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...

Schulz Wealth uses Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) as the basis for all of our portfolio decisions. We strive to identify dimensions of equity returns like momentum, value, and small-cap outperformance. Portfolio tilts are applied toward factors...

Most people trust their financial advisor. Problem is, most advisors should not be trusted. I know that’s a strong statement, but after spending over twenty years in this industry, I know it’s true. I review investment portfolios all of the time....

My sophomore year at The University of Texas, I had a marketing class in the UTC, an annex to the business school, tucked right next to the Perry Castaneda Library, known on campus as the PCL. I remember walking to class past the huge PCL, with...

There are often many important questions around how to invest money in your 401(k). For most of us, what we are able to accumulate in our 401(k) during our working lives is going to be a critical component to our retirement. Because of this, it...

I was reminded recently how different we are, as Americans, compared to the rest of the World as it relates to financial independence. First off, a wide majority of humans still live in undeveloped regions and subsist at a very basic level,...

Bucket number 3 is money for retirement. This is a bucket we all hope to get started on as soon as possible. Getting started with bucket number 3 at an earlier age allows us to invest more aggressively in order to take maximum advantage of our...

Bucket number two is used for intermediate term goals. Intermediate term goals are different and unique, depending on your specific needs. Younger professionals my have an intermediate term goal of buying their first home, while others may be...

Money we have in bucket number one is for rather near term financial goals. Because of the short horizon to these goals, they should be invested in a safe manner. An example for shorter term goal would be planning a big overseas trip, or maybe...

It’s 3 o’clock in the morning and I’m worried. Last week, the markets were down hard, with the S&P 500 going from positive double digit territory at the end of the quarter to down just under break-even only 26 days later. Here’s what the week...

This is the first article in a multi part series centered around a different (and hopefully easier) way to think about your financial goals from an overview perspective. When thinking about our financial goals, it is often much easier to think...

How much money do we need to have to begin investing? The truth to this question is a lot less than we think. Many people I have talked to believe that they need to have thousands of dollars saved up to fund their initial investment, however this...

The TINSTAAFL theory is an informal favorite rule among many economists and financial planners like me. TINSTAAFL stands for “There is no such thing as a free lunch”, and means there is a price for everything, whether you know it or not. From an...

From time to time, I find myself roaming the country, assisting a corporate client in their desire to assess and improve the retirement readiness of their workforce. Normally, personal clients seek me out and arrive at my office ready and willing...

Great post by Austin Smith! Disciplined strategy investing over the long term, rather than trying to time the market fluctuations is a proven strategy for long term portfolio success. Attempting to ‘buy low and sell high’ is incredibly...

Only a very small percentage of Americans will ever experience financial independence. Why? Because just being successful in our professional careers is not enough. We have to know how to translate our professional success into personal...