30s

My dad has a wonderful saying that your “sphere of concern and your sphere of influence” should be the same size. When outside forces knock you off track or sideline you with fear, uncertainty or worry, it helps to control the controllable factors in your life. Worried about the market? A consistent dollar cost averaging…

What should you do if you get a phone call from someone who knows your name, and maybe some other identifying information, and informs you that there appears to be some fraudulent transactions or issues with your bank or credit card or tax return? “Your account may have been compromised. Did you authorize a $5000…

Morningstar publishes an annual “Mind the Gap” study to show the difference between the returns delivered by all funds and ETFs versus the returns actually realized to investors’ accounts. So, for the 10 years ending Dec. 31, 2022, all funds put together (large cap funds, small cap funds, international funds, etc.) had an average return…

The idea of a legacy is intriguing. Many of us feel a call to help provide for future generations or to leave our mark in the world in some lasting way. We strive to be good stewards of our blessings now so that we may not be a burden to others in the future and…

Good news: There’s a wedding on the horizon! Our daughter got engaged in December to a wonderful young man, and my husband and I are excited to have him join our family. Bad news: Uh, there’s a wedding on the horizon! It will involve lots of finances and planning, things normally right up my alley.…

I’ve been getting a lot questions from clients on if they should keep their funds in their portfolio or just take it out and put the funds into a bank CD (now paying 4-5%). To me, the question is all about time horizon. Stocks have a much higher expected return (around 10% over the long…

The inbox ignites with recognition of years of hard work – your child has been accepted into college! As college acceptance letters go out across the nation, many parents and students are struggling to decide how to pay for it all. With the cost of an undergraduate degree having risen 169% from 1980 to 2020*,…

I’m reading a book right now that talks about Warren Buffett. Some say he is a great investor. Others say that perhaps he has just been extremely lucky. Or perhaps he is just an old investor (he’s been investing for a long time!). I think Buffett has a good bit of all three: Investment skill,…

It’s that time of year when we clean out the junk in our house, take stock of where we are, and maybe make a few goals and plans for the coming year! I love to plan, but I’ve learned that nothing happens by accident. The best way to move incrementally toward the life you envision…

If you’re looking for a prediction on when interest rates will rise or fall, alas, I cannot give you that info as I left my crystal ball at home this morning. But, I want to point out how much the recent rise in interest rates affect the monthly payments homeowners must pay when refinancing or…

20 Second Advisor: Your Sphere of Influence

20 Second Advisor: Protect Yourself from Phishing Scams

20 Second Advisor: “Mind the Gap” study shows investors underperform. How can you close the gap?

20 Second Advisor: Generational Wealth and Stewardship

20 Second Advisor: Wedding Planning Excitement and Stress

20 Second Advisor: Should I just put my money in bank CDs?

20 Second Advisor: College Acceptance, Now What?

20 Second Advisor: Age before beauty – how older investors can outperform higher return investments (hint: it’s time!).

20 Second Advisor: SMART goals = intentional life

20 Second Advisor: 6% vs 2.5% Mortgage – The impact of rising rates on home affordability