Stock Markets Are Like Kids
Category: Foster Group
As I was driving into work, I realized that toddlers are a lot like the stock market.
Still Searching for the One?
You do not need to pick the next big winner in order to have a successful investment experience. As a matter of fact, behaving as if this were possible is an almost certain way to have a terrible investment experience. What are the hallmarks of a more successful approach?
Steps to Take When a Loved One Dies
Category: Financial Planning » Estate & Transfer Planning
The death of a loved one is often met with a period of grief and adjustment. Determining what must be done to close out a decedent’s financial affairs can be overwhelming, especially during this time.
Starting Off on the Right Foot
Category: Financial Planning » Cashflow
Starting off life after school on the right foot financially is important. A good financial advisor can make all the difference.
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.
Prioritize Your Financial Goals
The best way to accomplish your financial goals is by being intentional with the money that comes in. Identify the priorities you have for your money. You could break those priorities into four categories: Due, Extend, Gift, and Spend.
Preparing Your Own Tax Return: Is It Worth It?
Category: Financial Planning
Guest Blogger Eric Wahlstrom, CPA. With easy access to online or off-the-shelf software, preparing your own tax return is often appealing as an affordable, logical option.
Preparing Your Heirs for the Great Wealth Transfer
Category: Financial Planning » Charitable Giving
Over the next 25 years, approximately 45 million U.S. households are primed to pass an estimated $70 trillion in wealth to their heirs. Here are three simple ideas to get you started on a rewarding family governance journey.
Preparing the Next Generation: Three Keys to a Long-Term Mindset
Category: Financial Planning » Closely Held Business
How do we prepare our young people to lead and do it quickly?
Positives About the Market
2022 was a historically painful year as an investor with stock markets experiencing a bear market, and bond markets having one of their worst years ever. However, as we enter 2023, I’d like to consider the positives.
Positive Planning Opportunities in a Negative Market
Category: Financial Planning
Strangely, a down market and the response of the government to it has created potential planning opportunities that wouldn’t have otherwise been there.
Planning for Retirement? Practice Could Make Perfect
Category: Financial Planning
Retirement isn’t a reward you one day receive at random. It’s not something you jump into without a thought in mind. You work up to this day with purpose, precision, and dedication.
Planning for Future Healthcare Expenses
Category: Financial Planning
"What is worth insuring?" The answer almost always boils down to how much you'll have to pay to insure the thing you don't want to lose -- whether it's your mustache, your fantasy football player, your home or your health.