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.
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 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 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 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 Should a Nonprofit Allocate its Investment Portfolio?
Let's review two industry studies, the NACUBO Study of Endowments and the Association Investment Policies, Practices and Performance. Each organization is different and has its own set of unique goals and challenges. Although this is the case, learning how other nonprofits invest can help ignite a meaningful conversation within your own organization.
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 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.
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.
Monte Carlo Analysis & Your Retirement
Category: Financial Planning » Cashflow
Let's look at the Monte Carlo analysis and what it has in common with your financial plan.
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.
More Than Just the Turkey
Category: Investing » Diversification
In both meals and investments, balance is key. A diversified portfolio can weather market fluctuations just as a well planned Thanksgiving dinner can satisfy almost everyone’s appetite.
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.
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.
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 Money Story
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Have you ever considered how your thinking about money was formed? Recently, I took a stroll down memory lane to discover my own “money story,” how I came to think about money.
My Strange Family
Category: Financial Planning » Family Governance
My Top 5 Podcasts for Learners
Category: Foster Group
One of the great learning opportunities available to almost anyone in today�s world of smartphones and information technology is the proliferation of podcasts.
My Top 9 + 1 from Morgan Housel’s The Psychology of Money
Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of Money, spent some time with us last month. Here are my takeaways.