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The Blog

Weekly insights on the markets, economy, and financial planning

Charitable Giving Strategies

Charitable Giving Strategies

The task of being a good steward is always top of mind for me. It’s an honor to have the opportunity to help our clients make good decisions with their money.

When a Corporate Trustee Makes Sense

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In 2014, Wells Fargo published the findings of a study that focused on how American families communicate about personal finance. They discovered that money is harder for families to talk about than death!

Event + Reaction = Outcome

Event Reaction Outcome

Jack Cranefield (author of The Success Principles) believes that highly successful people are particularly capable of influencing outcomes by controlling their own reactions to events, rather than controlling the events themselves. And I think he’s on to something!

When Should You Invest?

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The decision of “when” to invest in the market can be overwhelming. Unfortunately, doing nothing can be the worst decision of all.

The Annual End of the World

End of World

The date was December 31, 1999. I remember going to Wal-Mart to search the picked-over shelves for bottled water, canned food, and ammunition. Why? Y2K was coming!

And There is No New Thing Under the Sun

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As a financial advisor in Houston, TX, I spend a considerable amount of time talking with clients about the price of oil. Everyone in Houston is keenly aware that the price of oil has plummeted over the last few months, …

If They’re Not a CFP® Pro, You Just Don’t Know

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A few years ago the CFP Board of Standards, Inc. initiated a public awareness campaign. Their goal is to educate the public on the importance of working with a qualified financial advisor. They encourage everyone to seek advice from a …

Are your IRA beneficiaries set up correctly?

Happy Family

If you haven’t reviewed your IRA beneficiaries in a while, you may find that the designated beneficiaries on your IRA are not who you intended them to be, especially if you have grandchildren. For instance, if you name your three …

Where Should the Market Be?

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Last week the Dow Jones (^DJI) topped the 17,000 mark with a gain of about 3.25% for the year. The markets have been on a tear for over three years with no significant downturn since the long forgotten technical correction …

Test Your Own Behavioral Bias

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People are fascinating to me. You’d think that over thousands of years, the human brain would have evolved to become capable of making unbiased decisions as a means for survival. But based on James Montier’s book “Behavioral Investing” our brains …

What’s Your Retirement Number?

Retirement Number

A couple of years ago, ING started a great marketing campaign to encourage people to start saving for retirement. The “What’s your retirement number?” slogan was undoubtedly derived from a common question that financial advisors hear from clients every day. …

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