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Financial Design Studio Financial Milestones

Celebrate Little Financial Milestones Along the Way

As corporate earnings start to roll in this week, we wanted to take a moment to remind you to celebrate the little financial milestones along the way.  Do you ever find yourself generally unhappy? Unhappy with your investment performance, financial situation or progress towards goals. Your accounts may all be up yet you still find…

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Financial Design Studio How Much Is College

[Video] How Much To Save For College?

MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP ® Now that you have a child or grandchild you may want to help them plan for college.  When they’re young we have time to plan ahead. We are going to look at a few different options to show the difference between college choices.  This will give you some idea to begin…

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Financial Design Studio Uncertainty

When You Feel Market Uncertainty, Look At The Facts

There are times when investors don’t feel very confident because of market uncertainty looming in the air. The past month has been a good example of market uncertainty. So what should you do when these times come? Look at the facts to gain understanding for what is expected ahead. The following list helps us keep…

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Financial Design Studio College Funding Overview

College Funding Overview [Video]

College funding is a topic we get asked about a lot for two reasons: the importance of the decision and the magnitude of it, or the money involved. You, as a parent, should think through the values you want to pass down to your kids.  Do you want them to focus on school and their…

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Financial Design Studio Good Stock

Buying Quality: A Good Company vs. A Good Stock

Buying Quality: A Good Company vs. A Good Stock We’ve talked about buying quality holdings to hold for the long-term. Especially during a market like we are currently seeing with the war of words and talk of tariffs on additional products. We discussed the importance of buying quality stocks in our post about financial shortcuts…

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Financial Design Studio Financial Short Cut

Be Careful Of Financial Short Cuts

Be Careful Of Financial Short Cuts At various times in your life you may remember when you tried to find a short-cut.  And if you decided to take that short-cut did it help you in the long run to achieve the goals you were hoping for? Your finances and investing short-cuts are no different. You…

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Have you received an inheritance and need to understand the steps to take or what to do?

[Video] What To Do When You Receive An Inheritance

[Video] What To Do When You Receive An Inheritance MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP ® Have you received an inheritance and need to understand the steps to take or what to do?  One of my favorite stories of a client who inherited funds from a loved one was all about the history of the person who left…

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Don’t Get Caught in the War of Words

Don’t Get Caught in the War of Words This week we have seen the trade talks now move to a new stage.  Moving from mere words to actual follow-through of them have many considering what action to take.  We want to caution you not to get caught in the middle of this war of words….

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Do Investors Have To Keep Up With The News?

Do Investors Have To Keep Up With The News? As an investor do you have to keep up with the news?  The answer really lies in how often you look at your accounts.  We’ll give you a couple of examples and you can decide how up to date you need to stay in order to…

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[Video] Happy Father’s Day

[Video] Happy Father’s Day STEPHEN & MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, EA & CFP® We wanted to share some things we learned from our dads on Father’s Day! Steve: I can remember a time when my parents dropped me off for camp and my dad saying, “If you want friends you have to be a friend.” My dad…

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Financial Design Studio Economic Status

Summer’s Economic Progress Report

Summer’s Economic Progress Report School’s out for a summer break, but that doesn’t mean the markets will take a break!  In fact, we were encouraging you a few weeks ago to skip the “Sell In May And Go Away” investing theory that believes summer is quiet with nothing to gain by staying invested.  This week…

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Be Sure to Stay Interested In Your Savings Accounts

Be Sure to Stay Interested In Your Savings Accounts How excited have you been to see on bank statements that you’re earning .0010% on the cash in your savings account for the past several years?  If you’re like many people it doesn’t excite you to see the small dollar amount that computes to. During this…

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