Blog

Originally posted on Tue,December 13, 2016 

While there has been a lot of political proposals and promises in the news during this 2016 election year, there is one potential budget change proposed by President Barack Obama for 2017 that may have a big impact to some federal government employees. It has to do with the little-known (and very beneficial) retirement program called the Voluntary Contribution Plan (VCP) which is available to Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) employees.

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Originally posted on Thu, December 1, 2016

With the holidays rapidly approaching, we are consistently hearing a lot of our clients talk about the cyber security. Staying safe online in this digital world deserves our attention more than ever, especially during the holiday season.

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Originally posted on Tue, November 8, 2016

Preparing for college is an emotional rollercoaster for both parents and students alike. As a parent, you tend to concentrate on applying for financial aid, organizing for the upcoming tuition payments, and even transporting all of your child’s furniture/clothes.

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Originally posted on March 11, 2015

There are a lot of opinions about the price of oil. Some experts are suggesting the price could plummet to $10 per barrel while others are making the argument for $150 or more. The correct answer is that nobody really knows. However, we can’t stop reading about the predictions.

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Originally posted on April 2, 2015

I have been managing investments for over twenty years and, during this period, I have met with many prospective clients. It is during these initial meetings that I review investment statements and other financial documents to determine if I can be of assistance. As an independent advisor, there is one specific situation that I believe deserves attention since it is a potential conflict-of-interest when acting in a fiduciary capacity. The situation looks like this:

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Originally posted on April 29, 2015

Remember playing Monopoly with your kids or as a kid? It’s a game of strategy and most of us choose one of two ways to go. The first way is to spend most of our cash on a high-end property like Park Place or Boardwalk in the hopes that we will score a big profit when the other players land there. The other strategy is to purchase a combination of high-rent and low-rent properties to spread out our investments.

Let’s go through some data that will prove, historically speaking, that a diversified portfolio is a better way to invest than simply the S&P 500 Index. In keeping with my Monopoly metaphor, this would be akin to purchasing various valued properties and not just the most expensive rents.

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Originally posted on June 25, 2015

We all know it’s natural for the market to go up and down. But when you have hard-earned cash invested in that market, those ups and downs can sometimes weigh heavily on your emotions. The downs can cause stress, self-doubt, and more importantly, a smaller investment account. While the ups can sometimes make you feel smart, wealthy, and confident. The successful investor knows how to handle his or her emotions when dealing with a prolonged bull market or when the inevitable happens and she is stuck in what seems like a never ending bear market.

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Originally posted on July 30, 2015

“Enough is as Good as a Feast.” This was the quote at the end of an e-mail I received the other day and it intrigued me. It would be such a simple way to live, having just enough of everything you need—no more, no less. The problem is, when it comes to money, many people are unable to define “enough.” John D. Rockefeller purportedly was once asked, "How much money is enough?"  He candidly replied, "Just a little bit more."  

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Originally posted on Tues, August 23, 2016

If you are anything like us, you are always busy -- right?

We tend to make time for what is most important to us but never seem to be able to achieve everything we want to accomplish. I’m sure there are things you would like to learn if you had the time to train or study. For example, playing a musical instrument or speaking (another) foreign language are probably popular bucket list items.

Personally managing your hard-earned wealth may be another. However, determining if you should manage your investments, in our opinion, boils down to three simple criteria: time, training and temperament. 

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