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A financial professional's business card may say “financial adviser”, but that does not mean they are truly a financial adviser. By doing your homework you can increase the odds of hiring an advisor with a high level of integrity, however, you will still need to feel that you can trust them. Look for an advisor who you believe has a similar moral compass to your own. Once you find them, ask them the tough questions to make sure they are not just a good person, but that they are also qualified.

On January 18th, we initiated a gold position in many of our portfolios. As many of you know we are not flashy day traders. On the contrary, our investment approach has a long term outlook, is disciplined, and is built on the fundamentals of asset allocation. With that being said, we do not take a purely static approach to investing. We believe that adjustments over time are prudent and this change represents what we believe to be a prudent investment...

Socially responsible investing (SRI) is a general term used to describe various subsets of investing that attempt to align your portfolio with your values. There are two categories that tend to be the most popular: ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), and BRI (Biblically Responsible Investing).

"I have often said that what separates average investors and the great ones is how they make decisions when the markets become volatile. With education and understanding comes great discipline. There is an actual science around disciplined investing which has always been the easiest and most probable way to be successful in the markets long term."

"You work hard to keep your body fit and healthy. Regular exercise, dieting, annual physicals, doctors visits and perhaps even taking supplements are all a part of your physical fitness plan. But are you giving the same attention to your financial fitness? For many people, personal savings and retirement planning are not made a priority like they should be. I could argue that your finances are just as important as your physical health."

At FSG we understand you have placed a great deal of trust in us. You have worked and saved and, in many cases, invested your life savings with us. We do not take this responsibility lightly. In many of my previous writings you may have heard me use the term market noise and preach about focusing on the long term. I won’t call the Coronavirus market noise because people have died, so it feels a little insensitive, and with how quick the recent drop in markets has occurred I cannot blame you for being concerned about that “noise”.

"There are a few ways that a financial professional can operate their business. This article outlines 4 of the major business structures in the financial industry, and tells how your advisor’s compensation might look in each structure. Understanding the structure of your financial advisor’s practice will help you understand the way they approach their clients and the advice they provide."

At FSG, we focus on those things we know will bring the most value to a client in fulfilling their needs and meeting their goals and objectives. When it comes to helping the retiree, there are three major components we believe make us different than other financial professionals.