One of the common questions we hear from clients is about whether they should keep an existing life insurance policy. This is often both a financial and emotional decision because it can be hard to determine if the need still exists, and because it can be hard to let go of something that has given you a sense of security for a long time. Here are some steps to take...
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For those experiencing Greece fatigue and tired of hearing how what is happening there is wearing on financial markets, I’ll apologize in advance for adding yet another commentary on the situation. For many Greek citizens the years ahead could prove to be challenging and difficult times and I certainly don’t minimize the pain this could cause. However, the upshot to this situation is there are many good lessons to be learned...
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Any golfers out there? Earlier this spring I read Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect (describing my game perfectly!) by sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella. In the book, he emphasized focusing on things within the golfer’s control to achieve better results. Rather than worrying about wind, what other players are doing, or complaining about the speed of the greens or depth of the rough, he encouraged golfers to keep...
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One of the greatest lessons you can teach your children is how to manage their finances. There is an incredibly delicate balance between enabling and equipping kids with financial resources. The old adage of “give a person a fish, feed them for a day…teach a person to fish, feed them for a lifetime” has some correlation here. Everyone is prone to financial mis-steps, especially those just embarking on first-time employment...
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Earlier this year, Foster Group CEO, Mark Stadtlander was quoted in an article published in the Wall Street Journal. The article, titled “How to Survive a Bear Market,” centered around how investors could protect themselves from the possibility of a bear market in stocks, in light of the fact that the current bull market is now more than six years old. Mark recounted some of the frustration he felt in back...
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I have noticed an uptick in home sales in our area. Once again, homes are selling in my neighborhood even before they make the real estate listings. The current national average rate for a 30-year fixed home mortgage is 4.04% as of June 11th, up from 3.87% at the beginning of the year. There are plenty of indications that interest rates will rise; exactly when, how much, and...
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Both Foster Group and Dimensional Fund Advisors believe everything we do should focus on acting in our clients’ best interest. We have partnered with DFA since 1994 as a mutual fund provider to increase the probability that our clients will have a successful investment experience. The work DFA is doing is being noticed in the industry; Morningstar just published their updated Stewardship report for Dimensional and has upgraded them from a...
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Last July, I wrote the blog, “Actively Losing,” which compared Crossfit to investing without much knowledge or the wrong kind of help. It’s not that the Crossfit program is bad, it’s whether you use good technique, the right amount of weight and follow the coaching of an expert. The same goes for investing; while the act of investing itself is not bad, doing...
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Ever wonder why somebody should hire a financial advisor – particularly in this information age when so many tools, spreadsheets, blogs, and articles are so easily accessible online? Yet Foster Group’s 97% five-year average retention rate and long-term client base argues that there is considerable value. I came across the attached article today that I thought was helpful – identifying seven...
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One of the greatest relational tools a person should have ready to use at any given moment is the tool I call the “Disruptive Question”. At first blush, it doesn’t sound too appealing, does it? But the premise behind this tool is to ask a question that causes the person you are engaging to stop and think. It is the kind of question that causes the other person’s...
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