Author name: Julia Gonzales

The Professions “F-words”: Fee Only and Fiduciary Finding the right financial advisor is hard work.  There is no database that matches both competencies and personalities of advisors to clients. You are left with trying to use titles and compensation arrangements to find that needle in a haystack. What makes this worse is that as your […]

What do insurance agents and rock stars have in common? My answer will surprise you.  I’m reading Brothers by Alex Van Halen.  I’ve just read a section describing their first record contract.  I have read about other rock groups—and this must apply to other music styles too—initial record contracts.  Essentially, they were paid poorly; instead

Current Client Conversations & Revocable Living Trust Two key conversations this week worth talking about.    The first involved a client in Tennessee with whom we are working with her estate attorney on getting some estate planning done.  No, this doesn’t involve the sunsetting for the TCJA’s high lifetime gifting limit.  Rather, this involves a decision

Current Client Conversations & Presediantial Politics This is my reflection on conversations that I have had with clients over the past week that I believe gives you a grasp of those relationships with roughly 120 clients we work with.   One topic that came up multiple times is how people are delaying significant decisions because of

Current Client Conversations & Difficult Moves I spent a significant amount of last week dealing with difficult moves.  Meaning, dealing with both clients and their aging parents or other relatives moving into either other locations or other forms of housing.  Also, arranging for estate planning items. Much of my time is spent on these non-investment-related

Current Client Conversations Managing Expectations Each week I summarize the central themes of conversations I am having with clients lately for you, simply to give you sense of how these dialogues go; to give you a flavor of how I work with clients.  Right now, I am trying to set expectations for 2025.   Using Recency

The best bang for your investment advice buck is a financial advisor and (any kind of) tax professional collaborating! The best advisors routinely pull the CPA into the conversation to confirm the tax rationale on their advice.  Recently, I had a client moving from one state to another, dealing with deferred comp and charitable giving

Why finding the right Financial Advisor is harder than finding the right Doctor “It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong”. –Thomas Sowell Reviewing multiple internet sources, here’s a way to

While my list is likely incomplete, these are issues we are involved with when working with a business owner anticipating a business exit. 1) Enforce discipline.  Many, many people employ coaches to learn to play the piano, keep them exercising, dieting, or growing their company.  Yet, when it comes to that key foundational asset, their

When you buy a car, you have some idea of what you want. Coupe, sports car, SUV, compact.  You see all of the different types when you are driving and researching.  It’s said now that 90% of car buyers have all of their research done online before they enter a showroom. All you require is