To Inform: September was not a good month for the financial markets. Looking at broad indexes, the Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index (bonds) was down -2.5% for the month and the S&P 500 Index (U.S. stocks) was down -4.5%. The rough September translated into a rough third quarter. The chart below shows the performance of major […]

To Inspire: What book are you reading right now? I ask because the older I get, the more convinced I am that reading is a practice that provides tons of benefits. Consider the following: Reading improves brain health – Reading is great workout for the brain, stimulating our brains to process, interpret and store what […]

To Inspire: Think about the way a child reacts when they see something for the first time. An animal at the zoo, a colorful flower, or a big fire truck – they are full of wonder for everything they encounter. Why do we lose that wonder as adults? “A sense of wonder speaks of our […]

To Inform: Following markets for the last 25 years, there have been a lot of flashes in the pan that have come and gone. You might be able to recall some of the companies which dominated headlines in the halcyon days of the Tech Boom. A select few may even remember the “Nifty Fifty” of […]

To Inform:  I (Ryan) recently graduated from Mount Vernon Nazarene University where I studied financial planning. While our program was focused primarily on the technical side, we also spent some time on the social and relational aspects of financial planning. As part of the program we read a book by Mitch Anthony called “The New […]

To Inspire: Lisa’s sister is in for the weekend, arrived last night. The three of us stayed up till midnight – catching up on our families and simply enjoying being together. We laughed, loved, and shared deeply and as we all headed to bed we agreed that our conversation had been a real treat – […]

  In the retirement plan advisory business, there are three types of plan advisors. The first is the traditional plan investment advisor. This type of advisor will simply monitor the plan’s core menu of funds and make recommendations on when/what to change. The second is more of a plan specialist role. They’ll manage the plan’s […]

To Inform: Last night we held our annual Oktoberfest Portfolios and Pints event. Friends filled the big room upstairs at the Hofbräuhaus as Alex and I drew questions out of a hat, and I deflected as many complicated questions as I could for Alex to answer. Topics we discussed ranged from economic indicators (side note: […]

To Inspire: We talk so much today about the importance of mental and physical health but how can we convince ourselves to take these things seriously? I recently read the following story from the Warren Buffett biography The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, and it has stuck with me: Let’s say that […]

To Inspire: Matt Palmer here. Lisa and I are taking one of our daughters and her husband and children to Disney World later this fall. We’re very excited – it’s been 25 years since we last were there, when our three children were young. Thinking about the trip reminded me of some thoughts that Bob […]