Homes are commonly thought of as investments. It’s easy to see why. For most of us, it’s the single biggest thing on our balance sheets for years.
As you start checking these items off the list, the biggest things you have running through your head are dollar signs – lots and lots of dollar signs.
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.
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.
2022 was a historically painful year as an investor with stock markets experiencing a bear market, and bond markets having one of their worst years ever. However, as we enter 2023, I’d like to consider the positives.
Time is the greatest money-making asset you can possess. The earlier you start investing, the easier it is to ensure a lifetime of financial success. Parents and grandparents, there may be an opportunity to give the gift of financial success to your young adult family members while also enjoying estate and tax planning benefits for yourselves.
As with many things in life, there are usually lessons to be learned from our experiences that can be carried over into other aspects of life. Here are a few things jumping out of an airplane taught me about investing.
Risks can often feel much different to retirees. The overarching risk for retirees is that something takes place that results in a permanently lower standard of living. Retirement researcher, Wade Pfau, has identified three major categories of risk for one’s income in retirement.
We’ve all heard the adage, “Money can’t buy happiness,” but the truth is more nuanced. Let's dig into the research.
There is always more stuff to do or buy. There are always more “what if’s” for which to account. It’s a rare creature who has found contentment in what they already have, a person who no longer searches for the next thing or feels empty because of what they do not have.
For a minute, I want to think broadly about the question, “What does it mean to be an investor?”
Does it help or harm the average long-term investor to peek at their own accounts or pay attention to the market every day?
As you peek into the future – hopefully one with greater discretionary time and money – do you envision yourself increasing or decreasing your investment in the well-being of the people close to you and the world in general? Do you see yourself sticking close to the mess of the world or investing in ways that escape it?
For the person who is currently contributing to a portfolio and does not need to take distributions anytime soon, this is a gift. That’s right, a bear market is a gift to those investors. If you are contributing to an investment account right now, you are already in the Bear Market Buyer’s Club.
When the going is good, we’re not all that concerned with asking or answering the question. It is when the going gets tough, like right now, that we find ourselves more interested in asking. So, “What should we do?”
Nearly four out of ten Americans lack enough money to cover an unexpected $400 expense? The statistics on this have remained consistent over the years. One of the first steps in building a strong financial foundation is creating an emergency fund. The idea is to prepare for the unexpected expenses of life.
Stock market risk is the primary focus of the financial news. The reason is simple. The scarier the headline, the more eyes are attracted to it.
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.
In my time working with clients, there is one question asked more than any other, “Am I going to be okay?”
When I was in my early 20’s, I attended a lecture I haven’t forgotten. I don't remember much. But I remember the question it encouraged me to consider: “What does the world require of you?”
"What is worth insuring?" The answer almost always boils down to how much you'll have to pay to insure the thing you don't want to lose -- whether it's your mustache, your fantasy football player, your home or your health.
