When Should You Take Your Social Security?  

Created: December 9, 2022

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Description: This 3-page piece summarizes some of the most common factors that may influence whether to start taking Social Security sooner or later, and emphasizes planning based on manageable factors, rather than hopes or fears that are beyond our control.

Six Financial Best Practices for Year-End 2022  

Created: November 11, 2022

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Description: Share this piece with clients and prospects to offer six financial best practices for year-end 2022. This year's tips cover cash flow management, tax planning, healthcare coverage, and general financial planning in the context of 2022 events, including higher interest rates, inflation, and market volatility.

A Meaningful Message for Thanksgiving/Holidays (2022)  

Created: November 2, 2022

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Description: Use this short message to be in touch with your clients for the U.S. Thanksgiving or the general 2022 holiday season. The message shares gratitude and reflects on spreading gratitude on to others.

Back to the Investment Basics: White Paper  

Created: October 14, 2022

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Description: This nine-page white paper combines our recently published, multipart Investment Basics series into a complete piece covering five investment essentials: how important it is to save (so you have money to invest); how to invest efficiently in broad markets; why to avoid chasing or fleeing rising or falling prices, being patient, and investing according to your personal financial goals.

Back to the Investment Basics: Part 5 — Patience and Personal Persistence  

Created: October 12, 2022

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Description: This part 5 is the last installment in our multipart Investment Basics series, and covers two more essentials: being patient and ensuring personal financial goals drive the decision-making. Earlier parts explored the history of investing; how important it is to save (so you have money to invest); how to invest efficiently in broad markets; and why to avoid chasing or fleeing rising or falling prices.

Quarterly Client Letter – 2022 Q3  

Created: October 3, 2022

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Description: This quarterly client letter reflects on having entered bear market territory, and why it still makes sense to remain invested in a globally diversified portfolio that reflects each investor's personal financial goals. It references both current commentary as well as historical insights.

Back to the Investment Basics: Part 4 — The Price You Pay Matters  

Created: September 27, 2022

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Description: This part 4 in our multipart Investment Basics series covers how stock prices are set. Earlier parts explored the history of investing; how important it is to save (so you have money to invest); and how to invest efficiently in broad markets. Next up (and to wrap), we'll cover investor resolve, and setting personal financial goals.

Back to the Investment Basics: Part 3 — Our Marvelous Markets  

Created: September 16, 2022

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Description: Part 3 of a multipart series reminds investors to consider current market events in proper historical context (part 1), while depending on investment basics to move past today's challenges and future unknowns. In part 2, we covered the importance of saving. In this part 3, we cover market returns. In upcoming parts, we'll cover three more investment basics: market pricing, investor resolve, and personal financial goals.

Back to the Investment Basics: Part 2 — First Save, Then Invest  

Created: September 6, 2022

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Description: Part 2 of a multipart series reminds investors to consider current market events in proper historical context (in part 1), while depending on investment basics to move past today's challenges and future unknowns. In this part 2, we covered the importance of saving. In upcoming parts, we'll cover four more investment basics: market returns, market pricing, investor resolve, and personal financial goals.

Back to the Investment Basics: Part 1 — Remembering Summers Past   Free Sample (Click on title to download)

Created: August 29, 2022

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Description: Part 1 of a multipart series reminds investors to consider current market events in proper historical context, while depending on investment basics to move past today's challenges and future unknowns. In upcoming parts, we'll cover five investment basics: saving, market returns, market pricing, investor resolve, and personal financial goals.

Market-Timing Traps and Temptations  

Created: August 3, 2022

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Description: This commentary points to the surprisingly strong July 2022 returns (after awful returns during the first half of the year) to remind investors why market-timing remains ill-advised. As always, markets don't set prices based on whether news is good or bad, but whether it's better or worse than expected.

Our Take On Direct Indexing (UPDATED)  

Created: July 30, 2022

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Description: UPDATED FROM DECEMBER 2021: With the elimination of trading costs and the ability to purchase partial shares, more providers have been offering direct indexing to smaller accounts for relatively modest fees. But just because investors can engage in direct indexing, should they? It depends on the circumstances. This three-part report defines direct indexing, reviews its downsides, and describes its potential useful applications.

Quarterly Client Letter – 2022 Q2  

Created: July 4, 2022

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Description: This quarterly client letter touches on a series of disorienting conditions in current markets, such as the fact that stocks and bonds are down simultaneously, and reinforces sticking with one's long-term, globally diversified portfolio, including a value tilt when appropriate.

Six Ways a Recession Resembles a Bad Mood  

Created: June 14, 2022

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Description: This piece helps your clients and prospective clients put current market and recessionary concerns in perspective by describing six ways a recession resembles a bad mood. For example, they're both difficult to define, best seen in retrospect, and part of life. Besides describing what recessions are and how they work, a main message is that investors can't control the world around them, but they can control how they react to it. And you, as their advisor can assist with that.

Investing in I Bonds  

Created: May 4, 2022

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Description: An overview of what I Bonds are, why currently high interest rates might make them an appealing place to store cash reserves and/or emergency funds, caveats to consider, and how you can help clients incorporate them into their greater investment portfolio.

Quarterly Client Letter – 2022 Q1   Free Sample (Click on title to download)

Created: April 4, 2022

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Description: This quarterly client letter explores the essentials of investment planning amidst current market volatility, aggravated by inflation, interest rates, and economic concerns. It optionally points to the recently completed three-part report on the same.

Interest Rates, Inflation & Investing: Report Version  

Created: April 4, 2022

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Description: A compiled, three-part report that combines our multi-part series covering current concerns about interest rates (part 1), inflation (part 2), and what these influences mean to investors (part 3).

Interest Rates, Inflation & Investing, Part 3  

Created: April 1, 2022

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Description: Part 3 in a 3-part series covering current concerns about interest rates (part 1), inflation (part 2), and what these influences mean to investors (in this part 3).

Interest Rates, Inflation & Investing, Part 2  

Created: March 24, 2022

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Description: Part 2 in a 3-part series covering current concerns about interest rates (part 1), inflation (in this part 2) and what these influences mean to investors (part 3).

Interest Rates, Inflation & Investing, Part 1  

Created: March 16, 2022

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Description: Part 1 in a 3-part series covering current concerns about interest rates (in this part 1), inflation (part 2) and what these influences mean to investors (part 3).

Ukraine  

Created: February 24, 2022

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Description: A timely client reach-out with timeless reminders to guide investing during the current Russian/Ukraine crisis.

Healing What Hurts: The Essential Role of a Financial Therapist  

Created: February 16, 2022

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Description: This 3-page report describes the value a financial therapist can add to someone’s wealth management team when their own or a family member’s mental health may be interfering with their financial well-being. Points include when and how financial therapy can help, and how to identify an appropriate fit (including how your firm can assist in the selection).

Fighter Planes and Market Turmoil  

Created: January 26, 2022

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Description: Use this client reach-out to quell nervous reactions to current market volatility and encourage clients to stick with their existing investment plans.

Quarterly Client Letter – 2021 Q4  

Created: January 3, 2022

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Description: This quarterly client letter explores recent and future market returns in the context of investors' personal financial goals--considering the "parts" and the "whole."

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