Not every relationship is a "fit," and sometimes they just have to end when people aren't on the same page. Sometimes business partnerships and personal relationships have an end date, and the same might also apply to your financial advisor. Read more…
Stages of Wealth Management: The Process
Life is the culmination of stages. Within each stage, unique milestones exist that call for careful planning. Goals, desires, and priorities can shift and evolve. At the most basic level, early on, your focus is on asset accumulation. As you near your retirement, that focus shifts to growing and Read more…
Investment Management vs. Wealth Management: What’s the Difference?
It can be confusing to hear various financial planning terms and know what best suits your needs. They might sound the same, but investment and wealth management are quite different. Knowing the difference can help you align your financial goals with what is available when choosing an advisor. Read more…
Do I Need a Wealth Manager or a Financial Advisor? And What's the Difference?
When you’re looking for a professional to help manage your finances, the terms financial advisor and wealth manager might seem interchangeable. But when you take a step back and think deeply about the role you need that professional to play — and the value they offer — you start to see important Read more…
How to Find a Financial Advisor That Works for You
There’s an important detail to pay attention to when comparing advisors: The way they get paid. Unfortunately, not all advisors operate by the same methods, and how an advisory firm generates revenues and compensates its employees is a critical factor in the quality and type of advice you receive. Read more…
Financial Advisor Credentials: Which Are Most Important?
You may have noticed that advisors go by many different professional titles, which are often followed by a trail of different three-letter acronyms representing special designations. They seem important—but not all titles and credentials are as valuable as they sound. Read more…
What to Look for in a Financial Advisor
The potential value of a relationship starts with the person who will be guiding your financial decisions. You’re looking for someone with deep knowledge and experience to back up their advice, and you want to gauge whether that advisor is a good fit for your family’s needs. Above all, you want Read more…
Important Questions to Ask Your Financial Advisor
A productive working relationship with an advisor begins with trust and transparency. Even before you dive into the details of the advisor’s services, you want to understand key issues that reflect how they define and uphold their commitment to clients. This is true for any advisor, and is Read more…
Choose to Be an Optimist
We are facing risks unlike any we’ve dealt with in our lifetimes. Being told you’re in danger triggers all your evolutionary defense mechanisms intended to keep you safe. Unfortunately, none of these instinctive reactions are useful in the arena of long-term investing. Read more…
The Case Against Permanent Life Insurance
Nearly everyone needs life insurance, but it’s easy to end up with a bad policy. Read more…