Blog

Jan 07

January 2019 – Quarterly Review: “Average returns” are rare

What if Charles Dickens had begun his classic “Tale of Two Cities” as follows: It wasn’t the best of times, it wasn’t the worst of times, it was the usual mixed bag. While the statement may reflect reality, it doesn’t grab your attention half as well as Dickens’ actual opening... read more →

January 7, 2019
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Evidence Based Investing, Investments, Rebalancing

Dec 20

Ring in the new year with…Financial Planning!

December 20th, 2018 By Matt Miner Dear Clients and Friends, At PLC Wealth we enjoy a good New Years party as much as anybody. But we also know that the end of the year can be a chance to pause and reflect on how 2018 went, and what we aim... read more →

December 20, 2018
Matt Miner
Evidence Based Investing, Financial Life Planning, Rebalancing, Values

Nov 19

Good advice is simple – but not easy!

Here in North Carolina, we cope with hurricanes from time to time, and like the storms, financial markets can bring bumpy weather to our investment portfolios. However, unlike with hurricanes, which are typically in the forecast for several days at least, no one can truly see over the horizon to... read more →

November 19, 2018
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Behavior gap, Evidence Based Investing, Financial Life Planning, Rebalancing

Oct 11

Global Diversification is Your Investment Antacid

Let’s be clear: We did not wish for, nor in any way cause a tumble in the markets, especially among tech stocks. That said, we could not have come up with a more telling illustration to underscore the perennial value of building – and maintaining – a globally diversified investment... read more →

October 11, 2018
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Behavior gap, Evidence Based Investing, Investments

Oct 02

Q3 2018 Client Letter – Is this bull getting long in the tooth?

October 2018 As of August 21, the longest-running S&P 500 rally (by some counts) was born out of “the ashes of the financial crisis.” As of quarter-end, as reported by Morningstar, “Following a flattish first half, global equities enjoyed a fairly strong third quarter, with the Morningstar Global Markets Index... read more →

Sep 25

Protecting Your Child from Identity Theft

In September 2017, about a year ago, a massive Equifax security breach became public knowledge. If there was a silver lining to this infamous event, it likely spurred more consumers to take more measures to protect their identities. Perhaps you’ve frozen your lines of credit, or you’re at least checking... read more →

Aug 27

What Is the Yield Curve?

August 27, 2018 By Josh Self The yield curve is flattening (or growing steeper)! … Yield curve spreads are widening (or narrowing)! … The yield curve has inverted (or normalized)! Headline-grabbing yield curve commentary somehow sounds important, doesn’t it? But what is a yield curve to begin with, and what... read more →

Aug 20

How much do I need to save to retire?

July 17, 2018 We recently read a Wall Street Journal article called “Five Ways to Improve 401(k)s”, and thought one part of the article, “Raise the default savings rate,” was important enough to justify an entire blog post. In the article, the author discusses the possibility of the federal government... read more →

Jul 10

Donor Advised Funds – Doing good, wisely

July 10, 2018 By Josh Self No matter how the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) may alter your tax planning, we’d like to believe one thing will remain the same: With or without a tax write-off, many Americans will still want to give generously to the charities of... read more →

July 10, 2018
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Charitable Giving, Estate Planning, Financial Life Planning, Generosity

Apr 05

Tune out the noise…

This short video from our friends at Dimensional Fund Advisors is worth a couple minutes of your time...view Tuning Out the Noise here. It highlights one of the ways that we, as advisers, aspire to bring value to our clients lives. It is also a friendly reminder to focus on what matters,... read more →

April 5, 2018
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Behavior gap, Evidence Based Investing, Financial Life Planning, Investments