The Master’s Minute

Helpful Tools and Tips

The Master’s Minute – Does Life Insurance Build Wealth? | Series Part III

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An umbrella shelters a small tree on a pile of coins, representing the protection of life insurance for the building wealth article.

  Today’s blog post begins by asking a fundamental financial planning question: Does life insurance build wealth? Or, to make it more personal, you might be asking: Should I use a life insurance policy as a long-term investment? To answer these questions, we need to first understand some regulatory compliance issues and essential cautions that you need to know before purchasing certain kinds of life insurance. These are great questions…… Read More

The Master’s Minute – Life Insurance and Wealth Management: Is It Essential? | Series Part I

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A family sits together for a portrait, with three generations shown - grandparents, adult children, and grandchildren, to illustrate the importance of life insurance.

It’s a common question: “is life insurance really essential for wealth management?” That’s likely because, when most people consider what wealth management entails, the aspect that comes to mind is managing investments. However, wealth management is much more than simply trading a portfolio of stocks and bonds. It involves other vital items, such as estate planning, tax planning, charitable giving, risk management, and cash flow (just to name a few)…. Read More

The Master’s Minute – When Should I Consider Hiring a Wealth Advisor?

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Woman with her hand on her head looking at papers, wondering if it's time to consider a wealth advisor.

The right time to hire a Wealth Advisor depends on several personal and financial factors. One of the biggest? Your own aptitude for making financial decisions. If you enjoy managing your finances, have a good grasp of investment principles, consistently make sound financial choices, and have the time to manage everything yourself, you may not need a Wealth Advisor—at least not right away. Your past performance is usually the best… 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 – 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

The Master’s Minute – Regular Investment Analysis and You

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Couple with their financial advisor talking about investment analysis, smiling.

Your portfolio may seem to be running at peak efficiency, but how do you know for sure? Regular investment analysis is an essential piece of the puzzle. Personal financial planning, or business planning, will always be the primary focus of our relationship with you. Does that make our investment management unimportant? Certainly not! Perhaps you can think of it this way: financial planning is “the vehicle” that gets you where… Read More

The Master’s Minute – The Why & How of Modeling Financial Habits for Kids

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Couple showing their child good financial habits, using a pink piggy bank.

Recently, my child, a high school freshman, started a personal finance class at school. As a parent, I’m thankful she has the opportunity to increase her financial literacy in a structured way. Although, it reminds me that many financial lessons are learned through the course of daily life. Some adults have not been taught financial literacy, and for them, those lessons can often be learned the hard way. Why We… Read More