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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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[Video] It’s Not About The Checklist

[Video] It’s Not About The Checklist MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP® As much as it’s about the checklist, it’s really NOT about the checklist.  We will be talking about this and exploring what that really means.  We’re really talking about moments with money rather than just checking boxes.  Firstly, let’s look at what this list may look like that we…

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[Video] Spring Cleaning: Two Types of Financial Documents

MICHELLE SMALENBERGER, CFP® It’s spring and we naturally think of spring cleaning! We’ve been inside most of the winter and you may start to see the piles of stuff climb up the walls. So, now you’re ready to get rid of some of that stuff. Let’s talk through a couple areas of financial documents you…

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A State of Mind When The Market Drops

A State of Mind When The Market Drops How do you typically respond when the stock market drops?  Are you concerned your investment values has dropped or do you see it as an opportunity to buy something at a lower price?  As part of investing your portfolio you need to understand how you feel when…

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Patience In Diversification

Patience In Diversification As you’re saving money over time a natural question will inevitably arise: How do I make my savings grow?  It’s important to assess your risk tolerance in the process. This is a matter of understanding what you’re willing to invest in or not invest in to make your funds grow.  As part…

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