Financial Planning

  • Interest Rates: What is Happening?

    This is the question that is on everyone’s mind. For savers and borrowers alike, interest rates are a key topic of discussion and a central ingredient of the economy. Should borrowers try and lock-in the loan at today’s rates? Should investors buy that bond at today’s rate? Before we get into more detail about interest…
  • Investing During International Conflict

    First off, the idea that we can spend time discussing portfolio performance in a time when human lives are at stake is a fortunate position to be in. Lives will not only be lost, but many more lives will be changed forever. We are thankful for our safety, but also aware that many are not…
  • The Illusion of Certainty

    Every day is a gift. At the same time, we realize that every day carries a certain amount of uncertainty, good or bad. Being at peace each day while living in an uncertain world is something we probably all try to achieve.
  • How to Help Parents – and Yourself – Live better at 80, 90 and Beyond

    They say we get wiser as we get older, but let’s face it: Many new uncertainties and challenges can crop up as people get deeper into their golden years. Changes in physical health and issues with memory can mean you—or your elderly parents—might require new types of never-before-needed assistance.
  • Two Questions To Ask Before You Purchase Life Insurance

    Life insurance can be an extremely important, even essential, part of your financial plan. One of its most attractive aspects for many individuals and families is the death benefit of the policy—the money that the insurance company pays out in the event of the insured’s death.
  • Big Data

    IBM did research a few years ago proclaiming that 90% of the world’s data is being created every two years. That is an amazing statistic. More data has been created since October 2017 than all the prior years combined? More data will be created in the next two years than all prior years?
  • Appreciate The Trade-Off Between Risk And Return

    The theory is simple enough: The more risk you are willing to assume, the higher the expected potential return. The challenges, though, are selecting an asset allocation that will provide the returns you require to meet your long-term financial goals and sticking to the allocation through up and down markets.
  • A Tale of Two Decades: Lessons for Long-Term Investors

    The first decade of the 21st century, and the second one that's drawing to a close, have reinforced for investors some timeless market lessons: Returns can vary sharply from one period to another. Holding a broadly diversified portfolio can help smooth out the swings.
  • Learn About Caring For An Elderly Parent

    At some point in life, nearly everyone will require at least some help with the challenges of daily living. This guide is designed to help you become familiar with the common eldercare issues, as well as the care options available for an aging parent, spouse, or other loved one.
  • What Does The Inverted Yield Curve Mean?

    We typically keep these newsletters light on technical details, but given the abundant news on yield curves we thought diving into this would help quell fears. The yield curve graph below shows the relationship between bond yields and bond maturity. Typically, investors require higher interest rates for longer maturity bonds. Back when we all visited…