Do Your Homework Before Hiring a Financial Professional Paul Fain, CFP® So you need financial advice. Where will you get it? Often a specific event or a long-term need will trigger the search for professional guidance. Furthermore, you may not have the expertise, the time or the desire to research, plan or manage certain aspects…
How did Financial Predictions for 2022 Fare? Paul Fain, CFP® “Forecasting is difficult because it concerns the future,” goes an old Danish proverb. What makes forecasting so unreliable? The unknown. At the beginning of last year, we didn’t know that Russia would invade Ukraine, that China’s stringent zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy would strangle its economy, that…
Look for Happiness, Opportunities in the Midst of Adversity Paul Fain, CFP® “Happy New Year!” many people exult, but maybe you aren’t feeling it. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding us as we head into the new year: inflation, war, investment volatility, a possible recession looming, waves of viruses. Many families are confronting life-threatening…
For Some, Bonds are Like a Horror Movie Paul Fain, CFP® This year feels like watching a horror movie in the bond market. Van Helsing (the Federal Reserve) is combating Dracula (inflation), trying to put a stake (interest rate increases) through the cash-flow sucker’s heart. Only eight months into these aggressive rate increases, it is…
Investors have questions about inflation, the possibility of a recession Paul Fain, CFP® What is on the mind of investors this month? Mostly concern. There is much negative chatter about inflation, recession and a double-dip bear market. Here are some of the frequent investor questions that I am hearing: ∎ “Is the bear market…
Fair doesn’t always mean equal when distributing wealth Paul Fain, CFP® When the final bell tolls, how much money do you want to leave to your children? How much is too much? How much is too little? It is almost a rhetorical question since there isn’t a right or wrong answer. Years ago, I…
The key to financial security? It comes back to budgeting Paul Fain, CFP® A global economic slowdown and raging inflation have many households examining their spending choices. In good times and bad, budgeting is perhaps the most important tool to help you reach the goals in your personal financial plan. According to a 2020…
Elder care hits hard; seek insurance advice and plan early Paul Fain, CFP® “Old age comes at a bad time! When you finally know everything, you start to forget everything you know.” (source unknown) The Grand Dame of our family (we’ll call her “Ella”), 93 years old, has had a rough past five years:…
Inflation is challenging. Take a breath and re-balance your investment portfolio Paul Fain, CFP® “I will survive!” sang Gloria Gaynor in the 1970s. Back then, it could have been a battle cry: Oil prices surged, inflation peaked at 14%, and the U.S. stock market plunged 45%. Almost 50 years later, we are facing challenges…
Here are some smart financial planning moves for your spring ‘cleaning’ Paul Fain, CFP® A few weeks ago, we cleaned out and reorganized our bedroom closet and our garage. The annual spring ritual leaves us feeling better and a few dollars richer as we gave away some clothes, shoes and coats and sold some…