The Master’s Minute

Helpful Tools and Tips

The Master’s Minute – Equally Yoked: Financial Advisors and You

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Investors smiling at their financial advisor, with whom they feel equally yoked.

When it comes to your financial future, technical expertise matters—but so does alignment. Your advisor should be more than someone managing your investments. Rather, they are walking alongside you in decisions that touch every part of your life: family, legacy, generosity, and purpose. That’s why values alignment isn’t optional, it’s essential! If your advisor’s approach is disconnected from what matters most to you, the planning process can feel transactional rather… Read More

The Master’s Minute – The Alignment Model | Generosity and Wealth Management Series 2025

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College student in front of her family, whose financial goals alignment allowed her to continue her education.

In last week’s blog post, Charlie introduced our summer blog series, entitled “Generosity and Wealth,” by discussing the joy and fulfillment that people can experience by living a life of generosity instead of a life of purely personal consumption.   In fact, judging by the daily deluge of marketing and advertising we all experience living in the twenty-first century, you would be forgiven for believing that personal consumption and instant… Read More

The Master’s Minute – The Wisdom of Generosity & Wealth Management

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A hand moves money generously across the table to a wealthy person.

We open today’s blog post with a fundamental “core values” question: Are you integrating generosity into your use of personal wealth?   As we begin to dig into the topic of Generosity and Wealth, I would like to share some observations gleaned from working with financial planning clients for the past 35 years.   Let’s review these observations together, as shown in the following formulas:  Wealth + Generosity = Contentment, Fulfillment, and… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Sector-Specific Performance & Outlook

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Pie-graph visually representing sector-specific performance for 2025

As we near the end of the second quarter, we felt it would be interesting to take a dive into the performance of various equity market sectors this year and give an outlook for the remainder of the year. We explore sector performance and weights for industries like Tech, Financials, and Energy, and discuss how to determine the most attractively valued for an investor’s portfolio. Enjoy! Returns & Valuations by… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Mastering Bucketing: Your Retirement Time-Segmented Strategy

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The words "income streams" on a post-it, for retirees considering creation of reliable income.

Retirement isn’t a single event—it’s a journey that unfolds over time, with evolving needs, goals, and market conditions. That’s where bucketing, a time-segmented investment strategy, becomes invaluable.   By dividing your assets into distinct “buckets” based on time horizon and purpose, you can align investments, withdrawals, and risk in a way that brings clarity, confidence, and control.  Last week, we explored two retirees, Bob and Alice, who had identical investor… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Same Returns, Different Outcomes: Retirement Risk Awareness (Sequence of Returns)

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Retirees talking to their advisor about the sequence of returns risk

Bob and Alice are fictional retirees who will help us explore how market conditions can impact even the best planned retirements. Both retired after working hard and following careful saving strategies for their later years.   Both of them are values driven and both of them are investing in the same things. They even enter retirement with the same amount of money.   However, Bob is facing the results of… Read More

The Master’s Minute – 4 Strategies for Maximizing Tax-Advantaged Accounts

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Investors discuss maximizing tax advantaged accounts at a conference table

Maximizing tax-advantaged accounts means utilizing them to their fullest potential in your portfolio, and that starts with ensuring that you are aware of all your options. Today, investors are fortunate to have access to a wider variety of these tax-advantaged investment accounts than ever before. Once your financial goals are established and sufficient cash reserves are in place, funding these accounts is typically one of the first priorities in any… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Transitioning Your Business: Succession Planning Essentials

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Business owners handing off a baton, symbolizing succession planning.

Every business owner eventually reaches the point where it is time for them to exit their business. Ideally, this exit is a voluntary one that is planned out and in line with the goals of the owner. However, exits can also be forced, either due to health, age, or trouble with the business. The importance of succession planning for business owners, even if they are still years away from their… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Maxed Out Your Retirement Account? Here Is What You Should Do Next!

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High earning professionals talk to their financial planner about their maxed out retirement accounts.

For most high-income professionals, the first step in a long-term savings strategy is to fund an employer-sponsored retirement account (such as a 401K or SIMPLE IRA).  There are several ways that you can position the income you have earmarked for retirement savings, often in accounts that have tax advantages, such as Traditional and Roth IRAs, but there are other options as well.   Each of these options offers unique benefits… Read More

The Master’s Minute – What Are Wealth Advisors?

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Couple discussing what are wealth advisors with a professional.

A wealth advisor is your financial architect—someone who understands your vision, creates a personalized financial “blueprint,” and brings in the right professionals to help you build a strong financial structure.   Think of your financial life like building a custom home. You wouldn’t start pouring concrete or picking out countertops without a blueprint.   In today’s blog, we will clear up a few very common misconceptions about financial advisors, explain… Read More