What Can Nature Teach Us About the Markets
“A long summer always meant a long winter to come.” – George R. R. Martin The daffodils started blooming early this year. It was unseasonably warm, and I rushed out to take pictures before the inevitable cold snap took out the blooms. It was a flash of color against an otherwise colorless backdrop and an early preview […]
Why Isn’t Winning More Fun?
“We don’t have to be smarter than the rest; we have to be more disciplined than the rest.” -Warren Buffett Being a sports fan, I like many others, have been starved for the excitement of watching champions at work: Watching a crushing hit, a spectacular goal or an amazing play that many others may not […]
Who Doesn’t Want More Ice Cream?
Franklin providing more services as Fee Only Advisor. My oldest daughter, Sydney is now a teenager in high school. Jack and Walker both seem to be growing up too quickly as well. But they are not too old to still LOVE Ice Cream. We cannot keep ice cream, cookies or sweets of any kind in […]
Passing on the Savings
You’ve likely noticed all the ads for brokerage custodian firms rapidly slashing the cost of trades to zero on some of their most popular items, notably stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). At Franklin Wealth Management, we had already negotiated with our two custodian firms, TD Ameritrade and LPL Financial to reduce costs for our clients. […]
Tax Strategies for Year End – So Even Louie the Loser can Win!
With the end of the year rapidly approaching, there are many clients who are asking what they should be doing now to save on taxes before time runs out and we enter 2019. Even with the markets currently down for many stock indices, some clients may end up paying capital gains taxes on long term […]
Which Body Looks Healthier?
Are We Too Obsessed with Our Weight and Waistlines? All too often the media and even medical professionals tell us that thinner and lighter is better. As can be seen from the pictures above, most would agree this is not always the case. Many world class athletes regularly weigh in at levels considered moderately overweight […]
Hidden Costs, Expenses & Penalties
Just about every month I come across someone who claims that their investments don’t cost them anything or someone who doesn’t seem to understand all they are paying in internal expenses. All too often (in the case of those buying commission based products) they have been told that something they bought does not contain any […]
Which of the Four Are You?
All of us are innately wired to react certain ways when it comes to making investment decisions. Some of us are spenders while others are savers. Some are thrill seekers while others prefer to play it safe. Each of these personalities has good qualities and areas for improvement. We’ve found that being “self-aware” is the first step […]
Never Buy This in December
It seems that every year in December we get a multitude of calls from clients regarding a pretty common occurrence for certain types of investments.This month, most pooled investments pay out their capital gains to shareholders and the value of the associated account falls for a few days until the money is reinvested or paid […]
Protecting Identity and Assets
A few years back one of our California clients experienced a data breach at their local bank and became increasingly concerned about making sure their assets were protected from potential identity thieves. These particular clients have English accents and it would be hard to impersonate one of them on the phone, but in any event […]