For high net worth families, one of the many pitfalls that is not often discussed when hiring and evaluating a wealth advisor is the use of “proprietary products” in their investment portfolio. The use of proprietary products is very common in the investment industry. Here is how it works: a family hires a bank or large financial firm to manage their investment assets.

According to a survey from PriceWaterHouseCoopers, 3 out of 4 business owners surveyed said they “profoundly regretted” selling their company. Watch this 2-minute video to learn about how we work with business owners to prepare for transition into retirement. You can also read our case study to get more details on our process.   GET A SECOND OPINION: Click here to take our Buyout Barometer® assessment. This

The U.S. economy grew by an annualized rate of 3.2% in the first quarter of 2019, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis in late April.  The growth was surprisingly strong, as the consensus estimate of Dow Jones-polled economists had estimated a Q1 growth rate of 2.5%.  The reading from the first quarter inspired confidence, as many economists and Wall Street pundits have

It’s pretty easy to succumb to cynicism and pessimism in the current environment. Nearly 60% of people believe the U.S. is on the wrong track. Trust in institutions is at or near all-time lows. Scandals, natural disasters, and mass violence are all too prevalent. If you start to extrapolate that out into the future, your perspective can get bleak pretty quickly. As an

The Boston College Center for Retirement Research published a recent report on retirement age and the factors that contribute to people retiring early.  The results were not surprising, although there were some interesting takeaways from the research.[1] The report on retiring early comes from other economic research, which suggests that many Baby Boomers have pushed out their estimated retirement age to 65 and

Husbands and wives are often out-of-sync when it comes to retirement because of differing views of how they’d like to spend their time. These differences are not necessarily a problem if you become aware of them ahead of time. To help you get started with this process of envisioning a meaningful retirement, we recommend thinking about someone you know who has “retired well”

The S&P 500 Index and the Nasdaq Composite closed at all time highs on April 23rd, marking a significant turnaround from the U.S. stock market’s decline at the end of 2018.  The S&P 500 Index closed the day at 2,933.68 and the Nasdaq at 8,120.82.  For the year, the S&P 500 Index is now up over 17%.  A combination of encouraging macroeconomic and

Academic theory of the financial world is often built upon one main assumption: that people are perfectly rational in making economic decisions and that these rational decisions by individuals help to create a high degree of efficiency in the broader financial markets.  Efficient markets work, as the theory goes, because all actors are behaving in ways to maximize their own self-interest.  And usually

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. This is not just good guidance for those of us trying to keep the peace at home with our kids this Easter. The need to diversify is so foundational to financial advice that it can seem absurd to even question it. But sometimes clients question us in ways that have made us rethink the conventional wisdom regarding diversification

Energy stocks have been some of the weakest performers of the U.S. stock market over the past five years.  It’s easy to understand why these stocks have done so poorly in recent history, given significant volatility in the underlying oil market.  Following a precipitous drop in the price of oil, which reached a bottom at below $30 per barrel of crude oil in

For the past ten years, we’ve had a strong bull market in equities; in fact this is one of the longest bull markets in history. That doesn’t mean that it’s been all upside for the past decade. For instance, the S&P 500 Index declined by more than 10% in late January / early February of last year. But the overall trend in the

Growth is an important theme at Brown and Company.  We place a tremendous emphasis on hiring great people, utilizing the latest technology to improve efficiency and re-investing back into the client experience.  It is through growth that we are able to deliver our best work to our clients. As part of our growth trajectory, we welcome the opportunity to work with new families

It is not uncommon to see old video footage of Steve Jobs or Jeff Bezos on social media. We’re all interested in what these influential leaders of two of the most iconic companies in the world have had to say. What is unusual is to see both of them say nearly the exact same thing in two separate interviews around the same time

A common fact pattern for our clients is that they will have multiple income streams when they stop working.  Social Security benefits, private pensions, annuity payments, income from real estate holdings, income from private equity and mineral royalty checks: these sources of income will often play a vital role in creating a successful long-term plan for financial independence. A common fact pattern in

Sir Edmund Hillary is widely known as the first man to have climbed Mount Everest. Hillary and his companion Tenzing Norgay reached the peak in 1953. There is some controversy, however, that another man named George Mallory was actually the first to reach the summit. Mallory’s climb occurred nearly 30 years earlier, but was never confirmed because he did not survive the descent. When

The Federal Reserve announced its expectation not to raise short-term interest rates any more in 2019, reflecting a more subdued forecast for economic growth in the remainder of the year.  Previously, the Fed had indicated that it expected to hike short term rates by a quarter percentage point twice more in 2019.  The current Fed Funds target rate will remain at 2.25-2.5%.  [1]

Martin Walsh attended the Barron’s Team Summit in Las Vegas in early February.  The conference is an invitation-only event, aimed at recognizing the achievements of the top financial advisors in the United States.  Mark R. Brown has been a perennially leader in Colorado atop the Barron’s Top 1,200 Advisors list. An annual event which Brown and Company has attended for the past several

In a world of increasing complexity and unprecedented technological advancement, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. As a result, simplification can be a real gift. Ask anyone who has recently tried to research and enroll in health care benefits, and they will gladly accept an expert’s offer to simplify all of it. When done well, simplification has many benefits, ranging from the emotional