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Time is our most precious resource and I thank you for allowing me to get a few minutes of your time each week. I hope you find the blog helpful and informative. Send me an email if there is ever a topic you would be interested in learning more about. I will research it and write a future blog about it.

Is Gold Actually A Hedge Against Inflation? Thumbnail

Is Gold Actually A Hedge Against Inflation?
Retirement Funding Insights

Well according to my television and financial "news" media the economy was on the verge of collapse this past April. The financial "news" media seemed excited about it and also excited to mention that gold had broken through to new all-time highs! And while that is sort of true because gold recorded a new nominal high price. Nominal in this context means unadjusted as it pertains to inflation which is all that really matters. They tend to leave that part out because it's not as sexy and doesn't scare people as much. Is Gold actually a good hedge against inflation?

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Companies Are Rational, The "Stock Market" Isn't Thumbnail

Companies Are Rational, The "Stock Market" Isn't
Investment Insights

Companies and what's referred to as the "stock market" are two different things. Companies are rational. The "stock market" is irrational. When you begin to realize that we are long-term goal-focused investors and we are owners of successful companies rather than just investors in the "stock market" you can change how you perceive the panic that the financial "news" media assaults us with on a 24/7 basis.

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11 Questions You Should Ask Any Financial Advisor You Interview Thumbnail

11 Questions You Should Ask Any Financial Advisor You Interview
Retirement Funding

I created this list as an education piece for any electric cooperative employee to use as they interview different financial advisors. My goal isn't that everyone who visits my site decides to work with me. My goal is to help you make an educated decision as you work through this process. If you are retiring soon or just exploring a relationship with a financial advisor, be sure to ask these 11 questions during the interview process. And interview at least three advisors. That should give you a good idea of whom you want to work with and why.

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The Three Main Stock Market Indexes Explained Thumbnail

The Three Main Stock Market Indexes Explained
Investment Retirement Funding

Everyday the financial “news” tells us the status of the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite because these are the three most followed indexes by media and investors. I’ve found through the years that many people have no idea what an index is or specifically what these three indexes represent. Today I’m going to give you a Cliffs Notes version of what an index is as it relates to the stock market, a brief explanation of the three major indexes

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Why Is The Stock Market So Volatile At Times? Thumbnail

Why Is The Stock Market So Volatile At Times?
Investment Insights

If you follow financial "journalism" at all you will inevitably hear how volatile the market is and how you should take action to protect yourself from the volatility. However, when we turn off the "news" and look at things rationally, we can see a completely different story. One that is actually true. It's not the market that is volatile. It's the investors that are volatile.

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Why "Beating The Market" Should Never Be Your Goal In Retirement Thumbnail

Why "Beating The Market" Should Never Be Your Goal In Retirement
Retirement Funding

Yearly portfolio returns are literally meaningless in retirement and conversations about them put me into a deep REM type sleep. The only thing that matters in retirement is that you don't run out of money (also known as purchasing power). That's it! It turns out that "beating the market" or an imaginary benchmark in retirement doesn't really matter if you don't have two nickels to rub together and you're looking for a job when you could be hanging out with your grandkids.

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