This week, Kent Kramer discusses how the upcoming election is influencing financial decisions, with 63% of Americans deferring choices until after the results. Despite political uncertainty, markets have shown resilience, highlighting the importance of optimism and staying informed for navigating uncertain times.
Merriam Webster defines a benchmark as “something that serves as a standard by which others may be measured or judged”. For investors, the question to ask is what should be my standard, my benchmark, in determining the success or failure of my overall investment portfolio?
In this special edition of Financial Perspectives, Kent Kramer is joined by Foster Group advisors Marcus Iwig and Caleb Brown as they share essential year-end tax planning tips. Discover how to make tax-efficient charitable donations from your IRA, maximize deductions by combining multiple years of giving, and convert pre-tax retirement accounts to Roth IRAs.
I’ve spent forty-plus years thinking and talking about “the good life” question. With clients, fellow advisors, my family and friends. And while definitive answers are not easy to come by, it’s clear that how we answer (or don’t answer) the question will have a significant impact on the life-defining choices we make, day after day, year after year.
This week, join Kent Kramer for an insightful conversation with best-selling author, Professor Meir Statman, a leading expert in behavioral finance. Discover how financial security, optimism, and resilience contribute to overall life well-being. Professor Statman shares his inspiring personal journey and offers practical advice on balancing financial wealth with life’s other important aspects, such as family, health, and meaningful relationships.
Time is a unique asset. We can’t save it for the future. We spend it with every minute that goes by. But as with other assets, we can be generous with our time. Here are four examples of people I know personally, who inspire me by their active generosity.
Inflation has been one of the buzzwords in the news media for the past couple of years. Let's explore if it is good or bad and what can you do about it.
Join Kent Kramer for an interview with Vanguard Senior Portfolio Specialist Bill Puggini about Vanguard’s views on what may move markets in 2025 and beyond. 2025 is full of potential risks and rewards. Kent and Bill discuss how inflation, tariffs, interest rates, market valuations, and political policies are all things that could distract investors from focusing on their most important long-term goals.
How do tariffs impact your investment portfolio? This month, Kent Kramer discusses the latest tariff policies, market volatility, and why diversification is key to managing uncertainty.
One of the significant changes in the tax reform bill signed by Governor Reynolds on March 1, is the eventual elimination of federal tax deductibility for determining taxable income. Iowa was one of the few remaining states that allowed taxpayers to deduct federal taxes to determine their state income taxes.
Sometimes headlines are right, but remember they are created to get your attention, not necessarily to provide you with helpful information.
I’ve found some fun benefits to budgeting outside of the normal spend less, save more mantra.
It is the taxpayer’s responsibility to keep records of distributions made to charity and contributions to their IRA and account for those on their tax return.
I certainly would argue that building a business is more than just a dice game, but both involve risk. How you fill out your scoresheet in Yahtzee is a good example of what business owners might decide to do with their business profits.
What is true wealth? That’s a question we ask our clients at Foster Group. It’s a question we ask ourselves. I’d like to share a story that reminded me of what this means to me.
While executive benefits such as stock options, other equity compensation, and deferred compensation can be powerful accumulation tools, knowing how they fit into your overall financial picture can be challenging.
Barbells work great at the gym because they put weight on a bar in such a way that it’s balanced, leaving room in the middle for someone to use it to workout. We often see portfolios that are designed like a barbell at the gym: lots of risk in one account and lots of cash or very short-term securities in another. In aggregate, it might produce some balance, but the reality is that it can create some real challenges.
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.
I’ve had the opportunity to work with a number of executives over the years and have found some commonly missed financial opportunities.
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.
