Blogs

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…

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,…

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. …

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

As you prepare for a liquidity event, SBA Link the financial advisor is generally the hub of the wheel.  Like the hub, he or she is not “where the rubber meets the road.”  Rather, they are making the wheel turn and supporting all the spokes meet the road. Who are…

When choosing a financial advisor, the public faces a challenge many are simply unaware they are facing.  There is no standard solution to any investment need! To help people in this process, I have come up with four very simple questions that will give the interviewer a window into understanding…