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.
The Joy of Generosity
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
In my experience, the joy of generosity is not dependent on monetary value or other objective measures of size or significance. Generosity done well always has the potential to bring joy to both givers and receivers.
The IRS Punted on 2023
Category: Financial Planning
The IRS is allowing some people to skip their Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from inherited IRAs. If you inherited an IRA in 2020 or later, you may not need to make a distribution this year. Read for some background.
The Invisible Tax
Category: Financial Planning
One of the things married couples often do not consider in their planning is what I like to call the “Invisible Tax.”
The Ins and Outs of Paying Student Loan Debt
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Whether you are working on paying down student debt yourself, or have children looking to do so, below are some questions to consider.
The Influence of Trust
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
A good relationship with our clients comes down to a handful of things. One of those things is whether a client trusts that we know more than they do about the type of investing we do at Foster Group.
The Goslings at Foster Group Have Got Me Thinking
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
We all will go through life seasons, and, with that, our ability to invest and what that ‘investment’ looks like will be different. No matter what season you’re in, don’t let it stop you from investing in something you care about.
The Gift of You
Category: Foster Group
Time is a unique asset. We can’t save it for the future. We spend it with every minute that goes by. But as with other assets, we can be generous with our time. Here are four examples of people I know personally, who inspire me by their active generosity.
The Gift of Financial Success
Category: Financial Planning » Charitable Giving
Time is the greatest money-making asset you can possess. The earlier you start investing, the easier it is to ensure a lifetime of financial success. Parents and grandparents, there may be an opportunity to give the gift of financial success to your young adult family members while also enjoying estate and tax planning benefits for yourselves.
Spring Training Thoughts for Your Portfolio
While the impact of each may not be dramatic on their own, collectively they add up and represent the things we do to incrementally add value to our clients.
Spring Clean Your Financial Plan
Category: Investing » Asset Allocation
You can’t have spring without spring cleaning. As you tackle your home, yard, and other spaces this year, your financial plan might also need to be spruced up. Here are a few tips to clean up your financial plan this spring.
Spending That Can Wreck Retirement
Category: Financial Planning » Cashflow
In more than a decade of working with clients, I’ve discovered that one thing tends to do more damage to financial plans than any other.
Speeding Tickets & Investing
Recently, I received a gift from the Iowa State Patrol in the form of a speeding ticket. In reflecting on this experience, it occurred to me that I took an unnecessary risk to attain something I didn’t need and ended up sacrificing money I didn’t have to lose.
Six Key Ideas for Navigating Markets for the Rest of 2022
Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
Over the next few months, both leading up to and immediately following the election, the winners and losers are going to seem omnipresent on the news, social media, even in the “entertainment” industry. So, here are six key ideas to keep in mind as you navigate the remaining months of 2022.
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.
Single Stock- Too Much of a Good Thing
Category: Financial Planning » Closely Held Business
Executives often have a significant portion of their wealth in their company stock. For retiring or retired executives, or those who have more than their holding requirements, we work to determine how much, if any, they should continue to hold and how to tax-efficiently decrease their exposure as needed.
Should You Work with a CEFEX-Certified Advisory Firm?
Category: Foster Group
Foster Group is the only firm in Iowa and Nebraska that has been CEFEX-certified since 2007.
Should I Invest in Bitcoin?
Category: Investing » Alternative Investments
Investing is a deliberate act, guided by the overarching principles of enhancing expected returns or mitigating portfolio risk. Let’s look at Bitcoin to see how cryptocurrency might look like an investment opportunity.