Beacon Wealthcare

23 Aug 2018 Beacon Flash: “College Planning, Simplified,” with Advantage College Planning.

Posted at 09:04h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQjHN9X7ntE&feature=youtu.be Planning for college can be stressful and confusing. Brooke Daly and Lindsey Ringenbach, from Advantage College Planning, will present information to demystify the process of affording, searching, and applying to college. During their presentation, Brooke and Lindsey will discuss strategies for navigating the financial resources...

17 Aug 2018 Should You Buy or Lease Your Next Vehicle?

Posted at 11:56h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

After 5 years as a proud minivan owner, my wife and I recently purchased an SUV. For simple trips around Raleigh the van was adequate, but with our frequent treks to see my parents in Florida combined with the taxing drive through the mountains of...

10 Aug 2018 The Right Tools and Experience

Posted at 10:48h in The Friday Brief by Sam Bass Jr.

One of the joys of having our office at Five Points is the endless opportunity it provides to meet colorful people. Yesterday provided another one. About closing time, I heard some discussing the scene in our front parking as they headed out the door. Seems there...

03 Aug 2018 The Piano Man

Posted at 14:36h in The Friday Brief by Geoff Hall, CFP®, RICP®

Good financial planning is the process of making smart financial decisions over and over again. With time, these smart decisions compound on each other and give you the freedom to do more of the things that are important you. Just for fun, here is a...

27 Jul 2018 FOMO and Facebook: Why Diversification Matters

Posted at 10:12h in The Friday Brief by Jared Korver, CPA, CFP®

A couple of interesting things happened this week that led to this blog, but before I get to them, I want to start elsewhere. I did a very bad thing before I sat down to write this, which was to get on Redfin and look at...

20 Jul 2018 Inflation, the Fed, and Markets

Posted at 14:49h in The Friday Brief by Sam Bass Jr.

President Trump weighed in yesterday on one of the last truly apolitical federal institutions; the Federal Reserve. He bemoaned the possibility that their recent interest rate increases might derail his attempts to improve economic growth to what he believes is closer to its true potential...

13 Jul 2018 The Second Quarter of 2018

Posted at 13:26h in The Friday Brief by Sam Bass Jr.

The economy continues to plow ahead, despite the threat of trade wars and uncertainty of US trade status on this continent, Europe and Asia. For the year so far, stocks as measured by the S&P 500 and the Vanguard Total US Market index are up...

06 Jul 2018 Declare Your Independence from the Pitfalls of Aging

Posted at 11:06h in The Friday Brief by Sam Bass Jr.

We just celebrated our 242nd year of independence from the tyranny of King George’s taxes, tariffs, and regulations. A brave few representatives from thirteen British colonies signed their names to a document that would have resulted in their deaths as traitors to the Crown should...

29 Jun 2018 401k Bombs and the Fall of GE

Posted at 08:26h in The Friday Brief by Jared Korver, CPA, CFP®

In Barbarians at the Gate, a thrilling tale of the buyout of RJR Nabisco in the late 80s, there is an account of the development of a smokeless cigarette product called Premier that, while being ahead of its time in some respects, was also a...

22 Jun 2018 Planning and Social Security

Posted at 13:15h in The Friday Brief by Sam Bass Jr.

This year, some 45.5 million Americans will receive $63 billion in retirement benefits, according to the Social Security Administration. Of these recipients 65 years or older, 50% of married couples and 71% of unmarried persons depend on Social Security for more than 50% of...

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