Visit a small town coffeeshop one morning this week. Listen in on the conversation. It won’t be long before someone starts grousing about financial institutions.“Can you believe we’re bailing out banks AGAIN? Why are we giving money to a bunch of billionaire bankers! You ask me…I’m ready to do away with ALL financial institutions!” Get […]

As a financial advisor, I hear these complaints all the time: All of these comments reflect a faulty mindset. They are looking at the “savings problem” from the wrong end of things.  You see, it’s all but impossible to cut back when you see everything you buy as “essential.” You can waste a lot of […]

If you had invested $100 in an S&P 500 index fund on January 1, 2020, it would have been worth… Which raises the question: Is this kind of volatility normal? Maybe we need to define “normal.” One wag has suggested that the only normal people are the ones you don’t know very well yet. The […]

I get this sort of question often:  “A friend introduced me to a very nice Christian man who is recommending I put my money into some kind of annuity or bonds or something like that. I’m not a stock market person. I don’t understand finances, but I really like this young man. He seems so […]

When people find out I’m a financial planner, they: (a) ask a lot of fiscal questions; and (b) make a lot of money confessions. One admission I hear a lot? “I’m constantly stressed about money!” Maybe you can relate? (Especially in the current economic climate.) If so, let me give you two reminders and five […]

This is for the person who feels financially “gloomy.” Keep reading only if: (a) you’re convinced the economy will be bad for a while; and (b) because of that belief, you’ve put a halt to investing and all other financial moves. I understand why you feel cautious. I get wanting to be safe and watch […]