Blog

Nov 20

Reflections on a Happy Thanksgiving

What makes you happy? As we wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on this timeless question. You probably already realize that piles of possessions by themselves aren’t enough. But it may be less clear what does generate enduring happiness and how... read more →

November 20, 2017
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Charitable Giving, Financial Life Planning, Generosity, Values

Oct 13

What do the tea leaves say today?

If you’ve taken our past advice about ignoring the onslaught of breaking market news, you probably didn’t read Russell Investments’ recent “2017 Global Market Outlook Q4 Update.” I'm not prone to pore over these relatively unremarkable analyses ourselves, but I do read a lot of 'industry speak' as part of... read more →

October 13, 2017
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Behavior gap, Financial Life Planning, Investments, Politics, Values

Oct 09

Equifax Security Breach, Part II

I initially wrote about my take on the Equifax Security Breach about a month ago. In that time since, the news continues to come out about just how pervasive this hack was (and maybe continues to be). We were already on high alert for instances of identity theft. But the... read more →

October 9, 2017
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Budgeting, Credit report, Debt, Financial Life Planning, Investments, Tax Planning, Taxes

Sep 11

What does the Equifax data breach mean for you?

Financial monitoring...this is part of financial planning that gets often overlooked. Like a crack in the foundation of a house, it is hard to see unless you are looking for it, but it can have catastrophic consequences if left unattended. As you may have heard, Equifax (which is one of... read more →

September 11, 2017
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Budgeting, Financial Life Planning, Investments

Jun 21

Growing Wealth: Not for the faint of heart

Money is a great servant but a bad master. Francis Bacon Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP® June 9th, 2017 How many of us plan, save, and invest for the future, anticipating that one... read more →

June 21, 2017
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Behavior gap, Financial Life Planning, Values

Jan 04

Why Do We Behave Badly When it Comes to Money?

You are standing on the edge of a cliff and the only thing that separates you from a 1000 foot fall are the rocks you are standing on and a small branch sticking out of rocks, hanging perilously over the abyss. However, you have been told that if you could... read more →

January 4, 2017
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Budgeting, Debt, Financial Life Planning, Generosity, Values

Nov 09

Post Election Letter to Client

Do you remember what I wrote earlier this year in June after the historic Brexit vote in Great Britain? In light of our own historic vote in the US yesterday, I think I could cut and paste every word and it would still be as relevant as it was then.... read more →

November 9, 2016
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Behavior gap, Financial Life Planning, Investments

Jun 04

On Brexit

"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others." It's ironic to me that this quote is associated with Winston Churchill, considering all the going's on in the last 24 hours within his home land. As you no doubt have heard, the unlikely occurred and voters... read more →

June 4, 2016
Joshua E. Self, CLU, ChFC, CFP®
Behavior gap, Financial Life Planning, Investments, Politics