How To Hold Steady When The Market Swings
I vividly remember a book series from my childhood called “value tales.” Each book chronicled someone famous and a trait that personified their success. Now, years later, I’m reading those same books with my kids. We just read “The Value of Humor,” which profiles the life of Will Rogers. Rogers’ prime years were during the […]
CIA Success Story: Couple Creates Income Streams Before Retirement
In today’s CIA Success Story, we share a story about a couple that was concerned they wouldn’t have enough money to live comfortably during retirement. After working their entire adult lives, and regularly receiving paychecks from their employers, there was a significant amount of anxiety surrounding the amount of money they would be receiving during […]
Are You Invested In Quality?
The markets in 2016 are off to a rocky start, but I believe that if you’re saving for retirement, owning quality, income-producing stocks and bonds should you give the resolve to remain calm. This isn’t to say that your portfolio value won’t fluctuate, but quality has weathered every storm. If you want to learn more about […]
Why Cheap Gas Won’t Last Forever
My wife’s family lives in Michigan, so most summers we spend a week in a quaint town right on Lake Michigan called Holland. It’s a 10- to 12-hour drive depending on how bad traffic gets through Ohio, so every summer I have a heightened sense of what gas will cost to make the trip. With […]
Financial Market Fear: 2016 Isn’t Off To As Rough A Start As You May Think
Just a week into 2016, and the market is off to a difficult start. If it feels like déjà vu, it is. Chinese market volatility has once again reared its ugly head and is causing anxiety in the U.S. markets. As of Thursday’s close, the S&P 500 is down 10% from its May highs. While […]
Trends to Watch in 2016 as You Plan Your Investments
Over the past several years making predictions about the upcoming year, I’ve noticed that every year the consensus (financial newspapers, strategists on Wall Street, etc.) defaults to “the market should do about 10 percent this year.” As far as predictions go, that’s a relatively safe one, as a 10 percent rise is right at the […]
CIA Brings Holiday Cheer to Clark’s Christmas Kids
For a quarter century, radio host Clark Howard has been raising money to get gifts to needy kids. Since the mid-1990s, those gifts have specifically gone to foster children in the state of Georgia. This year, our team took part in charity by adopting 45 kids for Clark’s Christmas Kids Toy & Gift Drive in honor of […]
Charitable Giving As Part of Your Financial Strategy
As you bring this year to a close and review whether you reached your financial goals, you should also be asking yourself one important question: Did I make charitable contributions in 2015? If your answer is yes, you likely made a smart move that can play out well for you financially. Yes, charitable giving is simply […]
New Laws That Will Affect Social Security Benefits in 2016
Whether you are retiring now or 10 years from now, you need to be aware of these important changes to Social Security. As of November 2nd 2015, President Obama signed, and thereby enacted into law, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. Subtitle C, Section 831 of this bill includes significant changes to social security benefits. […]
7 Steps to Increase Your Net Worth
When it comes to our financial health, there are plenty of numbers that we’re concerned about, but the one number that can quickly tell you how well you’re doing is your net worth. Your net worth is the total value of your assets minus your liabilities. This number can help you determine how your debt […]
