Life is complicated.  Sometimes more complicated than it needs to be.  Complexity often causes stress and angst in decision making.  When I am overwhelmed, I benefit from the times when I step back and remember the fundamentals. Since it’s football season, why not share an example of the importance of fundamentals from the complicated game of football.  Legendary Green Bay Packer coach, Vince Lombardi, became the head coach of the… Read More

I was recently listening to a podcast featuring Mitch Anthony, a well-known communications expert in our industry. He said something that resonated with me in relation to our clients: “It’s better to prepare than to repair.” I think this is an outstanding philosophy when it comes to financial planning and to life in general. Sometimes, preparedness can feel overdone. We may think it makes little sense to spend so much… Read More

My high school science teacher used to say, “The only thing predictable about the weather is that it’s going to be unpredictable.” This seems to hold true for the economy and the stock market as well. Consider the following: In a July 2, 2018, article that appeared in the ftJournal, nearly 50% of the economic experts polled believed the next U.S. recession would occur in 2020. Approximately 25% said it… Read More

This is the time of year when I really enjoy hearing stories about people’s summer vacation experiences. Here are some of my favorites from this year:  An “Airbnb Experience” in Lisbon, Portugal where a local photographer took the family around town for a family photo shoot. A visit to an active volcano in Guatemala where the family was able to roast marshmallows over the hot lava. A beautiful summer afternoon… Read More

I am currently reading The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker. Drucker has consulted with executives in the largest companies in the world, and his initial insight on their routines surprised me. According to Drucker, the most effective executives have mastered the art of focus. They spend most of their time on just one project or idea for months at a time! Imagine all the demands on an executive’s time, how… Read More

When our grandkids hop into our vehicle, they know that Pop Pop or Grammy isn’t going to start driving until we hear the “clicks” of their seatbelts being fastened. It’s our safety policy to protect against the unknown. In investing, there are times when “wearing your seatbelt” is also a good idea. We believe this may be one of those times. Recently, the markets have shown signs of being more… Read More

This is a loaded question, and one that many of us don’t have the answer to! I was recently talking with a CPA friend of mine who wanted to refer us a client. However, he was nervous about making the referral because he knew the potential client had no clue what his goals were or what they should be. This person didn’t even know where to start, so he didn’t… Read More

During the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament last month, 15-year old Coco Gauff captivated the tennis world by beating her tennis hero, Venus Williams, in the first round and then advancing to the fourth round of the tournament before being defeated. In an interview after one of her matches, she elaborated on the significance of her dad’s words in her early days of playing tennis. He told her that she could be… Read More

What starts with zero, ends with zero, and may be positive or negative in between? That’s right! A person’s net worth. One man humorously described his negative net worth this way: “I came into this world with nothing, and I have most of it left.” Hopefully, your net worth is not like his! We have our net worth for a finite amount of time, like a line segment that has… Read More

Last weekend I was at a party and got into a conversation with another guest while the host was grilling hamburgers and hot dogs. She was describing how amazing the Big Green Egg smoker was. Put pork shoulder in the Big Green Egg overnight and it just fell off the bone. Later in the evening, I was having another conversation about airplane travel, and this person was adamant that the… Read More