Two Steps Forward, One Step Back for Investors
Consider everything investors have been through in recent years: a global pandemic, rapid inflation, war in Europe, and volatile stock and bond markets. It’s reasonable to feel uneasy in the face of so much uncertainty. Now imagine it’s the end of 2019 and you know what you know now. You’re asked to predict market returns […]
Market Review 2022: After a Down Year, Looking to the Past as a Guide
KEY TAKEAWAYS It was an up-and-down year for markets—in the end, one with more down than up. The world gave financial markets a lot to process. The coronavirus pandemic eased but remained a global concern, as did the supply-chain issues that accompanied its arrival. Inflation reached a 40-year high in the US,1 and the Federal Reserve pursued a series of […]
Mixed Emotions – Managing a Recent Inheritance and Grief
By Michelle Maton, Senior Financial Planner, CFP®, EA, CeFT® It’s always difficult to lose a loved one. When that loss is accompanied by a large inheritance, the intersection of money, death, and family relationships can be daunting. Given how few people are prepared to deal with the emotional challenges associated with money, it’s not surprising […]
Secure Act 2.0 – What’s Changed about RMDs
By Aristotle Makris, CPA, CFP® In late 2022 as part of a major budget bill, Congress passed the Secure Act 2.0, which includes dozens of new provisions related to retirement accounts. There’s lots of parts and pieces to the new legislation but one of the most wide-reaching changes concern required minimum distributions (RMD). What’s an […]
This Has Been a Test: Developing a Financial Plan You Can Stick With
Think back to December 2019. The economy was humming. Unemployment, interest rates, and inflation were at historically low levels. But then what happened? A global pandemic hit. By the end of March, the S&P 500 had dropped nearly 20% in value.1 Later in the year, scientists announced that they’d developed a vaccine, and markets roared […]
People Have Memories. Markets Don’t.
One of the best things about markets is that they don’t have memories. They don’t remember what happened last week or last year. They don’t even remember what happened a minute ago. Prices change based on what’s happening right now and what people think will happen in the future. People have memories. Markets don’t. And […]
7 Steps to Take When You’ve Received an Inheritance
Andy Baxley, CFP®, CIMA®, Sr Financial Planner Here at The Planning Center, we focus a lot of our energy on transitions planning. In the financial planning context, transitions can be defined as major life events with significant financial and emotional complexity, such as marriage, retirement, starting (or selling) a business, divorce, and the death of […]
TPC New Orleans Named One of the Best Financial Advisors
Our TPC New Orleans office is honored to have been named one of the finest financial advisors in the city by Expertise.com.
Trust the Financial Advisor Who Trusts the Market
With over 200,000 financial advisors in the United States, how do you pick one? First, eliminate the stock pickers. Those are the people making predictions about which stocks are going to be winners and losers. Cross off the market timers, too. They’re the ones who get into and out of the market, trying to buy […]
10 Attributes of Great Financial Advisors
Dimensional has been working with financial advisors for more than three decades. To recognize the impact they have on the investor experience, we compiled a list of 10 attributes of great financial advisors. 1. PURPOSEFUL: THEY HAVE A CLEAR MISSION TO SERVE CLIENTS AND HELP THEM REACH THEIR GOALS. Great advisors want to do great […]
4 Smart Financial Steps to Make Life Easier for Loved Ones When You’re Gone
Andrew Sivertsen, CFP®, EA, CeFT®, Sr Financial Planner “On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero.” Intellectually, we understand the truth behind the quote from Chuck Palahniuk’s novel, Fight Club – no one lives forever. But emotionally, it’s a different story. Thinking about and preparing for our own death, or […]
Why, When, and How to Talk With Your Children About Your Finances
Andy Baxley, CFP®, CIMA®, Sr Financial Planner Talking openly and honestly about our financial affairs can be difficult. Having the conversation with our children can be even more challenging, especially if it’s a discussion the family isn’t accustomed to having. Fear and uncertainty abound when it comes to being transparent with our children about our […]
