Connecting the Dollars by Propel Financial Advisors

The seasons are changing which means it's time to tackle those year-end financial tasks. Amanda & Emily talk tax planning, retirement planning, budgeting, and what to expect for the rest of 2024. What's on your to-do list before we hit 2025? Topics Covered: Fed rate cut, Tax Planning: withholding, Tax Planning: harvesting capital losses or gains, Tax planning: Roth accounts, Retirement plannin...

Emily & Amanda discuss how the recent Fed rate cut may impact your personal finances. They suggest considering the rate cut in context before making any changes to your financial plan. www.connectingthedollars.com  

All year, Wall Street has been practically chomping at the bit for lower rates, while Fed Chair Powell has continually urged a more steadied, cautious approach to lowering rates. Now, it seems to be around the corner, as Powell signaled at his last press conference. In this episode, Amanda and David discuss the potential impacts of the pending Fed rate cut - expected on September 18. We discuss: 1...

Emily and Amanda discuss what we can learn about personal finance from the recent summer Olympics in Paris. One thing about athletes is that they know there will be a peak performance and that they’ll have to adjust their career afterwards. What about regular people? Most don’t recognize when they’re at their peak earning potential. Life happens – you have a baby, you lose a job, you burnout on yo...

Midyear Market Insights Part 2: the Fed & the economy Connecting the Dollars Podcast Episode 50 Emily and Amanda discuss some major market themes in 2024. Next in our series: The Fed and the economy Inflation has fallen this year, with the most recent readings falling below expectations. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate keeps creeping up. The Fed has a dual mandate on inflation and employment:...

Emily and Amanda discuss some major market themes in 2024. First up: Nvidia and AI: The returns in Nividia and other AI stocks have been astronomical this year. Emily & Amanda lay out how we, as financial advisors interpret and apply the news. They discuss: -          Comparisons to the dot-com bubble and whether they’re warranted -          Portfolio concentration and risk -          Recogniz...

This week, Emily and Amanda dive into the current state of the housing market and what to consider before purchasing your first home. After discussing the impact of higher interest rates and rising home insurance costs, they cover five key considerations before taking the leap into real estate.   www.connectingthedollars.com

This week, fellow advisor Danielle Woods joins the podcast. Danielle draws on her 26 years of experience as a financial advisor to discuss the five most common issues she sees clients struggle with. They are:   1. Focusing on an isolated issue rather than the whole picture. 2. Balancing paying off debt vs savings 3. Being proactive and speaking with your advisor before taking action 4. Preparing f...

In this episode, Emily and Amanda reflect on tax season 2024. When preparing tax returns, Emily and Amanda see recurring themes across clients. They discuss their top ten issues they saw taxpayers struggling with in 2024. www.connectingthedollars.com

In this episode, Emily and Amanda discuss the different types of fees financial advisors charge for their services: from AUM (assets-under-management) to flat-fees to commissions. They also include a discussion around different types of hidden fees to look for. Emily and Amanda believe in being upfront and transparent about their fees. Find additional resources at https://propelfinancialadvisors.c...

Get to Know your Advisor: Emily Agosto, CPA Connecting the Dollars Podcast Episode 44 In this episode, we get to know advisor Emily Agosto better. Emily has extensive professional experience as an accountant, investment advisor and financial professional. Learn more about how she approaches her financial advising practice and why she enjoys it so much.    www.connectingthedollars.com

What It's Like to Work With Us Connecting the Dollars Podcast Episode 43 Emily and Amanda get into what it's like to work with a Propel financial advisor. They walk through the steps from the introductory phone call to an on-going relationship.   www.connectingthedollars.com

In honor of Valentine's Day, Amanda and Emily discuss how to evaluate a stock for a long-term commitment.  They teach you: - Where to find sources of reliable information, and - The numbers to consider before buying any stock.   www.connectingthedollars.com

Amanda is joined by fellow advisor David Vaught, CFA, to discuss the pros and cons of model and bespoke portfolios.   They delve into: Quantitative vs qualitative considerations in investment portfolios; How models impact the sales model that financial advisors and brokers use; and Whether or not models are something we can rely on based on their past performance. www.connectingthedollars.com

In this episode, we get to know advisor Amanda Vaught better. Amanda has extensive professional experience as an investment advisor and financial professional. Learn more about how she approaches her financial advising practice and why she enjoys it so much.  Check out  Amanda's full bio .   connectingthedollars.com

Emily & Amanda are excited to be back with a new season of Connecting the Dollars. The premiere episode features their insights on some finance-related New Year's resolutions for 2024. They dig into: - the use of high yield savings accounts, and the impact of the Fed's recent pivot on interest rate policy;   - whether or not high income people really need a budget; - the importance of asking f...

Emily & Amanda discuss financial advice they've come across on the internet: - What to do with a 401(k) suffering from the poor performance of target-date funds, - The impact of investment choices on a portfolio, - Emily recommends a personal finance book for small business; and - They address a listener question on LLCs vs S-Corps.   Connectingthedollars.com

In this episode, we get to know advisor Danielle Woods better. Danielle has extensive professional experience as an investment advisor and financial professional. Learn more about how she approaches her financial advising practice and why she enjoys it so much.   www.connectingthedollars.com

Moody Markets The markets have been in a mood lately, no? Emily & Amanda discuss: - the current state of the stock and bond markets, - cover some year-end tax planning, and - finish up with their hot take on whether the 60-40 portfolio is dead.   connectingthedollars.com

In this episode, we get to know advisor David Vaught better. David has extensive professional experience as an investment advisor and financial professional. Learn more about how he approaches his financial advising practice and why he enjoys it so much.     connectingthedollars.com

It’s that time of the year where everyone starts to go back to school. In honor of the season, Emily and Amanda dive into the student loan repayments that will be resuming soon. Then they switch over to how they approach saving and investing for children’s college education with 529 plans. Finally, they answer a listener question: “I overspent on my recent vacation. What should I do?”   Resources...

Emily and Amanda discuss finance topics that came up in two summer blockbusters of 2023: Barbie (white collar crime) and Mission Impossible (crypto). They wrap up with a response to a listener question: "I bought a stock and it went down. I was sad and upset about it, so what should I do?" Find additional resources at connectingthedollars.com

Emily and Amanda dive into financial planning of hobbies this episode. Working with clients, we've found that a lot of people don't budget for their hobbies, despite them being one of the most joyful parts of their life. Then Emily and Amanda discuss when a hobby turns into a business and potential tax consequences.   Resources - connectingthedollars.com

Join Emily and Amanda for a discussion of current events in markets and personal finance in the summer of 2023. They start with international investments and their recent outperformance of domestic stocks. Then they delve into the "hawkish pause" by the Fed and its potential impact. Finally they wrap up with thoughts on the recent Supreme Court case on student loan forgiveness, and how to approach...

Emily and Amanda are joined by David and Danielle to discuss the various types of assets. Listen in as the whole team gives you their insights.   connectingthedollars.com