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Category: Education

Economic Outlook for 2nd half of 2023

by Dave Conley on June 16, 2023.

Below is a recent (June 1, 2023) Economic Outlook diagnosis from the folks at Capital Group. A few highlights and a link to the entire article (10 minute read). Link to short report, Economic outlook: Mild recession, strong recovery.

How to Maximize your Social Security benefit (pt 3)

by Dave Conley on June 16, 2023.

If you have wondered: When should I start my Social Security ? Age 62... 67 or wait until 70 . What is the difference in benefits at the different ages ? I have heard that it is best to start as early as possible in case you don't live very long. If I start early how much can I earn before being penalized by Social Security ? Can I collect based on my spouse (or ex-spouse) earnings history?

When You Win the Lottery

by Randy Chalmers on June 2, 2023.

I know I’m not alone in this, and occasionally you and your family are sitting around talking (and dreaming) about what you would do if you won the lottery. As the purchases get discussed, the topic arises of how you would take the money, in a lump sum, or as an annual payment over the...

Are You Monitoring Your Spending Habits?

by Randy Chalmers on May 12, 2023.

Tracking your money is an important part of managing your personal finances. By keeping track of your income and expenses, you can better understand where your money is going and make informed decisions about how to save and spend. In this blog, we’ll cover some better ways to track your money. Use Budgeting Apps: There...

Budgeting equals $$ Awareness

by Dave Conley on April 28, 2023.

“Awareness is like the sun. When it shines on things, they are transformed.” Thich Nhan Hanh Becoming aware of our spending is one of the most powerful tools we have. Why? In examining our spending we become aware of ourselves. Budgeting is simply being aware of our spending. Why is this keeping track of how...

Are you watching Financial Pornography?

by Dave Conley on April 21, 2023.

Cable and online financial news (for the average investor) can also be overwhelming and cause investors to make mistakes. The term I use for this news is “Financial Pornography”. I can think of many bad decisions made by viewers of financial porn but narrowed it down to four mistakes the average investor is likely to...

Making sense of the banking turmoil?

by Dave Conley on March 24, 2023.

How widespread is the current banking turmoil? Should we be concerned about our bank deposits? Are the current challenges unique or similar to other banking turmoil in the past? Are there investment opportunities in this economic environment?

‘Tis the Season

by Randy Chalmers on March 10, 2023.

As tax season is upon us, let’s talk about them! We know they are an essential part of our society, but nobody wants to pay more taxes than necessary. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to reduce your tax liability. Tax deductions are expenses that reduce your taxable income. There are several tax deductions available, such...

It’s not just about the money.

by Dave Conley on February 24, 2023.

I ask potential clients to describe their version of financial freedom (or financial peace) and how we can help them achieve this goal. It’s extremely common for the answers to center on some sort of financial/investment success metric. Stuff like:• Increase my investment returns to 10% a year consistently with minimal risk.• Pay off all...