Much like the buffet lines, the financial media served up a lot of “food” this year, not all of it of substance. In an effort to cut through to what is most important and what we need to pay attention to going forward
Author: Justin Smith
Knowing full well that financial planning is about far more than numbers, Justin loves to help clients walk through both the routine and the significant decisions in life. While he could have been perfectly happy with a career as a mathematician or counselor; he is delighted to get to be both...often within the same meeting or even sentence. Justin thrives on being able to transform complex financial and relational issues into practical plans and clear action steps.
Quarter in Charts – Q3 2020
COVID-19 Still Hits Hard “What a year this week has been.” That was the response I got from a friend when I asked him how things were going. And it is probably what most of us have felt as we process COVID-19, the economy, elections, and the market on top of managing work, family, school,
Quarter in Charts – Q2 2020
So, How Was Your Day? Your Quarter? Your Year? It’s hard to wrap my mind around the wildly different experiences we’ve all had over the last four months. For every quarantined person who has learned to bake sourdough, many more kids aren’t getting their school lunches. For anyone who has realized they can do their
Kids & Money – Greenlight: A Solution to Help Kids Save, Spend, Give & Invest
A couple of years ago, I wrote a blog post about how my wife and I are teaching our three kids about money. I covered the basic principles we’re trying to instill (Simplicity, Giving, Discipline, Compounding, Enjoyment, Responsibility, and Hard Work) and how those show up practically. While we have loved teaching these principles, the
Quarter in Charts – Q1 2020
From an economic and investment perspective, saying that the first quarter (particularly March), was without precedent is an understatement. Investors experienced the fastest bear market (from Peak to -20%) ever recorded in US stocks. But it wasn’t just down days that we experienced; we had plenty of dramatic positive days as well. As Nick Maggiulli
Individual Focus: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES)
Disclaimer: We’ve pooled several resources together to give you a comprehensive look at the new developments in tax and unemployment law changes since the onset of the Coronavirus. However, do not consider any of this to be tax, legal, or financial advice. We would be happy to talk with you more about your specific situation,
Small Business Focus: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES)
UPDATED: Note the updates to the PPP Section Disclaimer: We’ve pooled together some resources to give you a comprehensive look at the new developments in tax, lending, and employment law changes since the onset of the Coronavirus. However, do not consider any of this to be tax, legal, or financial advice. We would be happy
Do I Belong Here? – All-Time Market Highs and The Good Place
“On December 31st, the S&P 500 Closed at 3227.57, Within 0.35% of its All-Time High…” I would bet that reading the above headline tells you something. Maybe “Finally, I made it” or “How long can we keep this up?” or maybe even “There’s nowhere to go but down.” When my wife suggested that we start
Quarter In Charts – Q4 2019
It’s interesting to think about what an impact Julius Caesar had on the calendar and from that, our lives. I remember when I started at Smith Partners Wealth Management (then Jonathan Smith & Co.) in 2005. The great Legg Mason Value Trust mutual fund manager Bill Miller was in the middle of his 15th consecutive
The Quarter in Charts – Q3 2019
I come from a long line of people who can’t keep track of their things. When I was a kid, it was my soccer cleats or my homework. My dad (you might know him as Jonathan) would try to help. He would ask if I looked in the den or on the back porch. When