If I could only contribute to one retirement account for the rest of my working career, it would be a Roth IRA or Roth 401k. Although there are many benefits to a Roth IRA, there are three benefits that I find to be most intriguing. On top of the benefits I lay out below, you will be pleased to hear that in recent years employers have made the Roth 401k more accessible and the contribution limit on Roth IRAs has increased!
It's many folks' favorite season! Fall brings apple cider, donuts, football, and of particular importance to the Carter family- hunting season. The changing of the seasons on the calendar mirrors the changing of the figurative seasons we have witnessed here at FSG.
Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) is an investment practice that filters out companies engaged in activities that conflict with biblical values. There are several different organizations that define various activities which do not represent Christian values.
Following a prosperous first quarter, the market continued to perform well in the second quarter. Most sectors of the market performed well with a few, albeit notable, exceptions. Let's take a deeper look into interest rates, global diversification, and what is to come.
I was recently at a conference for independent financial advisors hosted by Charles Schwab. After a three-year hiatus, this annual conference was finally back in person. My favorite aspect of these meetings is not the presentations, entertainment, or even the location, but rather the opportunity to engage with other financial advisors from around the country.
In 2019, I wrote the article you see below. At the time, I was extremely excited about the prospect of ETFs beginning to trade at zero cost, and frankly, I still am. Free trading of ETFs (and stocks in many cases) is a huge advancement for investors and gives us, as your financial advisor, additional tools to manage your portfolio. Below is a quick refresher on the history of ETFs, which explains what happened in 2019 and why I was excited about it. I have added additional commentary to the original article in italics.
In 2012, McLaren Health Care froze its pension plan. Since then all employees had access to a 403(b) retirement savings plan but the pension plan remained frozen. Last year, McLaren made the decision to terminate the pension plan. The termination of the pension plan is unfolding now.
Cash is truly a horrible investment. I’m not talking about folding paper; I'm talking about savings accounts, money markets, and short-term CDs. In the same breath that I say cash is trash, I could also say cash is king. Cash is king as it is the single most important financial planning tool.