The common wisdom over the past decade has been that interest rates are going to rise.  I felt so good locking in a 3.5% mortgage rate earlier this year because that was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Or was it? 

I’ve received a few calls this week to get my opinion on the current market downturn.  Its understandable considering October turned out to be the worst month for stocks since October of 2008, shortly after…

I thought this would be a good time to refocus any of my readers out there who may be getting distracted by the recent market decline.  For the majority of investors, market volatility should either be ignored, or treated as an opportunity to add to your portfolio at “sale” prices.

While it may be the case that not everyone needs to work with a financial advisor, I think there is a tremendous amount of value which can be unlocked from such a relationship when the correct client/planner match is found.

Gen Y is a large and increasingly affluent segment of the population.  As the number of clients under 40 in my practice continues to grow, I’m noticing clear themes emerging about what this demographic is looking for. 

Everything we do in life involves some element of risk.  Some risks are known, and believed to be understood, while others are more uncertain and involve either probability or magnitude that we find difficult to quantify. 

I like to write at least one article on basic estate planning each year because it’s just that important.  Financial advisors spend years working on financial plans and investment programs that can easily be dislodged by overlooking small estate planning tasks. 

From what I’ve seen, fee-based advisory firms, my own included, generally charge an annual fee which ranges from .75% to 1.75% of assets under management. Generally, the larger your account balance, the more likely you are to receive a lower fee.