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.
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...
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...
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.
Why Index Funds Don’t Work for Some People
Category: Investing » Active Management
Index funds are popular investment tools for good reason. They are low cost, effective ways to capture market return. Choosing to use index funds is only half the battle though; you must use them correctly to truly benefit.
Can You Ever Have Enough?
Category: Financial Planning » Retirement Planning
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.
Market Madness
There is just something about the NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Basketball Tournament. There is tremendous excitement in many families and workplaces as tournament brackets are filled in with predictions about the outcomes of 67 games over a three-week period.
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?
Chart of the Month – Apr 2022
Housing affordability is trending in the wrong direction. Take a look at our chart of the month showing housing affordability over the last 50 years.
The Three To-Do’s in the Fourth Quarter
Category: Financial Planning » Cashflow
The beginning of the fourth quarter is a great time to check-in on your finances and make sure you consider planning opportunities before the end of the calendar year. Read this blog to see my top three priorities when it comes to fourth quarter planning.
Celebrating Saying Goodbye Day
In our family, we have a tradition in which, the night before our kids’ birthdays, we pause for a moment to recap the last year by reminiscing about their successes and failures. It dawned on me that these are the same feelings investors experience and learn from on their financial journeys.
Money Silence Hurts Families – Three Tips to Break the Cycle
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
If you think talking about money with your spouse, parents, or children is difficult, you are not alone. Here are three tips to get started on a healthier money talk journey with your loved ones.
Chart of the Month – Oct 2023
Have you ever said to yourself “If I would have just bought that stock, I would be set!” Or “How did I not see this coming? I was watching this stock years ago!” Or maybe “I should have never sold that stock!”
The IRS Punted on 2023
Category: Financial Planning
The IRS is allowing some people to skip their Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from inherited IRAs. If you inherited an IRA in 2020 or later, you may not need to make a distribution this year. Read for some background.
Time to Revisit Your Cash Reserve Fund
Category: Financial Planning » Cashflow
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.
War in Israel: Market Meltdown?
Category: Investing » Equity / Stocks
Does war in Israel mean a big market meltdown? It’s hard to escape the war news. One way to think about the future is by looking at the past for similar circumstances.
Psychology and Wealth
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
The different ways people react to and treat wealth and finances is fascinating. Although not everyone can be put in a box, there are five main personality types when it comes to psychology and wealth: Neuroticism/Emotional Stability, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Openness.
Chart of the Month – Nov 2023
How Do Treasuries Lose Money? US Treasury bonds are generally regarded as safe. Sometimes they’re referred to as “risk-free” assets. This is a bit of a misnomer.
Past Performance is Not Indicative of Future Results
Category: Foster Group
“Past performance is not indicative of future results.” Most people think of investing when they hear or read the sentence above, the ultimate statement of caution. What do you think of this statement when it comes to baseball?
How to Use Your Deferred Compensation Plan
For most of us, it’s that time of the year when we make benefits elections for next year. These are important decisions.
Have You Come to Terms with the Reality of Your Retirement?
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
People come to terms with the fact they will one day retire. Maybe not in the next year or two but sometime in the next five. Often, it’s a reality they’ve been denying.