With the end of the year fast approaching, let’s remember that we still have time to save on taxes. Even though we can’t control the markets, there are some things we do have direct control of and most are centered around taxes. We know the tax rules today and we can take steps now to […]
Our Blog: The Bishop’s Piece
How to Read a Prospectus
We get these thick booklets mailed to us at least annually, and usually they go directly into the recycling bin. Being an advisor, I hope clients read them and understand them, but in reality they are not entertaining to read; unless you understand the inner workings of a fund it is going to be like […]
Protecting Against “Sequence of Returns” Risk
With the summer season ending, children going back to school and days getting shorter it is impossible not to feel the change. As the variables around us change we need to change as well, and adapt with them in order to survive. With valuations of stocks at elevated levels and bond yields depressed at historical […]
How to Protect Your Personal Data Online
Data breaches, once a fairly rare occurrence, have become more frequent as hackers become more skilled in their ability to extract personal data from popular social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. And while we commonly hear about breaches from these large, global organizations, it’s important to remember that small businesses are just as […]
Prepare for the Next Market Downturn
With a negative yield curve, trade wars and slowing growth in the economy, a poll showed that majority of business economists believe we will enter a recession in the next 2 years (National Association for Business Economics). While this seems inevitable with the facts in front of us, there is no litmus test for a […]
Do you have an Aging Plan?
No one likes to think about getting old, but it’s an eventuality that we cannot escape. Sooner than later we should start thinking about how this process will affect our lives, the lives around us and put together a plan to deal with these changes, also known as an aging plan. An aging plan is […]
Investing with Purpose
What is the difference between investing and having a financial plan? While investing can be fun and invigorating, especially when everything is going well, there will inevitably be a time when performance suffers and this is when having a financial plan is critical. A financial plan provides a “purpose” to your investing. When we have […]
Strategies to Pay Less Tax
As we are now in the thick of tax season, I get asked frequently “how can I pay less in tax?” While you should usually be happy to pay more in federal taxes (because that means you probably made more), there are strategies that with a little time and effort can reduce your overall tax […]
Be Careful When Tidying Up Your Documents
Marie Kondo and her show Tidying Up on Netflix seemed to strike a chord with many people and now everyone is clearing out anything that doesn’t bring them joy. While I am all for simplifying your life, and it feels good when my wife fills the back of our minivan with joyless material to donate, […]
Financial Missteps
Personal finance, like just about everything else, is mainly common sense. Advice like “don’t spend more than you make; start investing while you’re young; don’t loan money to friends with the expectation of getting it back,” have been around for generations, and most likely will survive the next few generations as well. Even money mistakes […]
