My Strange Family
Category: Financial Planning » Family Governance
My General Contractor and I
Category: Financial Planning
That’s when I realized, constructing a basement wasn’t all that different from constructing a financial plan.
My Favorite Blog Posts and Podcast Episodes from 2020
Many of my favorite content pieces from 2020 reflect on the themes of uncertainty, risk, change, and remaining optimistic in the face of unsettling circumstances.
Mutual Funds and ETFs: What’s the Difference?
There are structural differences between an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) and a mutual fund that can create advantages to using one over the other.
More Stimulus Aid on the Horizon
Category: Financial Planning
On January 14th, President Biden presented his plan, titled the American Rescue Plan, for the next round of economic aid related to the ongoing pandemic.
Money, Happiness, & Meaning
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
We’ve all heard the adage, “Money can’t buy happiness,” but the truth is more nuanced. Let's dig into the research.
Money Silence Hurts Families – Three Tips to Break the Cycle & Empower Healthy Money Talk
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
If you think talking about money with your spouse, parents, or children is difficult, you are not alone. Here are three tips to get started on a healthier money talk journey with your loved ones.
Money Can’t Buy Happiness, or Can It
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
The book Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending by Elizabeth Dunn & Michael Norton has changed the way I think and feel about spending. It’s based on academic research that identifies ways that spending can increase our joy, something I didn’t think possible before reading this book!
How to Make Sense of Goals You Set
Category: Financial Planning
An important part of building out a financial plan is determining goals. Goals help us look at a financial plan with the “end” in mind.
How to Construct a Good Investment Policy Statement
I wrote in a previous blog about the importance of having a well-written Investment Policy Statement (IPS). What should be in a well-written document?
How to Avoid Tyrannically Urgent Yet Unimportant Investment Ideas
As we’ll see, each of these are real risks, because if they are unmanaged or unanticipated, they may cause investors to focus on the wrong things at the wrong times and lead to actions that may sabotage goals and portfolios.
How the National Debt Affects You
Category: Financial Planning
The rising U.S. national debt has been a topic of conversation for many years and 2020 has magnified the focus on this issue.
How the “Little Guy” Really Wins in the Market
Don’t believe the lie that you don’t belong or that the keys belong to someone who won’t give them to you.
How Should an Investor Position Their Overall Investment Portfolio Now and in the Future?
Category: Investing » Asset Allocation
Right after, “What will the stock market do next?” the positioning question may be the most asked and re-asked question by investors of all types.
How One Client Lives a Meaningful, Generous Life
Category: Financial Planning » Charitable Giving
At Foster Group, we encourage our clients to live lives of meaning and generosity, and some of our clients embody this. Of all the amazing stories I’ve heard, the following has impacted me most deeply.
How Much Should Associations Hold in Reserve Assets?
Category: Investing » Asset Allocation
A common question among nonprofit associations is how much they should hold in reserve assets. There is a “rule of thumb” that associations should hold six months of operating expenses in reserve. Is this common rule of thumb common practice?
How Much Life Insurance Protection Is Enough?
Category: Financial Planning
Life insurance is an important component of a financial plan. An early death can create severe hardships for the surviving family if the proper amount of insurance is not in place. The recommended amount of life insurance will vary from family to family depending on a variety of factors.
How is COVID-19 Impacting Real Estate Investment Trusts?
Category: Investing
How have real estate investments been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent global lockdown?
How Elections Affect the Market
A bit of history helps bring some perspective to trying to read too much into the influence of elections on stock markets.