When I think of habits, I generally think of the bad ones: failing to exercise, not eating right, watching too many sports highlights instead of being productive around the house to name a few. However, habits can do just as much good as they can bad if we focus on the right things. A recent study estimated that 40% of our day is habit-driven, highlighting the importance of developing healthy… Read More
Give and Receive
I recently read a quote from Todd Harper, president of Generous Giving. He said, “People who have learned to be generous are the happiest people.” This quote has me thinking about the role generosity plays in our overall happiness and satisfaction with our life. His quote certainly seems contradictory to the prominent messages we hear most frequently. Our consumer culture preaches that only if we buy the right products or… Read More
Focus On Your Plan
Where is your focus? Are you preoccupied with the daily swings in the financial markets? Do your emotions rise and fall with the economic prediction of today’s financial “expert”? Do you worry about when to get in and when to get out of the market? With the constant bombardment of the financial media, is it even possible to live a life that is not obsessed with money and trying to… Read More
“That Age”
Two months ago I celebrated a milestone in my life. I use the term “celebrated” loosely. Actually, age 59 ½ came and went without a cake or candle, greeting card or bouquet of flowers. I would have never given it a thought had not my financial advisor brought up the topic of retirement in my recent review meeting – all because I have now reached “That Age.” I have a… Read More
Blog Series: Retirement Income Architecture
I’m guessing you have heard of the old adage “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” In financial planning this saying is a word picture we use to illustrate diversification or asset allocation. This adage is usually connected to the idea that it is wise to spread our money between different types investments. The theory is that if some portion of the investment markets are performing poorly, there are… Read More
Blog Series: Retirement Income Architecture
In the third blog of our Income Architecture Blog Series, we are discussing a calculation we recently integrated into our planning process called the Income-to-Asset Ratio. One question that many clients have when they are planning for retirement income is, “Can my investments support my income need throughout retirement?” Our Income-to-Asset Ratio can assist in answering that question and can help us build a framework for your Retirement Income Plan…. Read More
Blog Series: Retirement Income Architecture
How much money will I need for my retirement? This, naturally, is an important question and one we regularly address with our clients. Any time we plan for the future, it is necessary to make a number of assumptions about the future. Of course, the closer our assumptions are to reality the better prepared we are for the future. One key assumption when planning for retirement is the retirement spending… Read More
Blog Series: Retirement Income Architecture Intro
For our next blog series, we will be outlining a service that many of you have experienced at Master’s: Retirement Income Architecture. Instead of using a financial product as a “solution” for retirement income, we employee our Retirement Income Architecture process to help clients plan for this need. For clients who are approaching or already in retirement, creating a plan for retirement income that is sustainable and meets their needs… Read More
Rethinking New Year’s Resolutions
We are now six weeks into the New Year of 2017. How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? Unfortunately, my bathroom scale is not showing me dramatically reduced numbers, and I haven’t been working out like a world-class athlete. Where do we go from here? Several weeks ago, my son Colton wrote a devotional article for his employer’s January newsletter. His article challenged his fellow employees to make… Read More
The Plan vs. Planning
The big game is almost here. For most of us in this area, the upcoming Super Bowl game will most likely be about the gathering of family and friends, enjoying some food, and anticipating the entertainment of the commercials. But what about the football game itself? Hopefully, it will be competitive and hold our interest. Although I am not a Falcons or Patriots fan, it is interesting to consider each… Read More
