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Tag: My Upstate Planner

Investing Isn’t Easy: Headlines and Fairytales

by Andrew Rabon on October 31, 2025.

When it comes to investing, stories can be powerful. A good story can make people excited, confident, or even a little fearful — and those emotions can move the market just as much as company performance does. When that happens, people start buying or selling based on headlines and hype rather than what a company is actually worth.

Navigating a Resilient Bull Market: Why Financial Planning Matters Now

by Andrew Rabon on October 17, 2025.

This past Sunday, October 12th, marked the third anniversary of the current bull market. Since its start in 2022, the market has surged 89%, well above historical averages. It’s the 27th bull market since 1872 and the 14th since 1950, and while past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, history suggests markets with this kind of...

Investing wisdom from an Octogenarian’s 50-Year Journey

by Dave Conley on January 26, 2024.

Welcome to the complex yet fascinating world of investing. Like you, I am an investor and over the past five decades, I've had the privilege of witnessing the intricacies of financial markets, making my fair share of mistakes, and, most importantly, learning from them. As you embark on your investing journey, I'm here to share with you the ABCs of investing, with a touch of wisdom gained through experience.

What is in an Estate Plan?

by Dave Conley on August 25, 2023.

What is in a simple Estate Plan? If you’re like most people, with a few kids and a house, you only need a will. You can use an online service like www.freewill.com or www.mamabearlegalforms.com. The most common option is to meet with a local lawyer to help you discuss and setup the three documents needed...

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...

What is an Annual Review?

by Randy Chalmers on December 26, 2022.

Whether you are brand new to investing and have never had an annual review, or you’ve had many annual reviews, you might be interested to find out a little bit more of what is done during the review process. The first step is obviously to see how your portfolio has performed in the past 12...

Setting SMART Goals

by Randy Chalmers on November 18, 2022.

If you haven’t used the SMART process for setting goals in your life or business, then you probably don’t know what the acronym means. S   – Specific M – Measurable A  – Attainable R  – Relevant T  – Time-bound Specific What exactly will be accomplished and by what means? Measurable How will your goal be...

$100 Left Over?

by Randy Chalmers on November 4, 2022.

We’ve discussed how people think they don’t have enough money to invest, so instead, they spend what they could have saved. But, what about those who are not yet investing, the ones who are on Dave’s Baby Step 2: pay off debt utilizing the debt snowball method? I know a lot of people reading this...