout extension terms from their creditors. The crazy...

Back in the 90’s I sold a lot of variable annuities. I worked for a large financial services company that strongly encouraged the use of variable annuities and there were some advantages. For one, it was a great way to gain access to multiple...

The last several weeks we have been busy meeting with our client’s children. We recommend what we call “kid meetings” at a few critical stages: Just prior to getting their driver’s license. Just prior to going off to college. After graduation...

More than half of retiring Americans today opt to take Social Security before their Normal Retirement Age, and less than three percent of filers wait until age 70. Many retirees must not realize Social Security benefits are approximately 75%...

Real personal financial success cannot be accomplished until we have achieved a certain level of financial maturity. I believe proper spending, saving, investing, and planning are all learned traits. Accomplishing these things effectively...

The Schulz family will be proudly in attendance at College Park Center in Arlington today for our oldest daughter’s graduation from college. One down…….three to go. Our daughter has grown and changed tremendously over her college years from a shy...

As a parent, I watch a LOT of volleyball. I sometimes think I know the game and start making suggestions to my oldest daughter who plays competitively in college. She reminds me quickly that I am a fan and not an expert. No matter how many games...

In most of my recent client meetings I am being reminded that retirement is an outdated term. We try to use the term “transition” but that does not fit as a good description either. However; finding the right word is not the real issue rather...

“If you had actually read it, you would have noticed the second signature line”, declared the man across the counter. My immediate response was “it’s not intended to be read, just to protect you from being sued by me”. I quickly signed and...

Nobody has ever accused me of being a great fisherman, but when I was seven or eight I knew how to catch perch by the bucket load. I would lie down flat on the sun-warmed dock my dad had built and peek over the edge to the water just below. I had...

Buying and maintaining life insurance policies is a pain. On the surface, it seems like a pretty simple transaction but it is actually one of the most complex pieces to the Financial Fitness puzzle. Media bias and aggressive sales tactics...

My how things have changed. Inflation is at an all time low but our household budgets are swollen with monthly obligations that did not exist twenty years ago. It is amazing what we spend on things like cell phone plans, gym memberships, and the...

We spend a lot of time and effort in my practice helping our clients build a solid Estate Plan. After all of the legal documents are complete, beneficiary designations changed, and accounts and trusts squared away; there is always something...

When my clients come in for a visit, more often than not the first thing we talk about is where they have been and what trips they have planned. For those who are in good financial condition, the vacation budget can be one of the largest cash...

Several years ago I took a test at Lifetime where they put me in a mask on a treadmill and tried to kill me. The trainer measured through my mask how much oxygen I was able to absorb while taking me to the maximum effort my heart and lungs could...

I had a friend in high school who went to work for the new McDonald’s that came to town. It was a big deal in Taylor, Texas. My dad liked to joke, “they paraded the Golden Arches down Main Street.” My friend became a fast food cook. Before long...

When it comes to saving and investing money, many times we are our worst enemy. Successful people learn to rely on good systems and processes to achieve their goals, not willpower. Life hits us from all directions so it is hard to be consistently...

Ten minutes into my spin class last night, clipped in with beads of sweat forming along my forearms, Dianna our instructor said exactly what I was anticipating: “add significant resistance and feel the burn”. I turned the evil red knob below me...

Many years ago I wrote “Never Worry about Money” along with some other personal goals on a small laminated card that I carried around in my wallet. That was, and remains today the primary focus with regard to my own personal finances. For me,...

Over twenty years ago, I remember standing on the bridge wing of the USS John Rodgers, a US Navy Destroyer. As Officer of the Deck, I was in charge. We were cruising at 15 knots, receiving fuel and supplies from a tanker alongside just 150...

It’s hard to believe the iPhone is eight years old this month and it’s hard to imagine daily life without it or the Android technology that was spurned by its invention. I conduct nearly all of my banking from my phone now, it’s my only camera,...