Thad Gilliam, CFA, CFP® – Verisail Partners

In case you missed it, Congress passed a 2nd stimulus/aid package at the end of 2020 that authorized the following: Additional $600 stimulus payment to each person making under $75,000 (if filing single) or $150,000 (if filing jointly). The payments phase out for incomes above these limits. Additional paycheck protection program (PPP) funds. Certain businesses…

I aspire to live a great life. I define this as follows: To live a life full of meaning and love. To be healthy and physically capable of doing the activities I enjoy. To experience new things and travel. To give back to others. This kind of life doesn’t just happen overnight. In fact, I’m…

I grew up playing baseball, and it was common advice that I needed to hear, “Don’t swing for the fences.” When trying to hit a homerun, you end up taking your eye off the ball, and usually miss hitting the ball entirely. In investing, there is similar wisdom. Yes, it’s alluring to find an investment…

With Thanksgiving and Black Friday next week, I thought I’d touch on the gift giving season. It’s hard not to be swept up in the ever-increasing commercialization of the holidays. Personally, it feels like the holidays often boil down to scheduling chaos, overspending on gifts, and not enough time spent reflecting on what truly matters…

We have covered this topic extensively leading up the the election, but here’s one more viewpoint. Some investors may consider making changes (sometimes drastic) to their investments in the month before or after an election. There is an idea that if Trump wins “ABC” will happen and if Biden wins “XYZ” will occur. In reality,…

Some clients check their portfolios weekly. Others might only check it once or twice a year. Whenever you look at your performance, you’re really asking yourself: “How I am doing RELATIVE to some other benchmark?“ For example, if the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 10% and your portfolio is also up 10%, you would…

Below is an excerpt from an article I thoroughly enjoyed reading. It captures the thoughts and emotions of several clients I’ve spoken to recently, and how/why the market can be so high right now amid all the uncertainty. From its record high on February 19, 2020 the S&P 500 Index1 fell 33.79% in less than 5…

A big question that investors face as they approach retirement is when/how to take social security. Most investors are aware there is some type of penalty for taking early social security, but a lot of clients don’t know the exact reduction they’ll see by taking early benefits. Take a look at the chart below- it…

Recently, I watched the video below with professor Kenneth French (he’s one of the smartest finance minds in the world!). In the short video, he compares successfully timing the market to the idea of sports betting. To be successful in betting on a game, you cannot simply know which team is going to win or…

Often, the largest market cap stocks are in headlines a lot. Today, some of the largest stocks in the US include names such as Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Berkshire Hathaway (just to name a few). Since we hear about these companies so often, should we own more of these stocks? Yes and no. The…

Posts by Thad Gilliam, CFA, CFP®

20 Second Advisor: Stimulus checks, PPP, and what’s coming?!

20 Second Advisor: New Year – Two questions that drive meaningful change.

20 Second Advisor: Don’t swing for the fences.

20 Second Advisor: Can Holiday Spending Be An Investment?

20 Second Advisor: Voting & Stock Advice?!

20 Second Advisor: Jelly Beans & Performance

20 Second Advisor: Is the Stock Market Divorced from Economic Reality?

20 Second Advisor: Can you beat the spread?

20 Second Advisor: Should you buy the biggest stocks?