Stock market declines over a few days or months maylead investors to anticipate a down year. But the US stockmarket had positive returns in 17 of the past 20 calendaryears, despite some notable dips in many of those years. • Intra-year declines for the index ranged from 3% to 49%.• Many years with large intra-year… Continue reading Do Downturns Lead to Down Years?

GOLD MEDAL SERVICES
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Do I Need/Want an Advisor?Author: Ray Rasco
Special Planning For Small Business Owners
Neel Shah is a practicing estate planning attorney as well as a certified financial planner(r). He has conducted over 3000 corporate business and real estate transactions throughout his career and is the author planning for business owners (available on Amazon). Estate planning for business owners is especially important, but also a delicate endeavor. Business owners… Continue reading Special Planning For Small Business Owners
Marathons & Markets
Lately, we’ve seen a meaningful uptick in market volatility fueled by economic instability here and abroad. From Chinese real estate woes threatening to disrupt their economy, to political wrangling in Washington that will continue to ripple through our own, there’s no escaping that the headlines have near-term market impacts around the world. But if the… Continue reading Marathons & Markets
Neel’s Gift as the ‘Indian’ Cowboy
My parents moved to the US in 1973, I was born in 1975. For some reason, whether it was by omission or intentional – I didn’t learn English. Imagine showing up for your first day of school, in the country in which you were born – having (a) avidly watched Sesame Street daily & (b)… Continue reading Neel’s Gift as the ‘Indian’ Cowboy
Enforcement Against Self-Directed IRA Scams Doubled in 2020
The danger of self-directed IRA scams heightened during the pandemic, as many investors were at home and online but isolated from in-person interaction, NASAA says. The number of investigations and enforcement actions by state securities regulators remained largely steady during the COVID-19 pandemic, though the total amounts of restitution and penalties/fines each decreased by about… Continue reading Enforcement Against Self-Directed IRA Scams Doubled in 2020
Gifting Money? Develop a Plan
You’ve worked hard, you saved, you invested wisely, and you controlled spending. Your financial plan worked, and now you have money (or other assets) to share. But questions linger in your mind about whether you should do so and with whom. Many people do not give away money or assets during their lifetime, as life… Continue reading Gifting Money? Develop a Plan
Financial Alignment for Yourself and Your Family
In personal finance, it’s not what you make but what you keep that is important. In preparing the next generation to manage money, it’s not how much you know but what you model and share that matters most. Whether you have only lint in your pockets or are racing Jeff Bezos for wealthiest person on… Continue reading Financial Alignment for Yourself and Your Family
Does Planning End at Retirement?
Imagine that, in the foreseeable future, you’ll have turned in all your company property, collected your final paycheck, and will be drinking a hurricane at half past noon while chair-dancing to “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere.” You’ve planned on reaching that celebratory beach vacation over the many years of your career while also designing, building and… Continue reading Does Planning End at Retirement?
Integrate Your Personal Values and Financial Goals with ESG Investing
The following is an adapted excerpt from the conclusion of the forthcoming book “Your Essential Guide to Sustainable Investing” by Sam Adams and Larry Swedroe. Sam and Larry summarize some of the topics they cover in the book and present some key takeaways. The financial services industry has responded to demands for sustainable investment strategies… Continue reading Integrate Your Personal Values and Financial Goals with ESG Investing