So you’re thinking about giving a family member some money to help with a down payment on a home. Or maybe you want to help contribute to a college fund for your grandkids. But you have heard about a...
The last two months have brought continued market volatility to both stocks and bonds. It can be hard to stomach at times, yet it’s also expected. The long-term investor knows that markets on average, go up 7 out of...
Many people are ready to make the transition to retirement. They envision living a less stressful, carefree lifestyle. Where they can be adventurers, live next to the ocean, hear the waves crash. Enjoy the warm sunshine, swim in the...
How much can retirees withdraw from their nest egg each year? This is a question that many thought was answered by the 4% rule, first articulated by Bill Bengan in 1994. Bengan is a retired financial planner from Southern...
Whether you’re already retired or thinking about retiring within the next few years, a second act might be on your mind. Have you given thought to what you’ll spend your time on in retirement? Many older adults view retirement...
It sure seems like we’ve had our fair share of investment volatility of this century. There have been two major market disruptions; The Dotcom bubble in 2000, where the Nasdaq composite lost 78% of its value, followed by the...
Inflation since 2008 has been very low. The average since 2008 is a paltry 1.48%. The numbers annually are as follows: Year Rate of inflation 2008 .1% 2009 2.7% 2010 1.5% 2011 3.0% 2012 1.7% 2013 1.5% 2014 .8%...
Perhaps the single most important factor in reducing financial stress is managing cash flow. In their book The Millionaire Next Door, Dr. Thomas Stanley and William Danko explained this financial principal as “I make plenty of money but there...
With financial planning, not only do you map out your dreams. Even better, you create a plan for making those dreams a reality. Have you always wanted to visit South America? Let’s set a time to make that happen!...
It is important to understand your cash flow; you want to know where your money is going. For the purposes of financial planning, categorize expenses into boxes A, B, and C. This process serves as a tool to help...