Do you have enough to Retire Early? There are two ways to look at this question. 1) You’ll continue to work until you have enough money to live like you do now. or 2) You will shape your lifestyle to the money you have. So let’s unpack these answers. Some folks will...

You see the fear mongering ads online and on TV “A stock market collapse is coming. It’s time to buy gold now.” Are these messages just a bunch of BS or is there something here you should pay attention to? Now, I have no idea when the next stock market downturn is...

For over 24 years I worked in the financial services industry as a financial advisor. I started with a very large brokerage firm, then with a large bank and finally I ran my own practice. Back in 2017 I was feeling burned out and was losing passion for what I was...

There are two stages of investing when setting yourself up to retire at any age. The first is called the accumulation stage. This begins the first time you invest $1 in the stock market. You might be 22 years old and starting your first job which offers you the...

Murphy’s law states “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.”  I normally just fall back on the phrase “shit happens”.  Whether you live in a home or apartment or you are roaming around in your RV or boat, things are going to break and need maintaining.  We’re going to...

For many years, the rule of thumb on how much income you could withdraw out of your portfolio and still maintain or grow your money has been 4%.  This started many years ago when financial advisor, William Bengen, came up with what is now known as the 4% withdrawal...

What is an annuity?  An annuity is a contract with an insurance company. When you mention the word annuity, you’ll get all sorts of reactions. Many of those reactions will be negative and some will be positive. The positive reactions will generally be from folks that...

When should you start social security? The short answer is:  When you need it. Now the long answer is going to sound complicated. It can be but if you have a plan for what you have, need, and want, determining the timing for turning on your social security doesn’t...

You’re either one or the other. Throughout my 24 years as a financial advisor, I met with over 8000 couples and individuals. Although I never conducted a scientific survey, I did see a pattern. Roughly 60% of the couples were balanced with one spouse being the spender...

Growing up, the family business was a mortuary. At seven years old, I was helping my mother move dead bodies. I never thought it was weird because I had grown up in that environment and I didn’t know any different. That experience left me with two lasting memories....