What’s on our mind
“An investment in knowledge, pays the best interest.”
Ben Franklin
When it comes to financial matters, opinions often masquerade as facts. That’s a dangerous thing.
Our biggest value is helping clients cut out the noise, clarify what it is truly important in their lives, and create a plan that works for them.
You play poker. You don’t play the market.
You play poker. You don’t play the market. I came across the headline below and alternated between laughing and crying. CNBC, one of THE leading financial news media outlets, is touting a ‘potential strategy’ that seems to appeal to the gambler in us. With...
Knowing when to hold them and when to fold them.
According to the iconic Kenny Rogers song, the key to gambling is knowing when to hold’em and when to fold’em. When to stay the course, and when to make a change. The same can be of investing. to investing. When do you hold and when do you sell? I hear this song in...
Business as Usual. Investing summed up in two charts.
Business as usual. Investing summed up in two charts. The US Stock Market # 1 Growth of $10,000 and #2 Percent Below Previous All Time Highs Source: Ycharts.com Over time, the market has gone up. The first chart below indicates the growth of 10K invested in the...
Bumped Up. How misunderstanding tax brackets can cost you.
Bumped Up. Misunderstanding tax brackets can cost you. “Oh great, I got a bonus this year and now I’m up in a higher tax bracket. Most of my bonus is going to taxes!” If I had a quarter for every time, I heard about someone complain about being ‘bumped up’ into...
There is always a reason to sell.
There is always a reason to sell. It’s official, the SP500 is now in bear market territory. Just like last time, and the time before, and the time before that. What’s driving this? The stubbornly high inflation and the aggressive response for the Federal reserve to...
What happens when the TORTOISE and the HARE both run out of gas?
What happens when the TORTOISE and the HARE both run out of gas? Perspectives on Today’s Bond market and the classic 60/40 portfolio The current market environment is still challenging. Isn’t it irritating how financial advisors describe a tanking market as...
Matthew Stafford and Beating Recency Bias
Beating Recency Bias What winter weather, high gas prices and Matthew Stafford can teach us about intelligent investing. If you live in Michigan, you’re probably familiar with the following scenario. Let’s imagine we have a winter where we suffer through record...
Our brain is to blame. Why your advisor is a BFA
Our brain is to blame. Why your advisor is a BFA. You may notice at the end of our business cards a three-letter designation, BFA. While we greatly appreciate jazz and modernist painters in our office, it certainly does not refer to a ‘bachelor of fine arts.’...
Russia invasion. What to do next.
Russia invasion. What to do next. A plan is only useful if it can survive reality. And a future filled with unknowns is everyone’s reality — The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness by Morgan Housel Friends, I woke up yesterday morning...
Knowing when to hold them and when to fold them.
Knowing when to hold them and when to fold them. According to the iconic Kenny Rogers song, the key to gambling is knowing when to hold’em and when to fold’em. When to stay the course, and when to make a change. I hear this song in my head each time stock market goes...
Turning your Pile into a Paycheck Part II: Living too long.
Turning your Pile into a Paycheck: Part II: The dangers of living too long: Inflation and Stock Market Risk Quick summary: In the introduction to our series called “Turning your Pile into a Paycheck. we posed the question: How do you know how much you can withdraw...
Turning your Pile into a Paycheck. How should you invest your TSP after retirement?
Turning your pile into a paycheck. How should you invest your TSP after retirement? (Introducing a new series on Retirement Distribution Investing) When you retire from the Federal government you have a big decision to make, one as important as the decision to retire...