20 Second Advisor: Your Sphere of Influence

by Melinda Tyrrell | Oct 20, 2023 | 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, Financial Planning, Inspirational

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...

20 Second Advisor: Protect Yourself from Phishing Scams

by Tracie Handberg | Sep 21, 2023 | 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, Technology

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...

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

by Thad Gilliam | Sep 7, 2023 | 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s

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...

20 Second Advisor: Generational Wealth and Stewardship

by Melinda Tyrrell | Aug 10, 2023 | 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, Estate, Inspirational, Life Goals, Saving, Young Families

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 to...

20 Second Advisor: Key Driver For Retirement Happiness? An 85 year Harvard study provides a possible answer.

by Thad Gilliam | Jun 26, 2023 | 60s, 70s, 80s, Retirement

The Answer: Connections. A Harvard study followed some 724 people over their lifetimes to answer the question: What makes us happy? As the study’s participants entered their retirement years, more and more of them communicated the difficulty of forming new and...

20 Second Advisor: Wedding Planning Excitement and Stress

by Tracie Handberg | May 4, 2023 | 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, Budget

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,...