What Did You Expect? | Financial Perspectives (In a Minute)
"Everything good in life is just the gap between expectations and reality." - Morgan Housel. This week, Kent Kramer shares his thoughts on market history and setting expectations.
Things to Ponder This Holiday Season
Category: Foster Group
At Foster Group, the most important thing we do is help our clients have peace of mind. The planning, investing and conversations that lead to peace of mind vary from client to client. The benefits, however, are similar.
Let’s Make 2023 a Year of Savings Inflation
Category: Financial Planning
The rising cost of living recently has led the IRS to raise the 2023 contribution limits for employees with 401(k), 403(b), most 457 plans, and the federal government's Thrift Savings Plan.
Building a Framework for Family and Charitable Gifts
Recently, a colleague and I sat down with a married couple who is on the cusp of making significant wealth transfer and philanthropic decisions that will impact their family for generations to come. Naturally, their first question was, “Where do we start?”
Event Replay: Uncertainty is the New Certainty
Category: Foster Group » Event
Uncertainty is unavoidable. It's all in how you react to it. In this educational conversation, we talk about adapting and controlling what you can. Our featured guests, David Booth and Senator Bill Bradley, share personal stories about facing challenges and strategies they've developed to help make better decisions.
Poker Lessons. Expect to Be Surprised. | Financial Perspectives
Poker is great training ground for evaluating circumstances where you may have enough information to know the odds of success or failure, but not enough information to guarantee the outcome -- a lot like investing. This week, Kent Kramer looks at how understanding odds and probability can help make sense of elections and investment markets.
SignatureWealth Brochure
Category: Foster Group » Collateral
Foster Group SignatureWealth - a dedicated financial advisor and service team to manage all aspects of your financial life.
Chart of the Month – Nov 2022
The past fifteen years have been phenomenal for U.S. stocks. They've outperformed international stocks by close to 200%. Unfortunately, no one can predict when international stocks will outperform U.S. stocks, or vice-versa.
2022 Year-End Financial Checklist – Have You Reviewed Your Tax Situation?
Category: Financial Planning
Since we are close to flipping the calendar to 2023, this is a great time to sit down and reflect on the past financial year and anticipate what might be ahead.
Inflation – How High & How Long? | Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing » Interest Rates
While the war in Ukraine is in day 25, leaders around the world are looking to not only stem that two-nation conflict, but also to tame the higher-than-expected global inflation which threatens to slow or derail the post-pandemic economic recovery that had been underway.
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.
The Two Most Important Questions to Answer When Choosing a Financial Advisor
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
In working with over a hundred prospective clients in the past five and a half years, I’ve found that these are the two most important questions you need to ask yourself...
A Missed Vikings Game and My Emotional Spending
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
My husband and I bought tickets to see the Vikings play their final game of the regular season. We wanted to do something fun during the dark and cold days of January, and we wanted to do it together, without the kids. But...
Foster Group Announces Six New Shareholders
Category: Foster Group
Foster Group is pleased to announce it is growing its number of internal shareholders with the addition of six employees to the owner’s list.
Chart of the Month – Mar 2022
Are you feeling the pain at the pump? What is driving oil prices higher?
The Secret to Increasing Your Fitness Level and Net Worth
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Are you really saving as much as you could without someone pushing you? Are you really investing in the most appropriate manner without someone advising you? Are you really on track toward financial independence at the earliest age possible without someone mapping out the path?
The War in Ukraine | Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing
There’s likely no more important news in the world right now than what is happening in Ukraine as Russia invades their smaller neighbor. Economic impacts are being felt across the globe and there is certainly a humanitarian crisis developing in Europe. Let’s take a look at the impact the Ukraine/Russia crisis has on the US and global economy.
Accountability: The Key to Unlocking Financial Independence
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
For more than 20 years, I ran competitively. Last year, I spent three to four months training consistently and failed to reach one of my goals.
What Tax Documents Do Investors Need to File?
Category: Financial Planning
I start getting anxious this time of year when I am forced to collect all the necessary information for my tax advisor. In preparation for the upcoming tax deadline, Monday, April 18, 2022, I wanted to summarize what to expect in the way of relevant tax information related to your investments.
A Look Under the Hood of a Bond Fund | Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
A lot of investors may be wondering how rising interest rates might be impacting their investments, so today, we're going to talk about bond funds -- how they operate, some of the details, and see how they're responding to this environment.
Three Ways to Make Saving Automatic
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Here are some ideas and tools you can use to help make your saving automatic, the biggest key to growing your savings.