Does trying to figure out the ups and downs of the market make your head hurt? Are you concerned about investing right before a major downturn in the market? The link below contains insights about how difficult market timing has proven to be and how a long-term approach focused on what you can control has […]
Author Archives: Brian Lahr
20
Sep
Sep
Wonder if you’re missing out on the next big investment opportunity? Wish your investment portfolio would feel more stable? Do you currently hold assets only within the United States? If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, “The Randomness of Global Equity Returns” may be of interest to you. This piece explores: how investors […]
20
Sep
Sep
Are you nervous about a potential downturn in the market? Are you wondering if there’s a better way to invest? The link below describes 10 steps for pursuing a better investment experience. If you want to learn how we help people get more out of their time and money, visit our website or request a […]
05
Jun
Jun
Cash Flow Killer #3 – The Silent Killer How not to use a GPS device Within the last year, I had an idea to turn-off the voice notifications on my GPS before venturing out to visit a new client. Since I knew 90% of the route, my plan was to just look at the GPS […]
16
May
May
I hate admitting when I’m lost. On June 13, 2014, six hardworking guys put our seventeen-foot canoes into the chilly waters of Basswood Lake for five days of restoration, exploration, and memory-making, but our trip didn’t start out exactly as we planned. Basswood Lake is in heart of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), a […]
02
May
May
“Where is our money going?? How is it possible that I’m a financial planner, I can make a good living, and I still feel completely stressed out about money?” Almost exactly 10 years ago, I realized that I didn’t have a good handle on my family’s cash flow management. The realization was hard to admit; […]
13
Mar
Mar
There are many reasons why people who could retire are hesitant to do so. Some people think they need to wait until they’re 65 or older. Some are worried about running out of money. Many parents want to keep supporting their children through some major life transition, like college, marriage, or buying a first home. […]
14
Jan
Jan
What kind of retirement do you think you’ll have? Qualitatively speaking, what if the success or failure of your retirement begins with your perception of retirement? A whole field of study has emerged on the psychology of saving, spending, and investing: behavioral finance. Since retirement saving is a behavior (and since other behaviors influence it), […]
08
Dec
Dec
Are the days of itemizing over? Not quite, but now that H.R. 1 (popularly called the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act) is the law, all kinds of itemized federal tax deductions have vanished. Early drafts of H.R. 1 left only two itemized deductions in the Internal Revenue Code – one for home loan interest, the other […]
21
Nov
Nov
A Roth IRA is a tax-advantaged investment vehicle for retirement savings, much like a 401(k) or a traditional IRA, with the notable difference being that one contributes after-tax dollars to this type of account, rather than contributing pre-tax dollars like one does in a traditional 401(k) or IRA. The Roth IRA was designed by Congress […]