Articles and Videos

Investing and Personal Finance

Why Building Wealth and Keeping It Are Two Different Things

September 20, 2023

In last week’s video we discussed the importance of saving, and how building a nest egg involves regular contributions over a long period of time. Investing in equal portions at regular intervals, like you would in a 401k, allows you to buy more shares when the market is down, and when the market is going… View Article

Managing Your Financial Future

How to Know If Your 401k Is Properly Structured – Episode 152

September 19, 2023

The 401k is designed to be a “set it and forget it” type of retirement plan: Set your allocation based on your age and risk tolerance, then contribute money each pay period, and let compounding do its job from there.  And that’s a good thing. But part of the potential success of your 401k plan… View Article

Investing and Personal Finance

How Can You Build a Substantial Nest Egg?

September 14, 2023

People often ask this question: “What’s the best way to build wealth?”   Well, the simplest (and best) answer we can give to that question is this: “Save early and save often.” But that’s not very satisfying to hear, is it? It’s not glamorous, it offers no insight, and it doesn’t reveal any special secrets.  … View Article

Managing Your Financial Future

What Are The Best (and Worst) Assets to Inherit?- Episode 151

September 12, 2023

If you’ve been a diligent saver, chances are good that you have a variety of assets in your name: cash, CDs, bonds, stocks, funds, retirement accounts, insurance products, a home, etc. At some point, though, you’ll no longer be around and those assets will wind up going to your designated heirs. And while everyone likes… View Article

Managing Your Financial Future

How To Build a Net Worth – And How To Keep It- Episode 150

September 7, 2023

Building up a nest egg over a period of years does not have to be complicated, in spite of what many investment professionals might tell you. The real “secret” is to simply save money, and save it on a regular basis. When time is on your side, you have a certain amount of freedom to… View Article

Investing and Personal Finance

Did Your Paycheck Suddenly Increase by 6.2%?

September 6, 2023

Do you ever look at your pay stub? These days, with automatic deposits and paperless transactions, you may not pay much attention to what’s being withheld from your check each pay period. What’s more, many people don’t understand how the whole payroll tax system works, which I get, because, yeah, it’s a bit complicated.    But… View Article

Checking In With Ara

Checking In with Ara – September 2023

September 5, 2023

It’s Ara, reaching out with our monthly update. I hope this message finds you well. With summer drawing to a close, I trust you’ve had memorable vacations and stayed comfortable during the heat. Interestingly, we braced ourselves for a hurricane in San Diego last week. Fortunately, we were spared the worst, witnessing only heavy rain… View Article

Managing Your Financial Future

How To Build a Net Worth – And How To Keep It- Episode 150

September 5, 2023

Building up a nest egg over a period of years does not have to be complicated, in spite of what many investment professionals might tell you. The real “secret” is to simply save money, and save it on a regular basis. When time is on your side, you have a certain amount of freedom to… View Article

Managing Your Financial Future

Do Higher Interest Rates Change Your Bucket Strategy?- Episode 149

August 29, 2023

The past 18 months or so have seen interest rates rise from near zero to levels we haven’t seen in more than a decade. This is great for savers, especially those who have become accustomed to earning little to nothing on their non-volatile assets.  Of course, a key part of the Bucket Strategy® involves taking income (cash flow) from those non-volatile assets, regardless of what they may or may not be earning. Now that interest rates have come back up, what does this new environment mean for the strategy going forward? Does it change the way you should be setting up your buckets? 

Investing and Personal Finance

Retirement or College: Which Should You Fund First?

August 23, 2023

Making big financial decisions by yourself can seem like a real gamble sometimes.  You don’t want to make a wrong move that may cost you big over the long term, but you also know that if you make no move at all, you’ll never reach your goals.   Many parents find themselves in this situation when… View Article

Managing Your Financial Future

What Some Critics Get Wrong About Buckets- Episode 148

August 22, 2023

One of the biggest fears that retirees have is that they’ll run short of money.  A Bucket Strategy® aims to solve that problem by matching assets to liabilities, so that you’re never in a situation where you need to sell a volatile asset in order to meet your spending needs. The key, though, is that the strategy must be set up properly.  How much safe (non-volatile) money should you have at hand, and how much should be allocated toward growth?  This important aspect is one that too many financial pundits and journalists simply get wrong.

Managing Your Financial Future

Will Your Nest Egg Last Longer Than You Do?- Episode 147

August 15, 2023

You may have heard that if you take no more than 4 percent of your portfolio’s value every year, it will (statistically) last at least 30 years. But does following this “4-percent rule” actually guarantee that you won’t run out of money? It does not. Too many factors can come into play over the course of a retirement that can interrupt – or completely disrupt – your ability to generate a lifetime of income.  So what can you do to avoid the increasing worry as you get older that your money will eventually run out? The short, simple answer is this: have a strategy.