As we officially enter the Christmas season and year-end is in sight, charitable giving becomes more of a focus for many people. It seems like there is some debate about how much of total charitable giving happens in December, but it clearly is the highest percentage month of giving for the year. As you make year-end giving preparations, here are five things to keep in mind. Giving appreciated securities to… Read More
It is no secret that 2022 has been a challenging year for investors. Both stocks and bonds are negative for the year, something that has only happened two times (1931 and 1969) in market history. These types of years in the market do not come often, but when they do, it can be difficult to know how to react and navigate the choppy waters wisely. Our adage for the year… Read More
I do not know about you, but it is hard for me to believe that Thanksgiving is already here, and Christmas is just around the corner! Personally, I love this time of year! I enjoy the food and the rich times spent with family and friends. My wife and I have three kids, ages 5, 4 and 2, so getting to see the holiday season through the eyes of little… Read More
At our recent Advisor Group Conference in San Antonio that Charlie wrote about last week, Malcolm Gladwell, the esteemed author and speaker, kicked off the event on Wednesday evening. During his address, he discussed the differences between puzzles and mysteries. To solve a puzzle, we typically just need the right information and ability to sequence it in the proper order. On the other hand, a mystery is not about having… Read More
This past week was not a typical week at Master’s Advisors. Seven of our team members were attending a large Advisor Group Conference in Texas. Deb and I did our best to “hold down the fort” while they were gone. Conference events like this one provide industry-leading thoughts and ideas related to advanced planning & client servicing, back-office resources, and cutting-edge technology, and more. Participating in events like this one… Read More
As we come to the end of the year, we are shifting our focus to year end planning. This involves cash flow allocation, charitable giving, and tax planning. We have a particular focus on tax planning given that taxes are the biggest lifetime expense most of us will pay. As we like to say around the office, pay your taxes to the IRS, but don’t leave them a tip! What… Read More
Here is a question for you: What is something that we all know is important, but that few of us make the time to do regularly? While I am sure that you can name a few things, the answer that I have in mind is budgeting. Budgeting is simply assigning jobs to each dollar you earn. If you do not give each dollar a job to do, you could find… Read More
Read the video transcript: Charlie: So Lyle, we find ourselves prepping for fourth quarter meetings, and in our total wealth management process, one of the items we hit fourth quarter as we talk with clients is generosity. And that’s something that I know is really important to you. It’s important to me. It’s been important to Master’s. Tell us a little bit about that. Lyle: Yeah, I think there’s a… Read More
Many of us have experienced the following event during a flight: “Good morning, folks, this is your pilot speaking. I have put your fasten seat belt sign on as we will be experiencing some turbulence.” The word turbulence is certainly an accurate description of the investment markets during the first three quarters of 2022! Sometimes it is helpful to pause and remind ourselves of the facts. The investment markets are… Read More
One of the biggest challenges with investing is applying a consistent and logical approach without the influence of your current emotions. We think of long-term investing in years or even decades, but in real time, we are investors every day. It takes many days of discipline to add up to being a successful long-term investor. However, the principles for success in investing are similar to the principles many of us… Read More
