This quote is engraved on a clock gifted to me by a client and friend, who has heard me say this very thing since the late 1980s. It sits on my desk and serves as an important reminder to always look at the big picture. Like now, for instance…let’s place the recent stock market volatility […]
We are two days into February 2018, and we have viewed something not seen in a while on TV screens – the color red on the market reports. The market began the year very strong and there was much talk about a robust 2018. We continue to believe this is the case based on the […]
Have you ever committed to something and halfway there think, “Oh, that was a baaad decision?” Well, you have my absolute sympathies! I had signed up for the Savannah Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon – my first half marathon ever – and before this year I had never breached the 4 mile mark. After an […]
Frozen. That’s the only way I can describe it. Mike, the other financial planner in our office, and I were listening to the report of the stock market rapidly dropping, while staring at each other in disbelief. It was October 19, 1987. We didn’t have a computer screen to look at, so the only continual […]
Have you ever thought about how you make your choices every day? Take traffic, for instance. My brother lives in Washington, D.C., and works roughly an hour away from where he lives. On any given day there could be traffic that extends his drive 30-40minutes, or even more! Because of the traffic the shortest route […]
We are often asked by first-time callers to our office if we are a “Fiduciary.” It seems like the word is all over the news these days, but what exactly does it mean? In a nutshell, a fiduciary is a person or organization who is ethically bound to put a client’s best interests first at […]
In my last blog we got back to the basics of how to prioritize paying down debts. Of course not everything is cut and dry, and as one of my friends pointed out, “Phil, your firm focuses on investments…shouldn’t I use my money to make more money in the stock market instead? Then I can […]
Recently I was having a discussion with a friend in his mid-20’s who is working two jobs and in a very good position of low expenses and high income to maximize his debt payoff. We were discussing his opportunity to pay down his large student debt during this period and he went on to mention […]
April 20th was my son, Philip’s, 23rd birthday. He didn’t ask for much…all he wanted was for Mom and Dad to travel to Williamsburg with he and Janae, his lovely fiancée, and “do the ropes course.” Sounded to me like a fairly simple birthday request, so I said, “Let’s do it.” What is a ropes […]
Happy New Year! If you’re anything like me or thousands of other typical Americans, you’ve resolved to get your life more organized this year. Now that could mean anything – from closets to paperwork, to anything in between. But how about Beneficiaries? You know, the people that stand to inherit your assets when you die? […]