Needs, Wants and Wishes
Needs, Wants, and Wishes: A Smarter Approach to Retirement Planning I hope everyone is enjoying Spring. We go from treacherous to beautiful in a day! Yes, the market has volatility, but that’s a daily thing when you look closer. Let’s look forward to the days when you’re staring
Are You in It To Win It
Are You in It To Win It? Happy belated New Year, 2025. Needless to say, it has been a whirlwind start to the year. I hope yours has been as fruitful as mine. As always, I spend a lot of my time reading all of the different
Feeling Nostalgic
It’s the week before Christmas Day and as you might imagine, I’m feeling rather nostalgic. In my home, there are many pictures that reflect memories of what Christmas was when we were young. Now that I'm older, Christmas sure has changed a lot, but the memories live on.
How I Can Help You Achieve Financial Success
With over 40 years in the financial services industry, I bring the experience and knowledge needed to guide you through the complexities of investment decisions. Here are the benefits of working with me.
7 Money Mistakes That Make People Seek Help From Financial Advisors
I’ve spent years helping clients see and avoid these common money mistakes. We all make them, but the key is to learn from each mistake and solve the problems. Working with a financial advisor can help you avoid these issues, make a plan for the future, and give you the confidence to make good financial decisions.
Finishing Strong
I had this amazing blog on ROTH IRAs almost completed and a couple of things happened. First, the Summer Olympic Games in Paris started; and second, there was a slight stock market correction that had been percolating since mid-July. I LOVE the Olympics.
The TANSTAAFL Theory, Part 2
Do you have a “stress tested” plan for what your retirement looks like for you and your spouse? It’s easy to have a retirement account that is based on accumulation only, but what does your plan look like once you start “de-accumulating” or going into withdrawal mode?
The TANSTAAFL Theory, Part 1
TANSTAAFL. Yeah, this is a real thing. It’s an acronym for the phrase: “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” No free lunch demonstrates “opportunity cost” which says clearly, to get one thing that we like, we usually have to give up another thing we like. You just can’t have it all!
This One’s for the Ladies
This One's for the Ladies So where am I going with this one, you ask? Simple. There is a distinct difference between the investment traits of men and women. For the sake of this blog, I’m going to focus primarily on single people, as that’s my demographic.
You Are Here
Has someone or something told you that at this point in your life, you should have a net worth of a certain amount or a certain balance in your retirement accounts and other investments. Maybe you thought you would be retired by now. Who knows where you fit in this, but I know you fit somewhere!
Questions In Search of Answers
I had an old friend from my high school days in Knoxville reach out to me late last year. We spent the better part of an hour just reminiscing about people and common memories, but eventually, our conversation came back around to what exactly I do as a Comprehensive Financial Advisor. As my friend is getting ready to retire, he had several questions to ask me.
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year 2023
I hope it’s been a great 2023 for you. It has for me, but in different ways. As I’ve said on multiple occasions, Dad always taught me to work hard. He never taught me to play equally as hard. Retrospectively, there are several thoughts worth sharing.
It’s Hard to Steal Second Base
It’s Hard to Steal Second Base… "It's hard do steal second base with your foot on first!” This is a famous quote by Ty Cobb, a major league baseball player from the early 1900s who was known for his base stealing ability, among other things. Notably, he was
Balancing Your Assets
One common theme I'm seeing with my new clients is that nearly 100% of them have balances in their savings, investment, and retirement accounts. The other "elephant in the room" is that they rarely have any kind of plan or strategy for how to use these accounts. Their savings and emergency funds are earning virtually nothing when they could be getting upwards of 3-5% if positioned properly.
Talk Me Out of This!
When it comes to cars, I’m very brand loyal to Acura. I think I’ve owned eight over the last 30 years. My most recent one, I found while looking on their website four years ago. What made little sense about this decision was the fact that my current car at the time was in perfectly good condition and completely paid for. What was I thinking?
Wisdom from a Cocktail Napkin?
Years ago, at a woman I was dating had a gathering of friends at her home, which of course included a selection of cocktails. I don’t remember what I drank that evening, but I’ll never forget the stack of cocktail napkins on the table, which said, “If you are what you eat, then I’m QUICK, CHEAP & EASY.”
Mailbox Money
Wouldn’t you like to be like my songwriter friend and know that each month that your "mailbox" would deliver you a comfortable income you could not outlive? Getting there isn’t rocket science, but many years of knowing how all of the financial products are structured and how they work together in concert has definitely made an impact on the lives of my clients...
Attention Class of 1976
It’s hard to believe that for many in the class of 1976, we will hit the big 65 this year. I'm now entering an entirely new phase of my personal and professional life. And I have already learned that Medicare is the most confusing, convoluted, frustrating, and challenging insurance product I’ve seen in my entire career. I like to think I’m pretty smart when it comes to "all things insurance and investment" - but not anymore!
My New Normal
This blog was originally published March 2016. It’s been seven years since we lost Dad and I find myself either referring to him, quoting him, or just thinking of him every day. I’m learning that we all have our stories about death...I hope you enjoy this one.
