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[Video] Merry Christmas
[Video] Merry Christmas STEPHEN & MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, EA & CFP ® We are having a Christmas Tree Drawing Contest! You can vote for who you think draws the best tree. As we think about Christmas we are reminded it’s not just about gifts. Even something just as silly as our tree drawing contest these holidays…
Do You Have The Stomach [For The Stock Market Roller Coaster]?
Are you someone who likes the Tea Cup rides at festivals or theme parks? Maybe you prefer the roller coasters that move through highs and lows at rapid speeds? Whatever your stomach for these rides, does it correlate to your stomach for the stock market turns and ups and downs? Promising News & Volatility In…
![[Video] Why Your Business Number's Plan Matters](https://financialdesignstudio.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Video-Why-Your-Business-Numbers-Plan-Matters-589x328.png)
[Video] Why Your Business Number’s Plan Matters
MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP ® In a previous video we’ve talked about keeping the books for your business up to date, including all your income and expenses. Today, we’ll talk about why that matters. Here’s a progression of your business from when you start to the growth mode that you find yourself in. In the beginning…
More Questions Than Answers
Do you ever go through seasons where you have more questions than answers? And when you get one answer you feel like it just creates even more questions? This is how I would describe the news of the week and the market movement that followed. Consider in our recent blog posts where we have discussed…
This Year’s Charles Schwab Conference [Long Version]
I’m writing to you as I fly home fresh from Schwab’s annual conference held in our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. There couldn’t have been a better place for this year’s conference as we anticipate next week’s mid-term elections and recent market volatility. To summarize my experience at the conference it is this: my humbling respect…
[Video] A Thanksgiving Greeting
STEPHEN & MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP ® Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 from Michelle and Steve! Were there big changes in your life this year? Let’s sit back and reflect on all to be thankful for this holiday!
Remember To Keep A Thankful Perspective
We talk a lot about keeping a long term perspective. But what about keeping a thankful perspective? Just like the long term perspective keeps us from making short term investing decisions, a thankful perspective can too. Many of you haven’t forgotten the financial crisis of 2007-2009. However, have you forgotten how the market has performed…
The Election Brought Clarity, But Is It All Good News For Investors?
In the days following Tuesday’s election we have seen the market move higher. It has been regaining the momentum lost over the month of October. Tuesday’s election results have brought clarity for the months ahead. Remember, the market does not like uncertainty so with the elections behind us is it all good news? The Republicans…
[Video] Understanding Stock Gifts
MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP ® Let’s take some time to talk about the behind-the-scenes of stock gifts. This is when you are giving stock you own to charities or not-for-profit organizations. That’s exactly what is happening you give them shares of stock because you want to give them money. One benefit to you is that you…
How do product trends affect your investments?
With the past six weeks of market volatility we understand it’s been discouraging to see the effect of this market pullback. And there has been an encouraging bright spot this week! During the week we have seen the market try to make positive moves, only to move lower. But even those brief moments higher are…
[Video] Small Business Retirement Plan Options: 401(k)
STEPHEN SMALENBERGER, EA ® We have already talked about setting up a retirement plan for a company that’s not incorporated. What if your company is incorporated? What options are available now with a 401(k) and what’s different? With an S-Corp you’re required to pay yourself a reasonable salary. This just means that out of your…
This Is What Progress Looks Like
What does it look like when you’re making great progress toward completing a project or solving a problem for the first time? Does every step move along with ease? Or do you find small things that need fixed along the way? So then it feels like you take one step back to take two steps…