Intentional Wealth Insights

  • Setting New Year Financial Expectations

    We are at the start of a new decade. This means lists and reviews of the past year and ten years. Along with these retrospectives, we are treated to a healthy dose of predictions for what is to come (too often by financial gurus, unfortunately). This is click bait. An invitation to bog ourselves down in […]
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  • railroad switchback cost of trading

    Cost of Trading Changes

    The cost of trading changes at Charles Schwab and what it means for you and your financial advisor’s business. The Shifting Ground Under Our Feet The cost of trading has hit its lower limit: $0. In the last several weeks, after Charles Schwab announced that stock trades would be free, many major custodians and banks […]
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  • Philanthropy at Year End

    All you can take with you is that which you’ve given away The journey from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day is a sprint this year. A dash from expressing gratitude over turkey in November, to giving generously in December, to new beginnings in January. I don’t know of another film that does as good of […]
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  • CEO thinking about finding identity in retirement

    Finding Identity in Retirement

    Do you know someone who has floundered when they walked away from work?  Think of that person you know whose identity was tied up in the ‘uniform’ that they wore for so many years. A suit and tie or the company colors. They identified closely with their role on a team or their status among […]
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  • couple biking and retirement income

    When Your Paycheck Stops

    Building Retirement Income It is a paralyzing feeling to stare at a lump sum payout of cash and think about investing it. If you’re like me, at some point you have received a bonus or a windfall in some form or size and thought, “I should invest this in something that will grow more than […]
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  • Q4 trends stock market graph

    Q4 Trends Affecting Investors

    An object in motion tends to stay in motion… The recent news flow in both politics and the markets brings to mind Newton’s first law of motion. Trends can continue in the economy long past the time when we think they might fade. Here are three Q4 trends affecting investors as we head into the fourth […]
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  • how to tell your financial advisor has retired

    Emeritus

    Have you ever seen the word ‘Emeritus’ after the name of a professional? Attorney, Emeritus. Shareholder, Emeritus. Professor, Emeritus.  It means that this person has retired but maintains an honorary role based on their lifetime of accomplishments.  One title you will rarely see: Financial Advisor, Emeritus. Why is that?  Financial advisors are facing a retirement […]
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  • calendar flipping new year financial headlines

    Happy New Year!

    You may have heard that Labor Day is the new New Year’s Day? It’s true. The schedule is packed, and the pace of life picks up in a way that would make January envious. For us, it is no different. We have a brisk schedule of meetings, conferences, and professional presentations that keep us informed […]
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  • burnt muffins and teaching ourselves personal finance

    The Things We Teach Ourselves

    We all have hobbies that are self-taught. Maybe for you it is cooking, or gardening, or carpentry.  They are the skills we picked up by following our passions, maybe with some mentorship, but rarely with formal education. For me, guitar and golf are my self-taught hobbies, learned the hard way since my teenage years. Most […]
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  • playing baseball with kid and making personal finance decisions

    The Good Old Days

    My house starts to go silent for a few hours this week. For the first time, all four of my kids will be in school.  The oldest in eighth grade, the youngest in pre-school. It has been ‘all hands on deck’ for thirteen years, always having a baby or toddler in the house. As you might […]
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