Beacon Wealthcare

14 Oct 2024 Staying Financially Secure in an Age of Data Breaches

Posted at 13:29h in The Friday Brief by Geoff Hall, CFP®, RICP®

Data security breaches are becoming increasingly common, and it’s always unsettling when your personal information is compromised. Whether you’ve recently been affected or simply want to stay ahead of potential threats, taking steps to protect your financial information is more important than ever. Here are...

10 Oct 2024 Open Enrollment Checklist

Posted at 14:47h in The Friday Brief by Daniel Logan, CFP®

As Fall settles in, many people start to think about their favorite seasonal activities: visiting the State Fair, carving pumpkins, enjoying bonfires, or simply savoring the crisp air. For financial planners, this season also signals the approach of year-end tasks, like required minimum distributions (RMDs)...

03 Oct 2024 Mailbag: What should our net worth be?

Posted at 13:43h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

A few weeks back I received the following email from a client in his early 40's, which he gave me permission to share: I would like to update (our net worth) if possible...

25 Sep 2024 Friends Don’t Let Friends Get Too Cute

Posted at 18:46h in The Friday Brief by Jared Korver, CPA, CFP®

My wife Amy and I are fairly rabid Formula 1 fans, which is definitely not something I would have had on my marriage bingo card 10 or even 5 years ago. But COVID changed everyone, and one of the ways it changed us was by introducing...

19 Sep 2024 Get a Helmet

Posted at 19:51h in The Friday Brief by Ellen Martin

I grew up watching Boy Meets World on ABC’s TGIF lineup like many millennials. One of the show’s promo videos must have included a clip with a scene with the line, “Life’s tough, get a helmet,” with the clearness I can still see it in...

11 Sep 2024 Investing During An Election Year

Posted at 15:21h in The Friday Brief by Geoff Hall, CFP®, RICP®

Late Monday afternoon, during a Beacon team meeting, I realized it was my turn to write the Friday Brief. Normally, I have a few ideas in mind, but this time, I had nothing. I admitted to Ryan, Ellen, Daniel, and Jared that I was stuck....

05 Sep 2024 Caregiving

Posted at 13:59h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

The September issue of the Journal of Financial Planning (JFP) has a sole focus: How to help the aging and those who are caring for them. The Journal isn't alone in tackling this issue, of course, and for good reason: the United States is getting...

28 Aug 2024 Mind the Investor Gap

Posted at 19:01h in The Friday Brief by Daniel Logan, CFP®

Jason Zweig of The Wall Street Journal is one of my favorite financial writers. Zweig recently wrote a piece that hit home for me: Messing Up the Closest Thing to a Sure Thing in the Stock Market. While the entire article could be quoted, I...

22 Aug 2024 Sports Betting and Poor Substitutes

Posted at 01:50h in The Friday Brief by Jared Korver, CPA, CFP®

You think we look pretty good together You think my shoes are made of leather But I'm a substitute for another guy I look pretty tall, but my heels are high The simple things you see are all complicated I look pretty young, but I'm just back-dated, yeah "Substitute" - The...

13 Aug 2024 Don’t Let Fear-Driven Headlines Control Your Financial Decisions

Posted at 16:57h in The Friday Brief by Geoff Hall, CFP®, RICP®

Last Monday morning, while on vacation with my family, I fell into one of the oldest traps in financial media. Despite knowing better, I opened the CNBC app on my phone to "check in" on the stock market. The top headline screamed, "DOW PLUNGES MORE...

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