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Employee Spotlight: Meet the Team Member (Chad Hamilton)
This is the first in a new series of posts where we feature a member of our team using a Q&A format so you can get to know them a little better – both personally and professionally. We have added three new team members this year, and one of those is Chad Hamilton, who joined ... Employee Spotlight: Meet the Team Member (Chad Hamilton)
Business Transition Options: Assessing the Pros & Cons of Different Exit Strategies
If you own a closely-held business, it is crucial to have an exit strategy worked out in advance to help ensure that you meet the personal financial and business objectives you’re hoping to achieve. Below is a visual that shows the four primary exit routes for business owners: To understand which option is most appropriate ... Business Transition Options: Assessing the Pros & Cons of Different Exit Strategies
Creativity Starts with Empathy
One of the wisest sayings is “The more I learn, the less I know.” In 1817, the poet John Keats wrote, in a letter to his brother, about how the world is far more complex than we could ever imagine. Due to our limited experience and perceptive abilities, we only glimpse a small portion of reality. Seeking ... Creativity Starts with Empathy
Understanding Your Withdrawal Rate: How Much Can You Afford to Spend in Retirement?
The concept of a retirement withdrawal rate is a critical component of planning for successful financial independence. The withdrawal rate is a middle ground between two competing forces: maximizing cash flow in retirement, while simultaneously preserving the inflation-adjusted value of your investments over the long-term. By withdrawing too little, you can deprive yourself of discretionary ... Understanding Your Withdrawal Rate: How Much Can You Afford to Spend in Retirement?
Mortgage Rates Update
Mortgage rates in the U.S. fell to three-year lows recently, with the average 30-year fixed mortgage pricing at approximately 3.55% at the end of last week. The 3.55% rate approaches the lowest 30-year residential mortgage rates ever seen in the U.S. housing market, which occurred in 2016. While most economists initially forecasted flat to rising ... Mortgage Rates Update
How We Provide Advice: A 150-Point Inspection
One of the most common questions we’ve heard from prospective clients over the years is “If I become a client how will you help me?” It’s a good question and reveals the fact that it can be very hard to understand the services that a comprehensive wealth advisor will provide or the process they will ... How We Provide Advice: A 150-Point Inspection
401(k) Millionaires in the U.S. Reaches New High
In a bit of promising news for U.S. retirees, Fidelity released a report this week detailing a record number of 401(k) and IRA millionaires in the U.S. Fidelity estimates that the number of U.S. workers who now have more than $1 million in their 401(k) or IRA to be at approximately 375,000.[1] Due to a ... 401(k) Millionaires in the U.S. Reaches New High
Creating Your Retirement Paycheck (Part III) – It’s Not About Cash; It’s About Cash Flow
This is the last in a three-part series of articles designed to help you better understand how to create a sustainable stream of income in retirement. Here is how we’ve organized the sections by topic: It’s not about returns; it’s about your account balance (read it here) It’s not how much you earn; it’s how ... Creating Your Retirement Paycheck (Part III) – It’s Not About Cash; It’s About Cash Flow
The Latest on U.S. Inflation
U.S. inflation remains relatively low, with the latest monthly reading of the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) coming in at an annual rate of 1.8% in July. To put this number into context, since World War II the annual U.S. inflation rate has averaged above 3%.* Currently the U.S. Federal Reserve is targeting a 2%+ ... The Latest on U.S. Inflation
Global Interest Rates Turn Negative Yet Again
Over the course of the past decade as part of the recovery from the Global Financial Crisis, we have witnessed an economic phenomenon that has been most unusual—negative interest rates. Indeed, interest rates on sovereign bonds in Europe have once again fallen below zero in 2019. The German 10-year bond has now spent a record ... Global Interest Rates Turn Negative Yet Again
Plan B™: Retirement Planning for the Unexpected
We know that as life happens, plans change. Nothing works out exactly as planned. Whoever thought the entire world would be shut down for a virus? Plan B™ is an important part of Brown and Company’s personalized financial analysis and retirement consulting services, custom tailored to help you deal with the ‘What if?’ scenarios life ... Plan B™: Retirement Planning for the Unexpected
Nothing Costs More Than Cheap Advice
There is an old saying in business that “nothing is more expensive than cheap advice.” This maxim articulates an important truth—that sometimes in our attempt to save on fees we reduce the quality of advice that we receive, leading to potentially much higher costs down the road. It is another version of the adage of ... Nothing Costs More Than Cheap Advice