Shotwell Rutter Baer

Join Dave and Nick as they talk with Ian Richardson from Doberman Technologies about personal and business cybersecurity.

Breaking down the deal with Required Minimum Distributions. When and how much. Read the article or listen to the podcast.

Are you committed to starting a budget? Budgeting is like dieting. Most of us aren’t good at it. Our brains are wired for instant gratification, not delayed consumption. Making people think about such things can be an uncomfortable part of being a financial planner. I must confess that budgeting does NOT come easily to me. […]

Is getting out of debt your goal for 2021? At the start of the new year, resolutions are on people’s minds right now.  As I type this it’s snowing so it seemed like a good day to write about my favorite strategy for eliminating debt – the Snowball Strategy. After all, if you have credit […]

Prediction season. It is a far better strategy to build a portfolio around your need for return and your tolerance or risk,

Life Planning is a personal approach to financial planning that starts with a conversation about your life goals and dreams. We often don’t give ourselves the time and space to really think about what we want for our lives now, in the near future, and in retirement As humans, we tend to have tunnel vision […]

Here at Shotwell Rutter Baer, we have a genuine bright spot to brag about in 2020. We launched a Financial Planning internship program this year and were lucky enough to hire Joel. He is currently a senior in Michigan State’s International Business program. Last week, Nick and I sat down and interviewed Joel for our […]

Don't wonder if your financial advisor is trustworthy and on the level. Do some research. Trust but verify.

Individual Stocks vs. portfolios. The pros and cons of each and what we generally recommend for our clients and ourselves.

When should you refinance your mortgage? Low-interest rates may not be good for your savings account, but it could save you thousands of dollars on your mortgage loan. How do you tell if now’s the right time for you to refinance your existing mortgage? You may think that this would be a cut and dry […]

Do you have a Health Savings Account (HSA)? Many employers now offer high-deductible insurance plans that qualify participants to save money in a health savings account. These plans have lower premiums than other health insurance policies but higher out-of-pocket costs. There are some very good financial planning reasons to consider using one of these plans. […]

Do you have money in savings that could be working better for you somewhere else? Interest rates are low right now. That’s great if you are a borrower, but not so great if you have savings in the bank. With all the economic upheaval from the Covid – 19 Pandemic, the Federal Reserve has committed […]

How would you describe your relationship with money? Money can't buy you love, but you can learn to use money to create the life you want.

These episodes explain the different types of financial planning companies and how they get paid. 

Starting a new job that offers retirement benefits is great. But your employer’s retirement plan can offer a bewildering array of choices if you’re not used to the language of savings and investing. The good news is that getting started in retirement savings requires making only a few straight-forward decisions and understanding some basic investment […]

In response to the financial uncertainty caused by the Covid pandemic, Michigan State University has reduced salaries and cut the match to employee retirement plans. Previously, the university contributed 10% to employee retirement plans if the employee contributed 5%. The university administration is calling the cuts temporary, in hopes of restoring the old plan match […]

Are you affected by the Michigan State University salary cuts? Here are some ways you can offset the reduction.

Does the 2020 election have you thinking about your money? Every four years America goes through a Presidential election. Every four years clients ask where we can move their portfolios to be safe if one side or the other is victorious. This year is no different. With political passions higher than normal and a sharp contrast […]

Welcome to the Kitchen Table Finance Podcast. Discover bite-size pieces of practical advice about money, investing, and retirement.