Thing One Three Roles If you’ve been reading this newsletter for a while, you’ve undoubtedly seen us touch on life insurance more than once. That’s not by accident. It’s one of the most misunderstood—and often underutilized—tools in personal finance. So whether this is a refresher or your first introduction, let’s break down the real reasons someone should consider owning a life insurance policy. At its core, life insurance isn’t about fear—it’s about planning. And when use

Thing One Choose Carefully Several years ago, the organization that oversees the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards conducted a revealing experiment. They wanted to see whether prospective clients would truly evaluate an adviser’s competence—or simply respond to confidence and presentation. They hired a professional DJ, gave him a crash course in financial buzzwords, dressed him in a sharp suit, and placed him in front of individuals actively searching for f

Thing One $1,000 at Birth, $5 Million by Age 65 Much has been made of the division in our country. In fact, hardly a day goes by when some media personality or politician isn't on camera or on social media highlighting the disparity between the haves and the have nots. The only solution ever offered up by the critics though seems to be some type of Robinhood scheme where the rich are taxed and the money is given to the poor. Unironically for those of us who have been payi

Thing One A Medicare Open Enrollment Primer Medicare Open Enrollment, which runs from October 15 to December 7 each year, is your opportunity to review and change your health coverage for the coming year. Even if you’re satisfied with your current plan, it’s important to review your options — plans change their premiums, coverage, and provider networks annually. During this period, you can switch between Original Medicare (Parts A and B) and Medicare Advantage (Part C), c

Thing One The Savings and Inflation Relation(ship) Savings accounts and high-yield checking accounts certainly have their place in a sound financial plan. They offer liquidity, stability, and easy access to funds for emergencies or short-term needs. But the truth is, the modest interest they provide rarely keeps pace with inflation. For example, if a savings account pays 1% annually while inflation runs at 3%, the real rate of return is actually -2%. That means your money i

Thing One What Would You Do? Here's a question for you: If your best friend told you he was making lots of easy money trading options, what would you do? The answer is, you should do what you want. But, if you do decide to start trading options, you should get some understanding of what that really means. And, hopefully, as a part of gaining that understanding, you’d come to the same conclusion that many people, including the ones at clarkfinancial.com , have: “Th

Thing One Who Needs A Financial Advisor And Why Planning for Retirement As retirement approaches, financial decisions become more complex. Questions about when to claim Social Security, how to draw from savings, and how to keep income lasting for life can feel overwhelming. A financial advisor can design a tax-smart withdrawal plan and align investments with your long-term needs. Managing Wealth or Complex Finances Those with significant assets, multiple income source

Thing One Where There’s A Will, There’s A Say Having a will is one of the most important steps anyone with assets can take, regardless of age or wealth. A will ensures that your property, money, and personal belongings are distributed according to your wishes, rather than leaving those decisions up to the courts. Without one, state laws (known as intestacy laws) determine who inherits your estate, which may not align with your preferences. This can also cause unnecessary

Thing One Just .5%More The following is an excerpt from a marketwatch.com article written 12 years ago about the impact that earning .5% more on your investment portfolio over the long term. It is as relevant today as it was then... "(Let's consider) the lifetime impact of gaining an extra 0.5% of annual investment return. . . . The key here is to think about the long term. Many investors habitually think in terms of what we gain or lose in a short period: a month, a

Thing One Vanguard’s Three Questions The Vanguard Group, a Registered Investment Advisor with over $7 trillion in assets under management asks three questions in determining whether their clients need a financial advisor: How confident are you in reaching your financial goals? (Retiring, budgeting, withdrawal strategies, reducing debt, etc.) · Highly confident? · Somewhat confident? · Not very confident? How would you prefer to receive advice? ·