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Tag: Investing

What are you afraid of ?

by Dave Conley on September 23, 2022.

Most of us make the same mistake with our money over and over: We buy high (when the economy and markets are up) out of greed and sell low (when the economy and markets are down) out of fear, despite knowing on an intellectual level that it is a very bad idea.

Mid-Term Elections and Market Volatility

by Randy Chalmers on September 16, 2022.

There should be no shock to you when I state that 2022 has been a tumultuous year for the stock market. Seemingly everything that could happen to negatively affect the market, has. The lingering pandemic, inflation, monetary policy tightening by the Federal Reserve, Russia invading Ukraine, investor panic, and the cyclical mid-term election impact….? Mid-term...

Should I get out of the market until…

by Dave Conley on September 16, 2022.

Each and every month we get a question that is similar to the statement above. The questions are sincere but based on the assumption that one can invest in the markets painlessly. What I mean by that is I can get marketlike returns when the market is going up, then jump out of the market...

Information about Qualified Tuition Plans (or 529 Plans)

by Randy Chalmers on September 9, 2022.

South Carolina taxpayers can deduct 100% of their contributions on their state tax returns (one of only four states that offer 100% of contributions to be claimed). There are two types of 529 plans: prepaid tuition plans and education savings plans. Prepaid Tuition Plans allow the account holder to purchase credits for future use at...

Is it possible to invest your money AND protect your purchasing power?

by Dave Conley on September 9, 2022.

Real long term financial risk is not loss of principal but erosion of purchasing power. To maintain the purchasing power of $100 from 1926 to 2022 you would need $1,674. $100 invested in the S&P 500 in 1926 would be worth $1,066,955 in 2022. These example above illustrates the REALLY long term erosion of purchasing...

What Advice Would you Give Yourself… 20 Years Ago?

by Dave Conley on August 26, 2022.

Who do you think you’ll be in a year? 5 years? 20 years? One of the big problems with setting goals, especially financial ones, is that we’re struggle with imagining our future selves. Remember what you imagined you’d be as an adult when you were a kid. I’m guessing there are some gaps between that dream and your current reality. When we talk about financial goals, we’re often talking about long timeframes.

Where is your Emergency Fund?

by Randy Chalmers on August 12, 2022.

Dave Ramsey’s third Baby Step is to fully fund an emergency fund to cover your family for a three to six-month period. Have you completed this step? If so, have you paid any mind to that account since funding completion? We often get calls asking if clients should invest their emergency funds, in short, no,...

Should I Invest if I can only Spare $20 a week?

by Randy Chalmers on August 5, 2022.

This is a very common question among those contemplating starting their investment journey. They wonder if their $20 a week would amount to anything and if they should wait until they can invest $50 or $100 a week. Let’s look at the numbers. The minimum investment required for a balanced fund is as little as...

Focusing on What Matters

by Dave Conley on August 5, 2022.

We only have so much time, energy, and attention. So how do we decide where to place our focus? To figure out the answer to that question, think about what you are focusing on (fretting over). Now ask yourself two questions: 1. Does it matter? 2. Can I control it?