At Haas Financial Group we love statistics! We often play a fun game where someone has a statistic and the other person has to guess what they think it is. Oftentimes the actual answer is wildly different than what we were thinking. That proves the point that conventional wisdom is often not in line with the statistic and it leaves us trying to figure out why there is a disconnect between what somebody should be doing and what they're actually doing. In this podcast episode, we highlight some surprising facts in financial planning and investing. Will you go "huh" after listening?
In this podcast episode, we provide a checklist to help prepare for your final career year. This is partially a financial conversation, but what we've come to recognize is that during this time of change, many experience fears of getting it wrong, failure, and anticipating loneliness. There's a big psychological hurdle to approaching financial independence too. When we talk about preparing, it's really to help with those emotions and provide a sense of financial security. If you are thinking this may be your last year of work, there are also financial considerations for your bridge years. What happens when your paycheck stops? Do you know what your monthly expenses are? Have you thought about a budget? Have you thought about healthcare?We've walked many people through this process and if you're not really sure about the next steps to take with this checklist, then reach out to us!
Nobody wants to relive the results of last year from a market perspective. But, we can use this historical context as a guide to shape our outlook for 2023. The odds of us having a positive year this year are in our favor, even though we are still facing many of the same issues. Ben and Adam hope that giving some historical context will help investors understand what to expect from investments this year.
The New Year naturally presents a time for people to hit the reset button and think about what matters most to them, especially through the lens of financial planning. When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier. We use your Statement of Financial Purpose as a powerful tool to help align what you're doing in your life from a financial perspective. We are big proponents of aligning your values, vision, and wealth. When we understand the context of what matters most to you, it helps us walk through the pros and cons of financial decisions in a different way that isn’t just about the numbers.
We are quickly approaching the end of 2022. In case you missed some of our podcast episodes this year, Adam and Ben recap their favorites from the year. If you have some downtime during the holiday season, it may be the perfect time to take a listen!
In this episode, we run through some financial housekeeping items to cross off before the end of the year.
Change can be hard, especially when transitioning into retirement and figuring out new routines in life. You may be surprised to realize it's hard to change your pre-retirement mindset of saving to a post-retirement mindset of drawing down your investments. Now your savings is finite. We can help you overcome the fears of: Did I save enough? How do I know when I'll run out of money? Where do I pull money from? Our goal is to help you balance that excitement of doing the things you want to do during the go-go years of your retirement by making a plan that tracks if your money and spending can last your lifetime. Check out this episode to find out how we guide people through this process.
How big of an impact do mid-term elections have on investment returns? Historically mid-term election years have been poor performing investment years. The good news is that the year following a midterm election year, the S&P 500 has been higher every single time since 1950. Getting on the other side of elections should be good news for investment returns. The most important thing is staying the course. In times of doubt, review your financial plan to make sure it still fits.
We recognize resiliency is not easy. We are here to review your retirement plan, review it often, and make changes when necessary through our financial planning process. In this podcast episode, we discuss the importance of staying on your financial path so investments don't affect your big picture plan.
Saving for college is something that definitely matters to a lot of those that we work with (parents and grandparents) because continuing education is important, and because it’s not cheap! Student loan debt is all over the news. In the absence of saving, you’re stuck with loans. In this podcast episode, Ben is joined by our newest member of the Haas Financial Group team, Mike Hendrickson. They discuss the different ways you can think about saving for college, and perhaps more specifically, why the very popular 529 Plan may NOT be the right fit for you.
Most people aren't comfortable talking to others about money. But, Social Security is a universal financial topic that most feel okay with discussing with others because we all get to make an election decision by age 62. More than 50% of people choose to take Social Security early because they need the income in retirement. But what if your decision on when to elect Social Security isn't apparent? What could sway you one way or another to elect or not?
If money wasn’t an obstacle, would you change anything about your life? Then the most important follow up question: WHY? This podcast is not only for those living in the lottery world. If we truly believe that money is the tool that's going to help you live the life you want to live, then we need to think about what you value most. In our planning process we will ask questions to get you thinking about what you value. This may go outside your comfort zone, but our goal is to help you figure out how to align your money with your values, so you can live a fulfilled life.
