Blog
Social Security: Distribution Strategy.
Social Security is an extremely important part of any potential retiree’s financial plan. It’s complicated and there are thousands of different experts with opinions on how you should use it. Questions you may be asking...
Read MorePatience is Your Friend
In late 2007 and into 2008, the housing system broke, the stock market imploded, and the banking system cracked. The S&P 500, which peaked at 1,565.15 in October of 2007, fell to 676.53. That’s a 57% drop, in case you were...
Read MoreWhy Haven't I Made Money
“The market is up in 2023, so why hasn’t my investment portfolio made a lot of money?” This is a relatively common question that requires math, a narrative, and knowing how an index works to answer.
Read MoreWhat’s a Roth IRA Conversion???
A Roth IRA conversion is the practice of taking traditional IRA funds and turning them into Roth IRA funds. Wow, that was the easiest article I’ve written. Have a great day! OK, so yeah the above is true, but like everything else...
Read MoreInvesting Decisions: The Risk-free Alternative
Let’s start with the idea that your money is always invested SOMEWHERE. Whether that is in your checking account, stocks, bonds, or your mattress, you’ve made a choice to put your money somewhere and it’s either...
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Inflation: Understanding its effects.
By now we are all keenly aware of the word “inflation” and what it means. News stories about skyrocketing egg prices, staggering home prices, and increased car prices have been dominating the news for a year or more. We...
Read MoreRetirement Prep: An investor’s guide.
Retirement preparation is, behind accumulating wealth, the most important financial step we will take in our lifetime. Let’s talk about what you should do to prepare for your own retirement and when you shout start that journey....
Read MoreMoney Market Funds: All the Rage in the Deposit World
The world of deposits, investing, and savings have all been extremely dynamic places to be over the last year or so.
Read MoreThe Value of an Investment Advisor
When getting to know people, one of the most common questions we ask one another is: “What do you do for a living?” Interestingly, our answer to that question is almost always wrong. When someone asks us what we do, we...
Read MoreCapital Gains Tax Trap
Many of us own securities outside of our retirement accounts. Those investments are exposed to tax implications throughout their existence. Things like dividend income, interest payments, and realized capital gain can all generate tax...
Read MorePast performance does not guarantee future results.
That disclaimer is attached to the bottom of many of these articles that you read. As a matter of fact, it’s likely the single most used disclaimer in my industry. Why would you care about this disclaimer and what does it really...
Read MoreWhat is a stock dividend and why do you care?
When we buy stocks, we all hope their price will appreciate. Buy stock in a company at $100. Hold that stock. Watch the company’s stock price grow. Sell your shares. Profit. It’s...
Read MoreThe S&P 500: What is it?
Almost everyone in America is familiar with the term “S&P 500”. We all know, in a nutshell, it is one of the most popular ways to benchmark the U.S. stock market. Have you ever wondered what the S&P 500 actually...
Read MoreRoth vs. Traditional Savings: Which one is best?
When saving for retirement, the I.R.S. tax code allows many of us to choose one of two forms of tax qualification. Without delving too deep into who may or may not be eligible for either one, or in which type of retirement plan...
Read MoreGrowth vs. Value
Today let’s talk about two basic types of stocks for investment purposes: growth vs. value. These types of companies serve a very different purpose in your portfolio. Both (or either) can be very useful...
Read MoreManaging Money: The Distribution Phase
Managing money: the Distribution Phase.There comes a time for most of us when we want to spend some or all of the money we have saved. Retirement is a unique concept when it comes to money. Most distributions involve saving...
Read MoreIRA Giving Strategies
Since the 1970’s, employers have slowly been leaving the older pension-style retirement plans (called defined benefit plans) and cycling into plans that allow employees to determine how much of their compensation they want to...
Read MoreInvesting in Uncertain Times
Investing in uncertain times:The S&P 500 has logged annual gains in 12 of the last 13 years. Since the housing market collapse of 2008, the market has been on more-or-less a consistent run upward. The one year it did...
Read MoreWhat if you don’t have a Will?
Here in the United States, property passes by 2 forms: by title and by will. Property with a qualified beneficiary or co-owner immediately passes as part of the property registration when an owner dies. Property without...
Read MoreWhat is Long Term Care?
Long Term Care is a giant dark cloud that hangs over retirement planning. Not only can the need for long term care rob your quality of life, it can financially ruin you in the process.Statistically speaking, the longer you live,...
Read MoreUnited Way Honors Caroline Korte with Ladd Mathis Award
We are thrilled to send our collective CONGRATULATIONS to our very own Caroline Korte! She was honored earlier today as this year’s recipient of The Ladd Mathis Award by the United Way of Paducah/McCracken County!...
Read MoreFixed income: an important part of many portfolios
In the past, I’ve spoken about portfolios and how they should be built. There are a lot of factors that come into play when putting an investment portfolio together for a client, but at its simplest form most...
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Is there Good Debt?
Over the last 100 years, the American consumer has been increasingly accepting of debt. Is that a good thing? Is that a bad thing? What IS debt? How is it used? What does it do?
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