Blog

31 Aug 2023 The Secret Sauce Tastes Like Work

Posted at 13:40h in The Friday Brief by Jared Korver, CPA, CFP®

One of my all-time favorite sporting events—the summer Olympics—will be held in Paris next year, which means that world championships in sports like swimming, gymnastics, and track and field are being watched with an extra bit of scrutiny this year. But, while I love track and...

24 Aug 2023 The Problem of Hurry

Posted at 20:31h in The Friday Brief by Ellen Martin

I am thankful for a short, 13-minute commute to the Beacon office, which is just long enough time to listen to the Up First podcast to hear 3 main news stories of the day, and 1-2 good songs before starting the workday. Over the past...

16 Aug 2023 Three Investments That Should Pay Significant Dividends.

Posted at 17:05h in The Friday Brief by Geoff Hall, CFP®, RICP®

Recently, I made three different investments that I'm confident will pay significant dividends in the future. Normally, people in my profession should avoid making such statements, but I think I'm in the clear in this case. A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the importance...

10 Aug 2023 Three Personal Finance Books You Should Read With Your Kids

Posted at 13:28h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

Last Saturday the entire Beacon team, including kids, gathered at Jared's house to hang out and have dinner. On the drive home, Gwen asked a question that she and Jack ask from time-to-time: "Dad, what do you do at work?" My response is typically something...

03 Aug 2023 Financial Claustrophobia and 3 Non-Negotiables

Posted at 13:16h in The Friday Brief by Jared Korver, CPA, CFP®

In a recent podcast hosted by economist Tyler Cowen, the following exchange took place between Tyler and his guest, Noam Dworman (owner of the Comedy Cellar in New York City): COWEN: How important is the seating arrangement for a good comedy show? Do you think long and hard, how close together...

27 Jul 2023 Hospitals, Baker, and Bills – Oh My!

Posted at 19:24h in The Friday Brief by Ellen Martin

Before our son Baker was born in March, I often wondered what a labor and delivery bill looked like. How much is charged? How many providers will send me bills? How can I be sure they are all in-network? What am I personally liable for...

20 Jul 2023 Alternative Investments

Posted at 13:51h in The Friday Brief by Geoff Hall, CFP®, RICP®

Ask any group of financial advisors for their recommendations on how to invest for retirement and you're sure to get a wide variety of answers. That's not surprising given the multitude of different investment options, philosophies and strategies that exist today, and the fervor with...

13 Jul 2023 What Counting Crows Get Right About Memories

Posted at 12:43h in The Friday Brief by Ryan Smith, CFP®, RICP®, CTS™, MSFP

Somewhere on my desert island, all-time top five list of bands (s/o High Fidelity) sits Counting Crows. They released their first album, August and Everything After, in 1993 and you couldn't turn on the radio or switch on MTV without coming across Mr. Jones, the...

29 Jun 2023 How To Retire On Purpose

Posted at 13:26h in The Friday Brief by Jared Korver, CPA, CFP®

In the TV series The Bear—which, incidentally, is the best show I've ever seen—one of the main characters goes through a crisis of identity. Richie, or "Cousin" as he's affectionately known, needs a job and knows he needs it, but he is struggling with a deep...

22 Jun 2023 Money Stories

Posted at 18:03h in The Friday Brief by Ellen Martin

Someone recently asked me when I learned how to use Excel/Word/PowerPoint. I honestly couldn’t remember so I asked my older sister, who could pinpoint learning to use Excel formulas and create graphs during 8th grade computer lab. Before then, we just learned on our own...