A Few of My Favorite Things
Almost everyone has a few of their favorite things. One of my top questions to ask friends and clients is, “What are some of your most treasured memories and keepsakes?”
When Market Volatility Creates Opportunity
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
The first half of 2022 has proven to be challenging for investors. Being an investor during volatile markets isn’t easy, but there are a few strategies to consider in order to make the best of a difficult situation.
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.
Chart of the Month – June 2022
There are nearly two job openings for every unemployed worker with labor statistics showing 11.4 million job openings compared to 5.9 unemployed workers as of April 30, 2022. This mismatch between jobs and workers means that workers have options, including leverage to ask for more pay.
Dividing Finances in Divorce
Category: Financial Planning
If you or someone you know is going through the divorce process, make sure they have the right team in place to guide them throughout with the entire process. As a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), I can help walk through the complexities.
Are You Checking Your Accounts Every Day? Stop it.
Does it help or harm the average long-term investor to peek at their own accounts or pay attention to the market every day?
What Does It Mean to Be an Investor? – Part One
For a minute, I want to think broadly about the question, “What does it mean to be an investor?”
Chart of the Month – May 2022
Since the beginning of 2020, checkable deposits have quadrupled, giving consumers the ability to continue spending and withstand increased prices. What does this mean for inflation and prices in the future?
Investors Must Be Present to Win
For weeks, the major indices had been declining but in mid-March, we saw a very abrupt reversal. I’m often reminded of the familiar saying “Investors must be present to win.” In other words, the price (or cost) of admission to the investment experience is market volatility.
Google Maps Reminded Me I’m Not a Robot
Category: Foster Group
At Foster Group, we believe technology is an incredible asset when it comes to planning and portfolio construction. We also believe that human beings are not robots and determining what to do with your money requires more than an advanced algorithm – as great and helpful as these are.
What’s Your Best Buy: Firm Foundation or Castle In the Air?
If an investor could discover the true worth of a company, a piece of real estate or even an idea, where “true worth” equated to the future value or price that others would pay, success would be almost certain to follow. Those opportunities that were priced significantly lower than the future value would be automatic buys. The one’s with higher prices today than the future price would be ones to avoid. If only it were that simple!
Mega Backdoor Roth IRAs: What You Should Know
Category: Financial Planning
A mega backdoor Roth is a great option to quickly build a tax-free bucket of money for individuals who have maxed out other retirement savings vehicles, still have surplus to be invested, and have a 401(k) plan that allows for this strategy. Consider this an additional tool in your toolbox.
How a Medicare Supplement Coordinates with the Parts of Medicare
Category: Financial Planning
Medicare seems like the Alphabet soup of health insurance. Parts A, B, C, D and then the myriad of supplemental coverage. As Charlie Brown would say, “Good Grief”…. Let’s decipher it here.
Earth-Bound Aces Strive for More Than Financial Flyover
Category: Foster Group
Recently, I attended the Kansas City Air Show and witnessed the precision acrobatics of the Navy’s Blue Angels, a team of six intensely trained pilots performing incredible high-flying stunts. Foster Group financial advisors are not known for performing at 10,000 feet, but we are catalysts for positive life change and, unlike static aircraft displays at a two-day event, we will continue our work tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year.
Don’t Mix FOMO with Home Buying
Category: Financial Planning » Cashflow
For most Americans, their house is their most significant asset. But it’s also the most personal one. There's a lot of emotion inside those four walls. If you want to buy your first or next home, it’s crucial to have a game plan going into it. Here are a few principles to consider when it comes to buying a home.
Are Those Happy Tears?
Tears, bottles, diaper changes, onesies, little fingers, and strange sleep schedules – as many of you know, these are just a few of the things to expect when you bring home your newborn from the hospital. And here’s something else to expect: new tax credits! While I know good parents don’t have kids to lower their tax bill, it’s nice of the US Government to extend a bit of kindness to those taking on the heartache – and joy! – of becoming parents.
Are You Afraid of (Market) Heights?
Investors have been experiencing some fear of heights recently. Many stocks and stock markets are at or near all-time highs. So, here’s the question investors need to ask themselves today, ”Do you think that stock markets 26 years from now will be higher or lower than they are currently, even if today is an all-time high?”
Cryptocurrency: Not for the Faint of Heart
Category: Investing » Alternative Investments
Will cryptocurrency replace the $20 bill in your pocket? Will the decentralization/digitization of currency end up solving anything? Will it be of long-term value? Or will it end up being only a place for speculators to try and capitalize on the sentiment of others? Anyone wanting to allocate to cryptocurrency should understand the inherent uncertainty and volatility of this relatively new digital commodity.
Teaching Your Kids to Invest Early in Life
Category: Financial Planning
One of the concerns I continually hear from the clients I work with is whether the next generation can handle money well. The only way to know is to give them an opportunity. Helping them invest early and often will teach them discipline, patience, how to manage their emotions and the power of compound interest. All of it is essential learning on the path to financial independence . . . and many other things in life, as well.
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.
Umbrella Insurance Is Just a Catch All Policy, Right?
Category: Financial Planning
Guest Blogger Tim Hibbing. Umbrella policies are becoming more and more popular in our litigious culture.