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July 20, 2021
‘Rethinking Forward’ has been a life-long pursuit of study that began in college, continues fervently today, and will continue for the remaining time that I’m on this beautiful and amazing blue and green planet. ‘Rethinking Forward’ means going against the crowd, skating to where the puck is going to be, avoiding groupthink, and looking for the true meaning in the investment markets. In planning for being work-optional, it means not using the last 48-hour news cycle to plan for a 30-year retirement. Or to put it another way, it’s avoiding the recency bias of current information in making long-term decisions. […]
June 17, 2021
These days, planning to retire —or as we like to call it, making work optional— isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity. Making work optional has become too complex to just pick a day and stop showing up to work. And it’s more than complex— it is also expensive. You have to factor in expenses, taxes, and other spending. There are many ways to pay for it, but which ways are the best ways? How much do you need to save? How should you invest? Many pre-retirees don’t know the answers to these questions. As a result, there are several common […]
July 6, 2016
The Big Picture of Diversification: A Lesson on the Golf Course A few years ago, I was out playing golf with some friends. We had decided to play the Overland Park West course that winds through the upscale Nottingham by the Green neighborhood. On this particular afternoon the weather was quite wonderful; 75°, slightly overcast, very light breeze, with mild humidity. We began by taking our tee shots on the first hole. As with any tee shot, you must always think about your second shot. You must be mindful of trees, traps, hazards, and in the case of this course, […]
April 21, 2016
Choosing to retire is a huge step in life. Many times it’s an irreversible decision. At first glance it may seem as though it’s a daunting task. One that you’d like to push off to a later date. We encourage you not to push it off. Our clients will tell you that sitting down with us and talking through the process to retirement is rewarding. (Yes, everyone wants to know “Do I have enough to retire?” but we find that even though you may certainly have enough, you may not be mentally ready.) Being mentally ready for retirement is a […]
April 21, 2016
Few in our industry will tell you this. But I’m going to put it front and center… The primary determining factor of long-term, real-life investment returns is determined by the behavior of the investor. This primary factor is more important than all of the other factors for investing success combined together. Please, take a moment and re-read the previous paragraph. Research shows1 time and again that investors are best served making a financial plan, funding it with a diverse selection of quality investments, and then investing in those portfolios for a working lifetime. citation: 1 Brinson Study citation regarding 90% […]