
Most people trust their financial advisor. Problem is, most advisors should not be trusted. I know that’s a strong statement, but after spending over twenty years in this industry, I…
Most people trust their financial advisor. Problem is, most advisors should not be trusted. I know that’s a strong statement, but after spending over twenty years in this industry, I…
My sophomore year at The University of Texas, I had a marketing class in the UTC, an annex to the business school, tucked right next to the Perry Castaneda Library,…
There are often many important questions around how to invest money in your 401(k). For most of us, what we are able to accumulate in our 401(k) during our working…
I was reminded recently how different we are, as Americans, compared to the rest of the World as it relates to financial independence. First off, a wide majority of humans…
Bucket number 3 is money for retirement. This is a bucket we all hope to get started on as soon as possible. Getting started with bucket number 3 at an…
Bucket number two is used for intermediate term goals. Intermediate term goals are different and unique, depending on your specific needs. Younger professionals my have an intermediate term goal of…
Money we have in bucket number one is for rather near term financial goals. Because of the short horizon to these goals, they should be invested in a safe manner….
It’s 3 o’clock in the morning and I’m worried. Last week, the markets were down hard, with the S&P 500 going from positive double digit territory at the end of…
This is the first article in a multi part series centered around a different (and hopefully easier) way to think about your financial goals from an overview perspective. When…
How much money do we need to have to begin investing? The truth to this question is a lot less than we think. Many people I have talked to…
The TINSTAAFL theory is an informal favorite rule among many economists and financial planners like me. TINSTAAFL stands for “There is no such thing as a free lunch”, and means…
From time to time, I find myself roaming the country, assisting a corporate client in their desire to assess and improve the retirement readiness of their workforce. Normally, personal clients…
Great post by Austin Smith! Disciplined strategy investing over the long term, rather than trying to time the market fluctuations is a proven strategy for long term portfolio success….
Only a very small percentage of American’s will ever experience financial independence. Why? Because just being successful in our professional careers is not enough. We have to know how to…
“I think we’re going to be able to call it.”, Austin says as we review our client’s financial plan and assets on the big screen in my office. We’ve been…
You have never heard of any of my heroes, so naming them by name is unimportant. Besides, my hero’s are not interested in the publicity. My hero’s lead quiet…
Shelly and I went sailing for the first time in many years this weekend. I was a little rusty. As we dodged and weaved our way through the 200 or…
When should you start saving for your retirement? The most accurate answer is yesterday. Time is by far the most important factor on saving for your future. Starting early,…
During the Haiti crisis in the mid-90’s, I was a young sailor on watch. It was a calm, quiet, typical Caribbean sunny day and we were just off the coast…
Note: This post is from our intern – Chris Ensch. Chris attended a recent Rotary meeting with me and ran into his old economics professor from High School (College Equivalency),…
Today’s post was inspired by the excellent book: Team of Teams, by Gen. McChrystal Modern destroyers use gas turbine engines for propulsion and electrical power. As a young junior officer,…
As a young child, my great uncle would arrive at our house with my grandparents just before Christmas. Most years, he would bunk up with me. My room was down…
Unless you have been living under a rock for the last few months, you’ve probably heard about the Bitcoin craze and other cryptocurrencies using distributed ledger technology. I’m a borderline…
The market is hot right now – to say the least. We all know it’s cyclical in nature so in a way it feels like we’re just waiting on the inevitable…
Without a plan it’s easy for things to get out of hand over the holidays. Here are some simple steps you can take to make sure all of your gifts…