A client reached out this week, expressing concerns about the decline in her portfolio. As I started to provide my rationale for staying the course and how markets go thru cycles, etc. , she said “thanks, I just need the hang in there pep talk once in a while.” Don’t we all? It has been […]

Congratulations, you’ve survived another week as an investor in 2022! A week where we have seen positive and minus +2% moves in equity markets within the same day. Is anyone else just a bit tired of this?! Much of this week’s excitement centered around – you guessed it – inflation. You can read more on […]

We took a lot of road trips when I was a child. Much to my parent’s chagrin, I would usually ask (at least a few times per trip) the age old question – “are we there yet?” I wasn’t trying to be annoying, I promise! I was simply tired of sitting still, tired of waiting […]

When in a meeting recently, I was explaining to a client a quick way to think about varying rates of return – the Rule of 72.  The client wasn’t familiar with it – so I thought a few of you may also wish to learn more about this simple but effective formula. It’s called the […]

As I watched the recent inflation release on Tuesday (and the subsequent jarring market decline), a common phrase kept coming into my mind over and over – “change is hard.” How many times have I said or heard that saying in my lifetime? At least a few hundred – maybe more. Why do I always […]

When discussing the upcoming annual enrollment season (the time of year when employees need to elect various health care and employee benefit elections), a client recently asked for a refresher on Health Savings Accounts (commonly known as HSAs). These are very powerful tools – both for health care costs as well as for long-term investing […]

It wasn’t all that long ago that inflation was a seemingly theoretical discussion topic.  We’d bring it up to clients (usually during a financial planning future illustration) and try to find a way to explain it.  “Your money will be worth less over time” or “your purchasing power will decline” were phrases we’d use. While […]

Five years ago, I was lucky enough to have a wonderful western adventure with a lifelong friend, spending time in Wyoming and Montana. During that trip, we visited Grand Teton National Park which encircles the beautiful town of Jackson, WY. The area is absolutely beautiful and if you haven’t been, maybe this will nudge you […]

If you listen or read investment-related news, you are likely to encounter the term “factor” or “factor based investing” as this concept has taken off in recent years. A client recently asked for our take on this concept. Great question! Definitions Think of factors as traits or characteristics of the underlying company. Factors are not […]

It was only a few years ago that inflation reports would go virtually unnoticed. Nowadays, they receive “breaking news” headlines, live news coverage, and follow-up press conferences at the White House. July’s inflation report (published August 10, 2022) was yet another hotly awaited release. The key question at hand – are things getting worse or […]