Focus on What You Can Control
At Foster Group, we focus on what we can control and embrace uncertainty. So, when it comes to your financial plan, what are the areas we can help you control?
Five Things to Consider Before Referring Your Client to a Financial Advisor
Category: Foster Group
How do you ensure that you are making a good recommendation for your client, especially when you are putting your reputation on the line?
Five Reasons to Consider a Roth IRA Conversion
Category: Financial Planning
The first four months of 2020 have proven to be unpredictable, volatile, and challenging. Despite recent market changes, there continue to be several planning opportunities that we are monitoring for our clients. One of these is Roth IRA conversions.
Five Myths Your Landlord Wants You To Believe
Category: Financial Planning
It can be difficult to discern fact from fiction when dealing with landlords. A misunderstanding of these key issues can have serious consequences for your practice. The following information should help dispel some common myths and prevent costly mistakes in your next lease negotiation.
Five Ideas for Charitable Tax Savings
Five ideas for integrating your finances and your philanthropy.
Fitch Downgrade: A Closer Look | Financial Perspectives
Category: Investing » Diversification
Fitch downgraded US government debt from its pristine AAA rating to one notch lower at AA+. While this news may raise some eyebrows, it is essential to keep it in perspective. This week, Matt Moklestad and Michael Westphal have a conversation about its implications and the necessity of diversification.
Fitch Downgrade – A Closer Look
Category: Investing » Diversification
Fitch, downgraded US government debt from its pristine AAA rating to one notch lower at AA+. The Fitch downgrade serves as a reminder of the necessity of diversification, as no investment is entirely risk-free.
Financial Risks That Are Not in the News
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.
Becoming a Woman of Influence
Category: Foster Group
Bear Markets and Life Jackets
Category: Investing » Asset Allocation
For anyone invested right now, it feels like we’re sinking. But just as boats have lifejackets to keep you afloat, your financial life should have its own lifejackets in place to help keep you from sinking in bear market times like these.
Basketball, Movies, and the Transformed Investor | Financial Perspectives
In this week's edition of Financial Perspectives, Kent Kramer covers everything from basketball and movies to Nobel Prize winners and a unique investment journey with Dave Butler, Co-CEO of Dimensional Fund Advisors.
Watch "Tune Out the Noise": https://film.dimensional.com
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Baseball and Investing: Managing Behavior for Success
Money is emotional and our “news” cycle is a catalyst. Investors react to what they hear and how they feel, oftentimes to their own detriment.
Barbell Portfolios Can Be Hard To Hold On To
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.
Balance Sheet Liquidity: What Is It? How Do I Approach It?
Category: Financial Planning » Cashflow
I am extremely fortunate to work with many different types of clients. Some of my favorite clients are the owners of privately owned businesses. There are always opportunities to have conversations that go well beyond managing investments.
Bad News
Is the title to this blog supposed to be clickbait? Of course it is. That is the point of this blog. Bad news sells.
Avoiding Probate Just Got a Little EasieràFor Certain Estates
Category: Financial Planning » Estate & Transfer Planning
Currently in Iowa, if a decedent owns personal property that totals $25,000 or less and that property would normally pass under a Will or the intestate statute, you can skip probate with just an affidavit.
August 9, 2021 Financial Perspectives – ESG Investing Pt 2
Category: Investing
In part two of our two part series on ESG Investing, Kent Kramer and Matt Moklestad dive deeper into how you can practically implement an ESG strategy.