What do most financial plans and crock pots have in common? Stumped? Here is the answer: when working with both items, people tend to “set it and forget it”. When using a crock pot, this should work out just fine. When it comes to your finances, however, the opposite is true. We live in a very dynamic world. Given the ever-changing nature of our lives, being proactive is wise. Here… Read More

At Master’s, our tagline is “Managing Wealth for a Life of Purpose”. I recently had several conversations about finding purpose in life. Retirement is often viewed as a panacea for the stress and struggles that come with fulltime employment. We imagine that waking up whenever we want and not having a lengthy list of tasks and deadlines will be fabulous. In addition, we can fill our schedules with all the… Read More

One week ago today, we had our annual Master’s Planning Day. As Jon wrote about in last week’s blog, this is a day set aside to focus on building deeper relationships with our team, hear input from everyone, and brainstorm about how we can serve you even better. I love that we begin that day with all of our team members around the table. We enjoy being together; it’s so… Read More

Often, we hear the phrase: “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” While there are some circumstances when this advice could possibly be helpful, there are other aspects of our lives where this advice should not be followed. One that comes immediately to my mind is relationships. Whether it be a marriage, a parent-child relationship, a friendship, or a business partnership, it is vital that we all continue to invest… Read More

Although I wear many hats here at Master’s, my primary role is that of Hospitality Coordinator. My goal is to make sure all of our clients have a pleasant experience in our office – starting from the time you schedule a meeting to the time you walk out the door. When I think of hospitality, I think of comfort. And I believe that a comfortable place is synonymous with a… Read More

I had the privilege to participate in a family meeting this past week. I’ve helped facilitate numerous family meetings over the years and I always find them to be a rich experience. Those of you unfamiliar with a family meeting in the context of financial planning might be wondering about the purpose. Of course, each family meeting is tailored to the desires and personality of the parent(s) leading the meeting,… Read More

Last March, the US Stock Market stopped it’s tailspin and reversed course, increasing 103% since it ‘bottomed out’ on March 21st. When we see the market essentially do nothing but go up, a funny phenomenon takes place; we get nervous! We know that withstanding market corrections are a normal part of being an equity investor, so we anticipate them when we see a sustained run of positive returns. We look… Read More

Over the last few weeks, we have been highlighting various sketches drawn by the popular author and speaker, Carl Richards. I love the sketch above; it serves as a great reminder. Every day, we are bombarded with headlines and life events we need to sort through. This sketch provides a nice filter that we can use to discern how to respond. We can all face the temptation to worry, especially… Read More