
What Is a Fee-Only Financial Advisor & Why Does it Matter?
If you’re searching for a financial planning professional, the first thing you’ll want to ask is how this advisor will be paid. If you hear they’re fee-only, you’re on the right track. Fee-only financial advisors are paid directly by their clients.

Why I Became a Financial Planner
Next year will mark the 30-year anniversary of one of the most popular movies from the ’90s, Forrest Gump. Of all the memorable moments in that movie, one phrase seems to be quoted most often:

The Legacy of Dr. Harry Markowitz
Dr. Harry Markowitz revolutionized the way investment portfolios are constructed.

First Quarter Investment Review
Despite many mixed signals about the health of the economy, the first quarter of 2023 generally saw some positive developments for both domestic and global investment markets. While this is by no means a signal that markets are well on their way to a full recovery, it is nevertheless important

What Can We Learn About Investing from March Madness?
Every year in mid-March millions of Americans flock to their televisions to watch dozens of games in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. March Madness is such a popular sporting event that it is estimated that one-in-four Americans fill out brackets annually, attempting to pick the overall tournament winner and perhaps

When Banks Fail, What Can You Bank On?
Successful investors can more easily ignore that urge and the noise that comes from day-to-day market movements, knowing that planning for what can happen is a more powerful strategy than trying to anticipate and predict what will happen next.

2022: The Year in Review
From the onset, 2022 was a very challenging year for investors and financial markets alike. As global economies shrugged off the malaise of the coronavirus pandemic, new problems popped up to sow the seeds of uncertainty in the minds of many investors. Inflation reached levels not seen in four decades

What the SECURE 2.0 Act Means for You
Among all the year-end political drama and holiday celebrations you participated in, you may have missed the news that the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act 2.0 was signed into law as part of the $1.7 trillion dollar spending bill signed by President Joe Biden. Intended to

Financial Planning Moves to Make Now
2022 has proven to be a very challenging year for investors to navigate and the third quarter of the year did not deliver better news. Despite an equity market rally early in the quarter, the month of September delivered more bad news and our U.S. equity market index lost another

2022: Weathering the Financial Storm
We are only halfway through 2022, but most Americans have had enough bad economic and investment news to last several years. How bad were the first six months of 2022? Early in 2022 inflation touched rates that have not been seen in forty years, inflicting widespread pain on Americans whenever

Do Market Downturns Lead to Negative Return Years?
Domestic and international equity markets experienced sharp selloffs in the first quarter of 2022, leading to widespread investor concern. Compounding the bad news from equity returns in the first quarter are three factors causing anxiety for investors: 1) high inflation rates that haven’t been seen in 40 years, 2) the

Navigating the Road Ahead
Call it the perfect storm of negative financial forces if you would like, but regardless of the description used, the economic and investment market events of the first quarter of 2022 have left many investors fumbling for answers. Consider the following data observations and the impact each has on the