Recently we hosted an interview with a successful business owner. His words reminded me of Zig Zigglar when he said, “If you just help enough other people get everything they want in life, you will get everything you want in life.” Although this particular gentleman that we interviewed has a strong passion be successful, he [...]

In this world of vast information, just about anyone can claim to be a financial advisor. Moreover, the McDonald’s of financial advisors are popping up on every corner in those big brand names you recognize. Unfortunately, this means most of the advice families receive is generic information. I say “Unfortunately” because very few families have [...]

It’s fairly common these days to come across people who think they know how to manage their investments. And some people do a very good job of it. But experience shows that competent, do-it-yourself (DIY) investors are in a minority compared to the masses getting “hot tips” from friends, family, and, yes, the media. Ultimately, [...]

So far, life has been good to you.  The career and family are thriving and your quest for a financially secure retirement has been going strong for decades.  You’ve remained a diligent saver and maxed out your contributions to the 401(k) plans offered through all of your previous employers.  As you look back, it is [...]

Below are 8 questions to see how well you know the 4th of July. Click the question to reveal the answers. Rating: +0 The Fourth of July is commonly called “Independence Day” – why? Because it was the date the Declaration of Independence was adopted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania back in 1776—with just two signatures, by [...]

Recently I encountered some information from research done on affluent individuals and families by the 2011 Spectrem Group. Interestingly, the primary financial concern for those with a net worth of over $5 million was their children’s and grandchildren’s fiscal situation. By the way—this was the primary concern of 72% of all the families included in [...]

Zig Ziglar famously quoted, “Money isn’t everything, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the ‘gotta have it’ scale.” Maybe this fine line is why we often find ourselves – or someone we know – serving their money. As advisors, we are in the business of helping our clients manage their money, not the other [...]

There is still a great deal of uncertainty about the future of our economy and financial markets. There are some legitimate reasons driving this uncertainty, but the biggest driver isn’t necessarily any specific fact or reasoning: it’s human emotion. Why? Perhaps because nearly every American is bombarded relentlessly by media sources which consists almost entirely [...]

When giant U.S. automaker General Motors went into bankruptcy, many stakeholders were left in the dust. Shares of GM, which peaked above $90 in 2000, became worthless. They were completely wiped out. Their value went to $0. Holders of GM unsecured bonds — mutual funds, pension funds, hedge funds and retail investors — did not [...]

Today I got married and I made a vow to always take care of my wife. If something were to happen to me, she would lose over half of our current income, owe approximately $200,000 between our mortgage and our auto loans and of course…be devastated. Today I received the best gift God has ever [...]