The financial decisions we make on a daily basis, even some relatively small ones, can have a huge impact on our future. That's because of the power of compounding. We understand that a relatively small sum saved over time can grow into a very large amount in the future. But we rarely recognize how compounding can work for or against us in our purchasing decisions, which are more frequent and significant than savings decisions. This is an area where the concept of opportunity cost can be especially helpful.

It gives us great pleasure to announce that Jared Korver has joined our growing Beacon family. Jared comes to us from Ernst & Young LLP, where he worked as a CPA in its Raleigh, NC tax practice. He gets considerable joy from serving people and solving...

I'll be the first to admit that the idea of "financial planning" can sound about as exciting as an invitation to a friend's daughter's third grade violin concert. Throw in the fact that we are in-the-moment creatures, not naturally focused on the future and we begin to understand why planning is such a challenge for us. We are so busy managing the chaos of our daily lives, we simply can't afford to take the time to consider a future that seems to be coming at us faster than we can adjust.

For the past several months the subject of an impending market correction has moved to the fore of media attention and investor concern. With yesterday's stock market pull-back, more have joined the discussion.