A Place of Possibility

Where stocks and other liquid assets are concerned, nearly all of us are familiar with the time-tested axiom, "Buy Low, Sell High." But, as much as we try to adhere to that principle whenever possible, there are times when it does make sense to sell at a loss, specifically, when tax time rolls around, as doing so can provide some decided benefits. This is a strategy known as tax-loss harvesting, a...

years, and it seems like it's taking us out for another ride as it works its' way back to "normal." Today, the seller's market is cooling down as interest rates begin to rise. In fact, mortgage applications are down 75% from a year ago—the lowest in 22 years. If you're in the market to purchase a new home or are considering refinancing your existing home, you might feel a sense of panic. Does it m...

More and more older adults are choosing to sell their homes or downsize as they enter retirement. There are a number of reasons for this trend. For one, many find that they don't need as much space as they did when raising a family. Additionally, maintaining a large home can be expensive and time-consuming. Downsizing to a smaller home or condo can free up a lot of time and money. Retirees may als...

Did you know that the average American holds 70-80% of their net worth in their home equity? For most retirees, it is their largest asset. Did you also know that you can use home equity to help boost your income during retirement? You may have heard of a little thing called a reverse mortgage. Yes, they do tend to get a bad rap, but if used correctly, they are a powerful financial tool offering fl...

Raise your hand if you're on the edge of your seat right now because of all the recession hype on the news? Don't be afraid. Let those hands fly. Many people are nervous right now because of inflation, high-interest rates, and the slightly negative growth we saw last quarter. And, yes, if it continues for the next quarter, we could see a recession, but a very mild one at that. The thing is, recess...

In this day and age, who needs cash, right? You've got your debit card, credit card, and digital wallet. That should cover it. Well, sort of. We're here to shut down all the myths and tell you that cash is making a comeback. Yes, that green paper with presidential faces and numbers, the dollars and cents you have in your pocket, and the stuff that's chilling in your checking and savings accounts....

According to a 2022 survey done by Caring.com , 1 in 3 Americans who do not have a will or a living trust claim they don't have enough assets to leave behind. We call that crazy! Now we get it. Estate planning is not something that is top of mind. No one wants to think about dying or a future without them, but the reality is that estate planning is so much more than just preparing for when you're...

It's hard to turn on the T.V., pick up the newspaper, or look at social media without seeing something about Russia, Ukraine, sanctions, gas, oil, etc. The list goes on. There's so much noise and so much misinformation that it's hard to know what's what and how the Russian invasion is and will continue to impact the rest of the world and us here at home. So, to help sift through the information ov...

You may have heard this statistic from us before, but if you haven't, did you know that 90% of families fail to keep their wealth for three generations? Why? The top reasons include lack of communication, lack of trust within the family, unprepared heirs, and no purpose for the money or family mission that is mutually agreed on. If one or more of these topics resonate with you, don't worry. Hope i...

Talking about money is difficult for people. If you've listened to our previous podcasts, you've probably heard us say that many of us grew up being taught not to talk about money. The problem is that it can lead to conflict, especially in relationships. As you may know, money is a top cause of divorce. It breaks relationships apart. We're here to tell you that if you talk about money early in you...

Podcast family gather round. Richard and Angela are back with another stock market reality check. As investors, many of us know that the stock market fluctuates daily. That's just what it does. It can be a hard thing to wrap your head around when you have a well-diversified portfolio, and all you see is red – the charts show downtrends, and the news is screaming at you. First things first, turn of...

More often than not, financial conversations tend to be a challenge. After all, money has been proven to be a significant stressor on marriage and familial relationships. Nearly half of all marriages end in divorce, and one of the two biggest reasons is that darn green stuff. And when we're young, the majority of us are taught that talking about money is taboo. How many of you remember your parent...

The holidays are coming to an end, and tax season is just around the corner. That means there are documents to gather, figures to add up and accounts to get in order. This can be an overwhelming task for even the most prepared individual, but it's so important to help you save some big money and end 2021 strong. We know, it's a lot easier said than done, so if you are one of many dreading this tim...

I f you're thinking about purchasing a home or refinancing, chances are you've got a ton of information flying at you. And with that, you probably have many questions, like: What's the current mortgage rate? What type of loan is the best deal for me? What exactly do I need to know about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Does the Fed actually have an impact on rates? And the list goes on. Trying to keep...

A couple of typical questions we always get is, "what are other people doing, what's going on with your other clients?" Or "what can I be doing better? Is this not a smart direction to go?" Which is valid because there's always a learning opportunity to be had, right? Intelligent people know that they need to handle the big financial decisions head-on with a proven strategy for the best results. B...

As we all know, asset allocation is the implementation of investing in different types of assets like stocks, bonds, cash, etc. It is a strategy that balances risk and reward, but it is primarily based on you, the investor. Before you even think about asset allocation, you should really have your financial goals and a timeline figured out, so you know what you're growing your money for and how you...

For the most part, everyone's heard about Medicare, right? The problem is that many people don't understand exactly what it is or how it works, which is crazy because everyone who turns 65 signs up for it. You would think that because it's a government program, for virtually everyone, they would make it clear and easy to understand, but hey, we're talking about the government here, so it comes as...

Annuities sound great, right? Who doesn't want a guaranteed income stream for the rest of their life? Yes, that may sound great, but these insurance contracts actually come with A LOT of warnings. Many people don't understand them with all the confusing terminology and dozens of pages to go through. It's no wonder issues arise—who's going to read between the lines when what they think they see are...

When it comes to financial planning, we always start with the goal in mind . What do we want to do, where do you want to go in life, etc., and then we apply capital to achieve that goal. We have many clients who talk about setting goals for higher net worth, and that's a great goal to have. We make that happen. However, in the end, we find that clients aren't fulfilled. You may be thinking, "but,...

Ah, inflation, the age-old monster in the money closet. It also happens to be a HOT topic of conversation these days. But right off the bat, we're going to say, word to the wise, dial your panic down. Sure, there has been lots of press about it this year, but it's also been a very different year than we're used to. The COVID-19 situation has definitely impacted our economy, without a doubt, but th...

Being a small business owner, working for a small business owner, or even being self-employed certainly has its perks, but there is also more of a thought process behind benefits like medical coverage, for instance, or more specifically, in our case, retirement plans.   In fact, when it comes to small businesses, putting money away for retirement is even more crucial because you don't have access...

You know what they say, "Nothing lasts forever," which is especially true for tax changes. How many have you seen in your lifetime? If you're older, then probably quite a few, and if you're younger, then saddle up.   It's quite the roller coaster ride we're all on. Updating our estate plans, rearranging our finances with this strategy, and that workaround to protect our hard-earned assets so our r...

We all work hard for our money, right? So we can do all the things we want to do, but most importantly, we do it so we can retire comfortably. There's this "savings account" and that "retirement plan," but many people miss out on opportunities to maximize their savings. One of the most coveted ways, or shall we say retirement accounts, out there is the Roth IRA. This account offers tax-free income...

With pensions becoming a thing of the past, what is one relatively steady income stream that will increase over time without having money in the stock markets? This is sort of a trick question because the answer is in the title, real estate. Yes, we understand this can be a bit of a hard and fast no for some people, but today, there are many ways to make it pretty low risk and quite rewarding. Did...

Let's be real, the last thing any of us want to do after retirement, is end up working as a greeter at Walmart when we're 85, right? If you want to get out and have something to do, that's great, but usually, that's not where we may see ourselves down the road. You've worked your whole life saving in your 401k, getting your match, maxing out your contributions, and now, when it's time to ride off...