To Inform: If we complain about paying taxes, that typically means we are making money. If we lament the historically low savings rates at the bank, that typically means we have money saved. Good problems to have, right? Perhaps, but that does not mean we shouldn’t try to solve them. I think we would all […]

To Inspire: For nearly 50 years, I (Matt) have been a reader of Guideposts Magazine. An unabashed fan of Norman Vincent Peale (who founded Guideposts with his wife, Ruth), Guideposts has inspired me month after month with stories of ordinary people overcoming great challenges and living lives of purpose. For this issue of WealthNotes, we […]

To Inform: This past week has been a wild ride for the stock market. On Tuesday (5/11) and Wednesday (5/12), the popular Dow Jones Industrial Average was down over -300 points and -600 points respectively. Of course, with the Dow hovering around 34,000, -600 points isn’t what is used to be in percentage terms, but […]

To Inspire: We’ve all had it happen – you talk about a song you haven’t heard in a long time and the next day you hear it – “We were just talking about this!” Or you are vacationing thousands of miles away from home, and totally unexpectedly run into someone from your hometown! Coincidences often […]

To Inform: I find great investment wisdom in reading from the accumulated wisdom of some of history’s greats. One such investor is David Dreman, author of Contrarian Investment Strategies. Dreman began investing in the late 1950s and ran his own firm for over 30 years. In his book, Dreman provides a number of “Rules”. One […]

To Inform: No one likes losing flexibility, especially when it comes to finances. Thanks to some recent changes through the SECURE Act and new IRS guidance, inherited retirement accounts suddenly became a lot more rigid. If you inherited a retirement account in 2020 or later, you might be subject to required minimum distributions (RMDs) starting […]

To Inspire: Philo of Alexandria said, “Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a terrible battle.” Or, if they’re not now, they likely have in the past…or they will be in the future. Everyone. I had my second meeting with Bob yesterday. Our first meeting was a month ago. That conversation was just of the […]

To Inform: Recent economic data has confirmed the recovery is on a solid footing. Retail sales, surveys of manufacturing and service businesses, and jobs numbers have all shown tremendous strength in recent weeks. With so many focused on the immediate reopening of the economy, it is worth asking what might come next. Is this just […]

To Inspire: Continuing from last week’s Wealth Notes, we share excerpts from last five of Eleanor Roosevelt’s Eleven Keys For a More Successful Life, from her book, You Learn By Living (if you missed the first six keys, you can read them here). Enjoy! The Right to be an Individual – We are facing a great […]

To Inform:  Cyclical stocks are found across a range of sectors and are those most tied to changes in the broader economy. They’re often in the front row seat for any sort of economic slowdown (e.g., homebuilders and banks in 2008-09), but can be one of the better ways to play a strengthening economy. While […]