Junk Drawers
I hope everyone had a great 2022, and it ended with a very peaceful & memorable holiday season. Over the holidays, I had plenty of down time here at home and in my home office. Regarding the home office, the purchase of a newer, better paper shredder was in order and it was definitely put to use. Years ago, Brian Tracy, an amazing professional speaker who I have seen multiple times, gave me “The Four D Rule.” What are the “Four D’s” you ask? Simple...
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Golf has been a great conduit to meeting some amazing people. You can get to know someone fairly well when you’re walking 18 holes together. It’s a sport that can bring out the best and worst in people, and I always choose to see the best.
Rumors of My Retirement (I’m Not Retired)
Rumors of My Retirement (I'm Not Retired) OCTOBER 2022 To Paraphrase Mark Twain… ”...reports of my retirement have been greatly exaggerated." This May, I wrote a blog entitled The Times they are a Changing as quite a bit was taking place in my professional life. There were three
What the Media Wants You to Think About
What the Media Wants You to Think About September, 2022 I found a great quote while putting this blog together. “Mass media doesn’t tell you what to think, but it tells you what to think about”. This is from Stanley J Baran’s definition of Agenda Setting. With
Seven Things to Do NOW
7 Things to Do NOW August, 2022 I’ve always thought that the saying, “May you live in interesting times” was a blessing or a compliment. However, Wikipedia sees it differently, saying that in actuality it’s a translation of a traditional “Chinese curse” said with irony or sarcasm.
Agnostically Contrarian
I am, as the title says, agnostically contrarian. As an advisor and an individual investor, I do not know what the markets are going to do in the near future. However, I can share some thoughts that I have...
The Times They Are a-Changin’
The Times They Are a-Changin' Happy Spring! I am loving the longer days, warmer weather, trees and plants coming alive again, and getting back out on the golf course with my friends. There’s a lot to unpack in this blog, and as the title says, things are
Random Thoughts for the New Year
Random Thoughts for the New Year Greetings and welcome to the new year! For the record, I cannot stand wintry weather nor it getting dark around 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. Thank goodness for Orange Theory, as I’ve become somewhat of an addict; their workouts 3 to 4 days
Memories of the Sears Wish Book
Memories of the Sears Wish Book Authors Note: I wrote this 15 years ago…the references that were once current are no more. A lot has changed in the Carden family, but the memories remain. What is it about Christmas that creates such nostalgia? I remember when I
Thanksgiving Thoughts From My Soul
Thanksgiving Thoughts From My Soul This was originally written in 2006. It is something that I have carried with me since I was five and it took decades for me to write. There are a variety of ways you might know me. You could be one of
By Trying Not to Lose, You’re Still Losing!
By Trying Not to Lose, You’re Still Losing! I’m blessed in that my friends and clients are regularly introducing me to their friends for my advice on “all things investment and insurance.” We can all agree there are a lot of conflicting opinions out there about everything
Reality Checks & Financial Myths
Reality Checks & Financial Myths Happy Summer! Hopefully, you are all getting your lives back to normal post COVID. I do not miss the solitude of my personal quarantine. I am enjoying going back to my workout classes. I am enjoying concerts and live music again in
Client Conversations…Q&A
Client Conversations…Q&A Long time, no blog! I hope this finds you well, healthy, and a little more relaxed than this time last year. I really do not have a theme for this post, just some random thoughts that might resonate with each of you. I am now
I’m Tired of Seeing 20/20
I’m Tired of Seeing 20/20! I have not blogged much this year, and I am sorry for that. This is one of the strangest years in my lifetime. Every time I open a word document & start writing, I immediately get stuck, for a lot of reasons.
Thoughts During the Quarantine
Thoughts During the Quarantine Well, here we are. Quarantined, working from home, or maybe not working, and dealing with something that only Hollywood could have dreamt up. I think I’ve gotten so many emails with QOVID in the subject line, that I just started deleting them. I’ve
What Got You Here
What Got You Here Happy 2020, by the way! We’re finally through the holiday season and are anxiously waiting for the time change to happen. This is my least favorite time of the year, but I’m blessed to continue to be busy serving current clients and all
Lessons from my Neighbor
Lessons from my Neighbor Happy November…the time change that I so loathe happened the other day & after 2 days of getting dark at 5PM, I’m already over it! 2019 has been a great year for me…am blessed to have lots of new referred clients that have
How Secure Is Your Social Security?
How Secure Is Your Social Security? …and I’m not talking about whether or not you will receive a benefit, nor if the Government will go bankrupt and not pay your benefit. Keep reading as I do have some pretty strong points to make on your personal Social
Are You Serious? Can You Fix It?
Are You Serious? Can You Fix It? Happy Summer. I’m enjoying the warm temperature and longer days. It’s easier to get those last 9 holes in when I’m able to play. Growing up in Knoxville, we had the best of the Eastern Time Zone in that it
What’s Your End Game?
What's Your End Game? Today is officially the first day of Spring. Hallelujah! Couple of things going on in my head these days…first of all, I wish the weather would make up its mind as to what it’s going to do…so does my yard! Secondly, I’ve been
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