50s

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…

I just finished reading a fascinating excerpt from the book “The Psychology of Money.” In the article, the author, Morgan Housel, lays out the argument that the skills needed to gain vast sums of money are very different than the skills needed to retain and protect wealth. Specifically, Housel says: Capitalism is hard. But part…

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…

I was in a meeting last week with a group of other local financial advisors. One of the advisors shared a story about a prospect (from long ago) that was a Yahoo executive. At the time, Yahoo stock was soaring. The advisor begged the prospect to diversify and engage in a strategy that would reduce…

Last week, our family took a trip for our kids’ winter break from school. On the long drive, I had the chance to listen to a podcast, The Just Enough Family. It details the rise and fall of Saul Steinberg, an American businessman that rose to great wealth by the age of 30 only to…

In the past several weeks, markets have cooled off just a bit from the nearly non-stop bull market over the last 18 months. Here are a few keys things to remember about investing during these periods (and a short video): It is normal for markets to incorporate “new” information into stock prices. The recent Omicron…

It’s not totally uncommon to talk to prospects or clients that make several hundred thousand dollars a year, and they don’t know where all their money goes. Ex: We make $300,000 per year, but don’t really have much savings to show for it. Here’s why I think this happens: The more someone makes, the more…

Last time, I wrote about the financial elements to consider when you’re deciding whether to pay off your mortgage early. See here for that post. Today, I want to touch on the emotional elements of paying off debt early. As discussed in the last post, you are almost always better off financially to slowly pay…

With interest rates near their all time lows, I want to write a few blogs about mortgage debt. It’s a question we get asked all the time: “Should I pay off my mortgage quicker than scheduled?” Before we answer that question, I want to explore the true cost of carrying mortgage debt. The factors that…

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: Secret to staying wealthy? Fear.

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

20 Second Advisor: Concentrated Wealth – A good thing until it’s not.

20 Second Advisor: Keeping Up With The Steinbergs

20 Second Advisor: Holiday Volatility In Perspective

20 Second Advisor: How a $12 hamburger costs you $20.34

20 Second Advisor: To borrow or not to borrow? Part 2 – Freedom from debt feels good.

20 Second Advisor: To borrow or not to borrow? Part 1 – The true cost of mortgage debt.