Since 2008, I’ve been a Facebook user. Admittedly, I lean more towards the “social media stalker” category than an active participant, yet I’ve amassed 348 Facebook “friends”. Occasionally, I’ll share a post or comment, but mostly I use it to keep tabs on old friends, especially those who aren’t nearby, and to follow updates from my favorite sports teams and other interests. Continuing our series on Core Values, this final… Read More
This is the fifth installment in our blog series devoted to discussing how our personal life values impact our decisions. The value that I will be highlighting today is a popular one amongst our clients: Integrity. There are various aspects to the value of integrity: a chair can be described as “having structural integrity” if it can hold the weight of a person sitting on it without issue. In a… Read More
As we continue our blog series on values, we move on to Family as another value we see often. This value may seem simple at its surface, but the concept of Family means many different things to different clients. For some, it encompasses only their immediate family members, while for others, it extends to include close friends or distant relatives. What is interesting is when we bring the topic of… Read More
In today’s world, it seems like every time I make a purchase with a credit card, there’s an option to add a tip. It often leaves me wondering whether I should tip and if so, how much. Generosity is a core value in our family, so my default inclination is to leave something, even if I’m unsure whether the extra money will truly reach the server or if the… Read More
For our clients participating in Master’s Total Wealth Planning services, our values discernment exercise helps to identify each client’s five core life values. We have found that many of our clients have named Faith as one of their core values. Today’s blog post will discuss the impact that Faith can have on your financial planning decision-making process. One of Webster’s definitions for faith is – “something that is believed with… Read More
You have probably heard a saying that goes something like, “Show me your checkbook and your calendar, and I will tell you what you value most”. This saying exposes the reality that our actions reflect our values. Two places where this is most evident are how we spend our time and how we spend our money. Over the next 5 weeks, we will be working through a blog series on… Read More
I began my soccer journey in seventh grade, playing through high school and college. Even after college, I continued playing in adult indoor and outdoor soccer leagues. My decision to continue playing was simple: as long as I contributed positively to my team and had fun, I would stay in the game. However, just before turning 49, I faced the realization that my frustration after games was outweighing the joy,… Read More
As we turn the page on 2023 and look forward to 2024, many people take the opportunity of a new year to make changes in their lives. They formulate personal goals and create an agenda of things that they want to accomplish in the new year. This can be a very positive, motivational experience. We are big fans of setting goals! Here is the challenge: while setting goals is easy,… Read More
Today’s blog post, Split-Interest Gifts, is the last entry of our 4th Quarter Blog Series, 5 Ways to be Generous Before Year-End. We hope this series has been thought-provoking and may have challenged you to explore additional ways to give! Split-Interest Gifts are unique in that they offer ongoing benefits to the giver, while benefiting the ministry or charitable organization of choice. The donor will typically receive an up-front tax deduction &… Read More
For part 4 of our year-end blog series on generosity, we will explore one of the most flexible giving vehicles available, the Donor Advised Fund (DAF). A Donor Advised Fund allows a taxpayer to give a current-year gift that does not have to be given directly to the charities in that same tax year. This can be a useful tax planning tool for those who want to make gifts before… Read More
