Should you worry about volatility?
Most investors hate volatility; most advisors change the topic to risk management before they suggest you ignore the noise. So what causes the disconnect between regular investors and the pros? And do you need to pay attention to volatile markets? To answer those questions, we have to back up to discuss a few core concepts.
March 2025 market update
The new administration’s priority of “reindustrializing the U.S.” is coming into focus as tariff announcements - even if softened or rescinded - indicated that this is a policy, not just a campaign plank. Throughout the month, the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) continued its mandate of shrinking government with a raft of layoffs. Headlines on these two topics led to growing fears that an increasingly pessimistic consumer would stop spending, and that inflation would begin to spike once more. While the market response throughout February was to react with higher volatility, equities largely closed out February with only moderate losses.
After a natural disaster: The logistics
Accidents and emergencies can happen to anyone, but natural disasters cause an entirely different type and scale of destruction. Once you’ve ensured that your friends and family are safe, follow these steps to help protect your finances.
Be intentional with your wealth
Most people don’t set out to accumulate wealth for the sake of it. Rather, people want to live comfortably and provide for their families. After that, many hope to put their money to work in the world. Truly maximizing your wealth requires you to manage it with intention. And those conversations require you to touch on more than just your finances.
Start formalizing your family values
The prompts in this checklist can help you put words to your family values. Each value has follow-up questions to help you think about how different priorities might apply to your family relationships, community, finances, and life overall.
The different types of home insurance
Home insurance comes in six parts (A-F); each part covers something different. Not every home policy includes all six parts, so use this guide to help you check and evaluate your coverage.
How to build generational wealth
A 20-year study by the Williams Group found 70% of wealth is lost in the first generational transfer, and a full 90% by the third. Additional studies have shown that these monetary losses often translate to family strife. So how can you preserve the wealth you’ve built for your family for generations to come? Be intentional about your money and what you’re building, create an estate plan that provides for future generations, and keep up with financial planning.
February 2025 market update
January seemed to go on forever, as the country faced extreme weather and devasting wildfires. The new administration got underway with a lot of sound and fury, particularly around tariffs, which had been a highlight – or a wild card – of the campaign promises. This temporarily caused some market turmoil, but a reversal in short order seemed to validate the market’s perception that this business-oriented administration may have a bark that is worse than its bite.
