Webinar: Elections & Your Money
How will the election affect your financial life? In this webinar, learn how financial markets might react and how you might be tempted to respond.
How Deep Is Your Bullpen?
Category: Financial Planning » Charitable Giving
You can’t have a championship team without a deep bench at your disposal. Foster Group takes the same approach, while we have a dedicated advisory team for every client we also have advisors with various skill sets that we can pull out of the bullpen and into a meeting at the right time.
You Can Be Crazy, Just Don’t Be Stupid
Category: Foster Group
Are you restless with your current career? Here are some steps to help you plan for a “crazy” career change and set some smart guardrails.
A Rude Awakening — You Need an Estate Plan Today!
Just as the McCallisters left Kevin behind in their rush to the airport, without a Will, Trust, or Powers of Attorney in place, you risk leaving your loved ones unprotected and unprepared when you don't have an estate plan. Don’t delay—make your estate plan today!
What Are You Waiting For? | Financial Perspectives
This week, Kent Kramer discusses how the upcoming election is influencing financial decisions, with 63% of Americans deferring choices until after the results. Despite political uncertainty, markets have shown resilience, highlighting the importance of optimism and staying informed for navigating uncertain times.
Chart of the Month – October 2024
Is stock market growth a thing of the past? Headlines making predictions about this have come and gone, some turning out to be spectacularly wrong. Let’s take a look.
Financial Planning for Women: Preparing for a Longer Life Expectancy
We continually hear that women are statistically likely to live longer than men. While there is not a one size fits all financial plan, there are a few things you can think about as a woman.
When to Review Your Estate Plan
Being proactive with your estate plan helps to ensure that it will continue to serve your needs and wishes, providing clarity and security for you and your loved ones. Let's look at some examples of events and situations that typically require updates to your estate plan.
Understanding Mortgage Rates: A Conversation with Todd Smith of Bank Iowa | Financial Perspectives
This week, Matt Moklestad has a conversation with Todd Smith, the Mortgage Director at Bank Iowa, as he breaks down the complexities of mortgage rates. With nearly 30 years of experience in the banking and mortgage industry, Todd shares insights on how mortgage rates are determined, the factors that influence them, and tips for securing the best rates.
Six Key Benefits to A Close Advisor-Client Relationship
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
What are Key Benefits to A Close Advisor-Client Relationship? Let's look at a few that rise to the top.
Running and Saving: A Lot’s the Same!
Category: Financial Planning » Cashflow
My time in the financial industry has made me realize that saving is a lot like running. You do not necessarily always want to do it, but you know that it’s good for you and for your future.
ROMO: Regret Over Missing Out | Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing » Diversification
In the first six months of 2024, NVIDIA has seen its stock price appreciate by just under 150%, which represented about 1/3 of the total gain of the S&P 500 in the same period. For those investors who did not own NVIDIA, they are likely experiencing ROMO. This week, Kent Kramer analyzes concentration of value and performance of the global stock market.
Playing Jazz and Your Finances
Category: Financial Planning » Cashflow
Successfully playing jazz starts with fundamentals. The same is true of our personal finances.
Chart of the Month – July 2024
Category: Investing » Asset Allocation
International Stocks – Are they necessary?
Monte Carlo Analysis & Your Retirement
Category: Financial Planning » Cashflow
Let's look at the Monte Carlo analysis and what it has in common with your financial plan.
Whenever Possible, Don’t Do Dumb Things | Financial Perspectives
We believe that investors increase their chances of success by avoiding predictable mistakes -- those practices that sound like they should work but have been shown time and time again to have very low probabilities of success. This week, Kent Kramer examines different studies to help inform our fifth investment principle.
The Significance of an Emergency Fund
Category: Financial Planning » Cashflow
An emergency fund is not merely about setting money aside; it's about cultivating peace of mind and stability when life throws unexpected challenges your way.
The Magic of Writing a Letter
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
How the magic of writing a letter could help convey your intentions to a beneficiary.
Webinar: Maximizing Physician Income
Category: Foster Group » Event
What’s Up (or Down) with the Bonds? | Financial Perspectives
Investors have been puzzled this year, maybe even disappointed, that the bond market broadly has seen negative returns. How can this be when many money markets and bonds have stated yields of more than 5%? This week, Kent Kramer explains why.
Chart of the Month – June 2024
No one can time the market and determine when those best months will occur. The best months are surprisingly random. More important than timing the market is time in the market.