Spending With Purpose
Earlier this week Bryan, Heath, and I attended a monthly meeting for the Financial Planning Association’s (FPA) Houston chapter.
Q3 2014 Newsletter
Q3 2014 Newsletter from Financial Synergies Asset Management, Inc
What’s Your 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. …
Q1 2014 Newsletter
Our 1st quarter newsletter features articles by the whole team. Q1 2014 Newsletter from Financial Synergies Asset Management, Inc
What it Means to Be a “Registered Investment Advisor”
When I was home over the holiday break, my father asked me a very important question about why we are different from other large brokerage firms. I simply responded with an impatient answer: “We are an RIA, Dad.” At that …
The Fund with the Odd Name
When first mentioned in client meetings, the Merger Fund sometimes elicits looks of confusion or curiosity from its name alone. It doesn’t sound like the other names in your portfolio, and it doesn’t act like them either. It’s considered an …
Five Ways to Jumpstart Your New Year’s Resolutions
In the spirit of the holidays, I’ve decided to get a head start on my New Year’s Resolutions: “I resolve to write every day, learn the guitar, and teach myself conversational French.” Now, lofty goals are my specialty, but the …
Worst Case Scenarios
Negativity has permeated our society of late. Predictions of disastrous consequences from the federal debt ceiling impasse abound. Some pundits worry that inflation arising from dramatic increases in the monetary supply will surely diminish our future lifestyles. European sovereign debt crises will eventually contaminate the American banking system, and global warming will cause our coastal […]
Is Now a Good Time to Start Investing?
“Is now a good time to start investing?” It’s a simple question, but it’s almost impossible to answer because it requires a market prediction. Most people agree that trying to predict the market is impossible, but it’s human nature to …
Why Staying the Course is The Best Route
Remember 2008? Some of us kept our eye on the ball and maintained our long-term investment plans. Others panicked and went to cash, thinking that it would protect them from downside risk, and waited until the market “normalized” before they dove back …
You Think You Have More Time
One of the toughest parts of my job as a financial advisor is experiencing the passing of a long-time client. Comforting a grieving family and helping to guide heirs through the account transfer process that follows is both challenging and …
Community, the Crow, and Perseverance
Last week, while perusing the Wall Street Journal and catching up on some of the most intense news of recent history, I happened upon a quote by English author John Donne which goes something like this: “No man is an …
84-year-old Florida Widow Wins $590 Million Lottery
Last week the world learned that 84-year-old Gloria MacKenzie was the sole winner of the $590 million Powerball jackpot. This makes her one of the biggest winners in lottery history. The widowed great-grandmother chose to receive her winnings as a …
