Articles and Videos

The Market’s Down: Is This a Good Time For a Roth Conversion?- Episode 115
Managing Your Financial Future

The Market’s Down: Is This a Good Time For a Roth Conversion?- Episode 115

November 15, 2022

A little over a year ago, when the markets were sitting at all-time highs, we addressed the wisdom (or maybe lack thereof?) of converting a traditional IRA (or 401k) to a Roth. Since taxes must be paid in the conversion process, we wondered if high valuations would make it less desirable at that time. The markets in 2022 have not been so kind to investors, as values across the board have come down, in some cases significantly. Given these circumstances, are lower stock values any better for those who want to convert? Or are other factors also at play when making this decision? Podcast host Johnny Dean speaks with his guest, “Professor” Rick Plum, CFP® about what you still need to consider when doing a Roth conversion in this week’s episode of Managing Your Financial Future!
Rising Interest Rates: Good or Bad Time to Own Bonds?- Episode 113
Managing Your Financial Future

Rising Interest Rates: Good or Bad Time to Own Bonds?- Episode 113

November 1, 2022

A couple of years ago, we asked the question: why would you own bonds when they (were) paying so little interest?  Many others wondered the same thing, turning to the stock market to help potentially bolster their overall rate of return. Interest rates have risen dramatically in 2022, which changes the question just a bit: is it good to own bonds during a period of rising interest rates?  As rates go up, the value of your bonds goes down.  Wouldn’t it seem like it’s better to own bonds when interest rates are falling?  And what about bond funds? It’s a complicated world out there, but podcast host Johnny Dean and his guest, Rick “The Professor” Plum, CFP® provide you with some answers on this week’s episode of Managing Your Financial Future!
What’s The Ideal Number of Stocks You Should Own?- Episode 112
Managing Your Financial Future

What’s The Ideal Number of Stocks You Should Own?- Episode 112

October 25, 2022

One of the most well-known investing terms is “diversification.”  This is the idea that risk can be spread out by investing over a wide variety of different industries, areas, and/ or financial instruments. While this true to an extent, there is such a thing as being over-diversified, to the point where much (if not all) of your rate of return is watered down by having too many stocks with varying rates of return. So is there potentially an “ideal” number of stocks you should own, one that walks the line between the two extremes?  Find out from “Professor” Rick Plum, CFP® and podcast host Johnny Dean on this week’s episode of Managing Your Financial Future!
Why Other Advisors Now Advocate Buckets- Episode 111
Managing Your Financial Future

Why Other Advisors Now Advocate Buckets- Episode 111

October 18, 2022

We’ve been strong advocates of the Bucket Strategy since the 1990s, and came to the conclusion long ago that no one should have to depend on stock market gains to fund their current living expenses.  Buckets was designed to address that issue. With the stock market going through yet another down cycle in 2022, the issue of maintaining a guaranteed cash flow in retirement is once again at the top of many retirees’ concerns. And with that, we’ve found that other advisors around the country have also determined that a Bucket strategy may be the best way to help address those concerns. This week, podcast host Johnny Dean and Rick “The Professor” Plum, CFP speak with Joe Accardi, founder and chairman of the Accardi Financial Group in Boston, MA.  Mr. Accardi speaks about how his experiences many years ago led him to the Bucket Strategy, and why his firm uses it to provide income to their clients.