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117 Things We Do for Our Clients Number 47 - Prepare an Asset Allocation Designed to Achieve the Best Return for Your Level of Risk Tolerance
Investing isn't just about return — it's about the right return for the right amount of risk. Take too much risk and a bad market year can derail your plans. Take too little and your money quietly loses its purchasing power over time. We build an asset allocation tailored specifically to you: your goals, timeline, income needs, and comfort with volatility. Guided by decades of academic research and real-world experience, we design a portfolio that gives your money the best op

Steve Martin
Aug 61 min read


IPOs in the News: What Do You Need to Know?
With a well-known aerospace company recently making its public market debut, IPOs have been getting a lot of attention lately. It felt like a good moment to share some perspective on how the IPO process actually works, because there is often more to it than the headlines suggest. An IPO, or "Initial Public Offering," is the moment a privately held company sells shares to the public for the first time. The process runs through investment banks that manage pricing and allocatio

Steve Martin
Jul 303 min read


Q: My Advisor Keeps Telling Me to "Trust the Plan" During Market Drops. But Trusting Feels Irresponsible. Isn't Watching Closely the Responsible Thing?
A. There's a scene in Star Wars where Luke switches off his targeting computer at the critical moment and trusts something he can't measure. People think that scene is about faith replacing skill. It's actually about faith following skill — Luke could only trust because he'd trained. Your financial plan is the training. You built it in a clear moment, stress-tested for storms exactly like this one. The plumb line — your true vertical — was set on a calm day for a reason: so i

Steve Martin
Jul 71 min read


Dollar-Cost Averaging — The Investing Strategy That Removes Emotion
Image via Freepik One of the biggest mistakes investors make is trying to time the market — waiting for the "perfect moment" to invest, or selling in panic when markets drop. Study after study shows that the average investor significantly underperforms the very funds they invest in, largely because of emotional buying and selling at the wrong times. Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) is the elegant antidote. What is dollar-cost averaging? Dollar-cost averaging means investing a fixe

Steve Martin
Apr 202 min read


The Miracle You're Probably Ignoring — Compound Interest
Albert Einstein reportedly called compound interest the eighth wonder of the world. Whether he actually said it or not, the math backs up the awe. Compound interest is interest earned on interest. When you invest money, you earn a return. When you leave that return invested, it also earns a return. Over time, this creates a snowball effect that is genuinely staggering. Here's a simple example. Suppose you invest $10,000 at an average annual return of 7%. After 10 years: ~$19,

Steve Martin
Apr 62 min read


How Cognitive Biases Impact Your Financial Future: Ten Common Mental Traps to Avoid
Introduction Your financial future isn't just determined by how much you earn or how markets perform—it's profoundly shaped by the...

Steve Martin
Jun 24, 20258 min read


117 Things We Do for Our Clients Number 32 -Provide a Financial Shield Between You and the Often-Alarming Media
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay We create a protective barrier between you and the constant stream of alarming financial headlines....

Steve Martin
Jun 12, 20251 min read


Kick-start Your Child's Financial Journey with Roth IRAs
Financial considerations for a child’s summer job or internship Summer break is here, and many young people will be working at a summer...

Steve Martin
Jun 3, 20253 min read


When Markets Turn Sour: Finding Financial Sweetness in the Midst of Turmoil
Image from Freepik Have you ever noticed how our most profound lessons often come wrapped in the most unappealing packages? That...

Steve Martin
Apr 7, 20253 min read


Callable vs. Non-Callable CDs: Making the Right Choice for Your Financial Future
In the world of financial planning, Certificates of Deposit (CDs) are a popular tool for investors seeking a safe, guaranteed return on...

Steve Martin
Nov 4, 20242 min read


How Do Presidential Elections Impact the Markets?
With news headlines constantly covering every aspect of the presidential race, you may be wondering how the 2024 election may impact you...

Steve Martin
Oct 7, 20242 min read


117 Things We Do for Our Clients Number 27 - Help You Identify Savings Shortfalls and Excesses
It can be challenging to strike the right balance when it comes to saving money. Just as it's difficult to know when we're not saving...

Steve Martin
Sep 6, 20242 min read


117 Things We Do for Our Clients Number 26 - Help You Determine the Risk Level of Your Existing Portfolio
When considering risk levels, it's natural to consider risk tolerance—the appropriate portfolio risk a person would be most comfortable...

Steve Martin
Aug 2, 20241 min read
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