A few weeks ago, I talked with our two kids – one a preschooler and the other a kindergartner – about money. Here are some starter topics for you to discuss with your kids.
Owning and operating a business is a tough task. Selling a business is equally difficult. If you’re a business owner, the odds are that you haven’t put together a plan to do this. It doesn’t have to be this way.
What if my spouse is gone tomorrow? What if I live to 110? What If I want to retire as soon as possible? What if I have a Long-Term Care event? Where do you seek guidance, clarity, and understanding on your financial plan to help address these questions?
Market volatility can sometimes be downright scary. The other day, I read that the quarter ending June 30th was the 16th worst quarter in the history of the stock market. Even worse, the first quarter was bad too, making it one of the very worst six-month periods in nearly a century. How does an investor respond?
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.
The housing market has been hot since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prices have soared and the interest rate to borrow money for those homes has been at historically low levels. But what is happening now?
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.
Plenty of arguments exist as to why we will be and/or already are in a recession. However, there is good news out there that isn’t readily reported.
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.
It is important for all investors, whether an individual, family, retirement plan, or nonprofit, to plan their investment approach around their goals and objectives. Investment Policy Statements (IPS) often document these items. Here are four reasons why it is important to have a clearly articulated IPS.
Recently, I rediscovered the benefits of homemade smoothies for breakfast. They are nutritious, natural, easy to make, efficient, and delicious! This morning, I was thinking about how a good investment portfolio is like a good smoothie!
Before I joined Foster Group, I served 24 years as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) Specialist in the United States Air Force. It might seem like quite the career transition from Airman to Financial Planner. However, the two paths have more in common than one might expect.
It can be difficult to discern fact from fiction when dealing with landlords. A misunderstanding of these key issues can have serious consequences for your practice. The following information should help dispel some common myths and prevent costly mistakes in your next lease negotiation.
After months of speculation, on September 13th, the House Ways and Means Committee released a proposal for tax reform effective in 2022 (and possibly in 2021 for selected provisions). The proposal contains a number of provisions that were expected, and a few surprises that we did not expect.
Our vision at Foster Group is to influence thousands of individuals, families, and organizations with wise financial counsel while encouraging the pursuit of meaningful living and generous giving. One of the ways we like to do this is by expanding our clients’ giving toolbox.
In financial planning, goals are important. There are different planning strategies we implement for different types of goals, and it is crucial for your advisor to understand how you plan or hope to use your money in the future.
In the end, your legacy is the lasting influence of the gifts you give, both during your lifetime and when you are gone. What do you want yours to be?
For 12 seconds, consider what a company knows about you and their own profitability if they are willing to offer you a $500 risk-free bet to get started. That’s what DraftKings just promised me in a commercial. Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? OK, the 12 seconds are up. What did you come up with?
Hopefully, you have read my first two blogs that talked about Medicare Supplement and Drug plans and the difference with Medicare Advantage plan designs. The last of this series will talk about the Annual Enrollment Period and what can really happen here.
Over the years, Foster Group has utilized a number of mutual funds and exchange traded funds managed by Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA). DFA was founded in 1981 on the idea of making academic investment research and empirically based portfolio management accessible to investors. In this article, Professor Kenneth French describes how markets responded to the events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
I bought a puppy back in April, and it has been one of the most challenging things of my adult life. Training a new puppy is hard work and takes a lot of intentionality and thought. The same can be said about building a financial plan. I have a few tips that might help others avoid my mistakes.
