The Master’s Minute

Helpful Tools and Tips

The Master’s Minute – The Two Sides of Diversification

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Investing in a diversified portfolio is a cornerstone of our investment philosophy at Master’s. Extensive academic literature suggests that diversification not only reduces risk but also smooths returns and, over time, tends to outperform individual stock, sectors, or indices. However, diversification comes with its challenges. One significant drawback is that in a diversified portfolio, there will always be investments that do not perform as well as others. This might seem… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Cash Savings Options Overview

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From 2022 to 2023, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates 11 times, moving short-term interest rate targets from a low of 0%-0.25% to their current level of 5.25%-5.50%. This change provides an opportunity to evaluate if your cash savings are positioned to take advantage of these rate increases. The approach to choosing the right place to park your savings is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Here is a comparison of cash savings options… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Beat the Heat with Great Customer Service

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Several evenings ago, Colleen and I took our Mustang GT convertible out for a drive & stopped for a quick dinner on a local restaurant’s patio. It was a very warm June evening, but we cruised for a bit more before returning home. Walking through the door into our house, we were met by a refreshing blast of air conditioning that just felt wonderful! The a/c was working perfectly, and… Read More

The Master’s Minute – In Your Corner

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We have all sought out our circle of friends and family when it comes to advice, from restaurant choices to vacation destinations, and bigger things like when to retire. These are the folks we consider to be ‘in our corner.’ This group builds you up, cheers you on, holds you accountable, and adds value to your life. They invest their time in you, challenge you to be the best version… Read More

Q2 Blog Series: Master’s Wealth Management, Our Own Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) Firm – Fee-Only

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Throughout this blog series, we have highlighted different aspects of our transition that we believe will enhance your experience as a client of Master’s in the future. As we conclude our series, we will explore what it means for Master’s to be a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor (RIA). Fee-only simply means that the only way our firm receives revenue is directly from our clients. This stands in contrast to commission-based… Read More

Q2 Blog Series: Master’s Wealth Management, Our Own Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) Firm – Improved Technology

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In today’s competitive business world, it’s imperative that your technology applications are tailored specifically to your unique business needs. This week’s blog post continues the theme of why Master’s decided to transition to our own Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm. One major advantage of achieving full independence is the freedom to select all our technology partners. During our transition, we assessed all our technology partnerships and made decisions on which… Read More

Q2 Blog Series: Master’s Wealth Management, Our Own Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) Firm – Investment Flexibility

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Welcome to the third installment of the Master’s 2nd Quarter blog series, devoted to the reasoning behind our recent transition to our own Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm. Last week, Charlie outlined our company’s history and the core pillars that it was founded on that provided the foundation for why we made this transition. This week, I will discuss the enhanced flexibility we have from an investment perspective and why… Read More

Q2 Blog Series: Master’s Wealth Management, Our Own Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) Firm – Full Independence

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The team at Master’s celebrated our official 30th anniversary several weeks ago. When Lyle & I, along with the other founding partners, started Master’s three decades ago, we decided to build this firm on four foundational cornerstones. We sometimes referred to them as the “pillars.” They still stand firmly in place today. Independence – We would not be owned by, or beholden to, a parent company. Team Practice – Clients… Read More

Q2 Blog Series: Master’s Wealth Management, Our Own Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) Firm – What does this mean for me as a client of Master’s?

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On April 1st, Master’s entered a new phase in our journey as a financial planning business, launching our own Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm, Master’s Wealth Management. This follows a year of research, conversations, and planning, as we prepared to make a monumental shift in our business model. While you do not necessarily need to know all the behind-the-scenes details of the financial advice industry, I am sure you can… Read More

Our Transition to Master’s Wealth Management

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We have had an exciting past month at Master’s as we have worked through our transition to our own Registered Investment Advisory Firm, Master’s Wealth Management. Here are a few updates on where we stand as we continue to work through the transition process: The majority of client accounts have been transitioned from Securities America to Raymond James, our new custodian. However, there are still some accounts that need paperwork… Read More