The Master’s Minute

Helpful Tools and Tips

The Master’s Minute – 7 Action Steps to Move Your Financial Life Forward

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Stacks of coins growing like small plants, showing action steps in text around your financial life, like start, save, goal, plan, future, grow.

We serve clients in all stages of life. One may be a young professional in their 30s, juggling family responsibilities while advancing in their career. Another may be in their 80s, reflecting on a lifetime of experiences and considering how to leave a meaningful legacy. While life stages may look very different, there is a similar challenge: navigating uncertainty while making good financial decisions. Today’s blog focuses on seven specific… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Top 2026 Tax Forms You Should Know

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Desk with 2026 tax forms on a laptop and paper copies strewn across the surface.

Tax season is once again knocking at the door, and it rarely arrives alone—usually bringing a stack of forms and a handful of various questions. While tax prep can feel overwhelming, each document you receive—from income sources, investments, or business entities—represents another piece of the overall picture of your financial year. To help simplify the process, we’ve summarized some of the most common tax forms you may encounter and what… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Stopped at a Red Light: 5 Things Interruptions Can Teach Us

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A traffic light shines red in front of a stylized city background, interrupting traffic.

I hate being interrupted. I regularly find myself frustrated at traffic lights—especially when I’m stopped at a red light, and I can clearly see there is no traffic coming the other way. In those moments, interruption feels pointless, inefficient, and personal. Recently, I had a conversation with a man who is experiencing a much bigger interruption than a traffic delay. He is currently unemployed after many years of fulfilling, meaningful… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Bulls & Bears: And Where We Stand Today

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A bull and a bear face each other, frozen as if they were about to clash, overlaid on a virtual rendering of a stock market ticker in the background

Financial markets have always moved in cycles. Periods of optimism and growth—known as bull markets—are followed by periods of decline and caution, called bear markets. Understanding these cycles can help investors stay grounded during times of uncertainty and avoid emotional decision-making when headlines turn negative. Historically, bull markets last far longer than bear markets. Since World War II, the average bull market in the U.S. has lasted 52 months, producing… Read More

A Grateful Pause, A Purposeful Step Forward

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As 2025 draws to a close, we find ourselves reflecting with genuine gratitude. Serving as your financial advisors is more than a profession to us – it’s a relationship built on trust, conversation, and shared purpose. Thank you for the confidence you’ve placed in our team and for allowing us to walk alongside you again this year. Your trust is not something we take lightly, and it is the reason… Read More

Keeping it Nice: Retirees Simple EOY Financial Checklist

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Retired couple goes over their financials at the end of the year using a checklist and a laptop.

  If your family is anything like mine, the last thing you need at this time of year is another to-do list. Between buying gifts for all the special people in your life, preparing for holiday gatherings, and making sure the house is full of festive decorations, our schedules are already pretty full. That said, as we approach the end of the year, it’s a good time to pause and… Read More

Checking it Twice: EOY Financial Checklist for Business Owners

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In Part II of our year-end blog series, we are exploring a few planning items that small business owners should be aware of before the year is over with a short, useful, financial checklist. 2025 brought a number of changes to the tax code that provide some opportunity to small businesses and also require careful planning in the years ahead. Our next blog post will give information for those in,… Read More

“Making a List”: EOY Financial Checklist for High Income Professionals | 2025 Holiday Series I

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Financial checklist written on festive notebook with a hand about to write on it.

On the last day of every month, my wife and I sit down and fill out our whiteboard calendar that is attached to our fridge. We have a great color-coded system for her events, my events, together events, and miscellaneous.   When we sat down on Sunday afternoon to update the calendar, we had the same two reflections: “Where did this year go?” and “December is full!”   In the busyness of everyday life, it is… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Tax Loss Harvesting: Explanation & Considerations

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Man in a suit reviews his tax documents with a calculator while determining if tax-loss harvesting is right for him.

Welcome to another installment of the Master’s Minute! Through our comprehensive Total Wealth Management planning process, during the fourth quarter of the year, we analyze various tax planning strategies to determine which would be best to consider utilizing to optimize each client’s individual income tax situation. Our gratitude series last month ended with some particularly timely advice on improving the impact of your giving and ensuring the best tax advantages… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Creative Generosity: Increasing Your Impact | Generosity Series 2025 Pt. IV

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A family gathered for thanksgiving smiles while discussing the best giving strategies for tax benefits.

Happy Thanksgiving week! Today’s blog post is the fourth and final installment of our 2025 series focusing on Generosity. How appropriate that we are discussing generosity again during this wonderful week where we celebrate Thanksgiving! For many years we have witnessed the impact of being thankful as the catalyst of the following formula that has enriched people’s lives: Being Thankful + Living with Gratitude = A Life of Generosity Two… Read More