How to Prepare for Your Kids’ College Expenses
Fact: the inflation rate on college tuition is outpacing that of the general economy — and financial aid isn’t keeping up. With a three-percent rise in 2015 on what’s already mouth-dropping higher education expenses, it’s no wonder parents everywhere are concerned over how to save for their kids’ college expenses — and why so many […]
Read ArticleVolatile Year Ends With A Whimper
The Dow Jones Industrial Average is made up of 30 large, well-known companies. It is the best known and oldest of the many yardsticks that measure stock market performance. While not necessarily a household name, the S&P 500 Index—as its name implies—is made up of 500 larger U.S. companies. It captures about 80% of the […]
Read ArticleFinancial Goal Setting for the New Year
It’s not long before the holidays have passed, the calendar flips over, and we begin at least a few weeks of accidentally writing the wrong year on anything we date. (We’re thinking that’s not just a financial planner problem… right?) As always, a new year comes with the pull to declare a new set of […]
Read Article10 Smart Year End Planning Moves
The end of the year is fast approaching, and now is the perfect time to review items you might want to consider as you get set to enter 2016. Investment and financial planning Review your income or portfolio strategy. Are you reaching a milestone in your life such as retirement or a change in […]
Read ArticleMoney, time, and skill: Give back this holiday season
It’s that time of the year again: with the leftover turkey chilling in the fridge and the fall decorations quickly turned into holiday cheer, all signs point to shopping and sugarplums. But even with the overwhelm of parties to attend, cookies to be baked, and shopping to be done, we can’t ignore one major aspect […]
Read ArticleRebalancing Interview with Morgan Smith
Morgan Smith was recently interviewed to discuss the importance of rebalancing and provided tips to investors to make the practice easier. Below is the full Q&A with insightful tips to take away… In your opinion, why do so many people fail to rebalance? What do you tell your clients when trying to convince them […]
Read ArticleThe Seasons of the Market
The Clouds Part We have seen an interesting turn of events for the market, one that favored the bulls and rewarded those who did not abandon the strategies we recommend. Notably, upward momentum came in a month that historically has a ghoulish reputation. But as we point out shortly, reputation and reality do not always […]
Read ArticleAn Investment Roadmap
The Fed Blinks The September meeting at the Federal Reserve was eagerly anticipated by analysts, economists, and short-term investors because there was the real possibility that central bankers would finally boost the fed funds rate for the first time in almost 10 years. In case you missed it, the Fed chose not to raise rates […]
Read ArticleDon’t Sweat the Headlines
Volatility Can be Managed In last month’s market commentary, we talked about looking past scary headlines. It’s easy to say when stocks are holding up or moving higher, but a jarring correction may create uneasiness. We are reminded of a comment by John Bogle, retired CEO and founder of the mutual fund giant, The Vanguard […]
Read ArticleManage the Manager
In an ideal situation, employees would love their day jobs, be content with their job titles, and never struggle for growth. However, let’s face the facts — not all career situations are ideal. With a great job comes more responsibility and 9 times out of 10, you face less than ideal obstacles. According to psychologist […]
Read Article