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Friday, September 27, 2019

You are planning for your children to become self-supporting—but are they? According to a recent study, 70% of young adults received support from their parents last year, often living with their parents because of financial needs.

Friday, August 30, 2019

(But rather, what you do know that isn’t true!) According to a recent report, investment returns over the past two decades show a stunning failure by individual investors. Over the period of June 30, 1999 – June 30, 2019...

Friday, June 28, 2019

In recent years, the media has implied, and even suggested, that investment advice is simply a commodity, and that a smart, non-professional with internet access has all the tools he needs. Is this true? It’s true that many...

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Do you keep your financial records in a junk drawer? After all, a junk drawer is a quick, easy filing system, and you always know where everything is – pretty smart. Really? What if even simple and basic organizational habits...

Friday, March 29, 2019

For a long time, Americans have tended to dismiss Social Security as too little to matter, or likely to “not be there when they retire.” Those objections tend to go away as retirement approaches. As Boomers approach...

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Thursday, February 28, 2019

What metric do you use to measure your financial progress? Do you rely on your feelings? Your thoughts? Or do you rely on what you know? If you could only pick one, which would it be? … Be careful, your answer matters a lot! If...

Thursday, January 31, 2019

That depends. How long will you live? Financial advisors call this longevity risk. Basically, it’s the simple relationship embodied in a question that almost every hard-working person asks: “will my money last as long as I...

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

As the year closes, it’s a good time to consider the path you’re on. Are you sure that your financial plans will be accomplished? How do you know? Are there questions you should be asking at this point in the journey? For...

Friday, September 28, 2018

But What if it Requires More? Consider: That a portion of your retirement account actually belongs to the Federal government (in the form of future taxes), and that the government’s formula for retirement distributions may mean...

Friday, August 31, 2018

Listening to financial advisors, you could easily get the impression that retirement planning requires a special costume, secret words or a crystal ball. Actually, nothing could be farther from the truth. The concepts and strategies...

Friday, August 3, 2018

In 2018 Americans will experience the most far reaching tax reform change since 1986. The changes are foundational and impact nearly every person and business. The new law will have winners and losers, and you want to end up on the...

Friday, June 29, 2018

No one likes cold water thrown in their face. However, if your primary retirement savings vehicle has been your 401(k), you may be in for some of that. When it comes to your savings strategy, ask yourself: have you chosen to pay tax on...

Thursday, May 31, 2018

Hint: She’s Had Your Number for Years Is retirement different for men and women? YES! Women tend to live longer than their partners, an average of five to eight years longer. They also tend to retire earlier than men for various...

Friday, May 4, 2018

What if the Least Important Thing in Retirement is … $$$? Retirement is supposed to be a happy time, but what if it isn’t? You may be surprised to learn that a successful retirement isn’t just about how much money...

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Many enter retirement married but, sadly, few couples leave it together. In most cases, wives outlive their husbands. We've all heard this, and dispatches from beautiful places like Sonoma or Naples, where the women outnumber the men,...

Friday, February 23, 2018

Does Your Financial Advisor Facilitate This Discussion? With all the noise about the new tax laws, have you heard how the changes affect you? It’s a good time to ask: My family owns a small business and I’ve heard that I...

Friday, January 5, 2018

You Didn’t Think You’d Need It. You Weren’t Sure It Would Be There. But You Paid It Forward on Social Security, and Now It’s Your Turn. How Do You Get the Most Income? How Does Your Decision Impact Your Spouse?...

Friday, November 17, 2017

Retirement is like going on a cross country trip without knowing how long you’ll be gone for. How much money should you set aside? What happens if something goes wrong with your car? Will your trip lead to days at the beach? How...

Friday, November 3, 2017

Financial procrastination is not a common term, yet many of us see it in our daily lives. While late fees on a routine bill may seem like a small cost, the real cost for financial procrastination can be quite large. What’s worse,...

Friday, September 29, 2017

But what about identity theft? This recent Equifax breach has left many of us wondering what it means that we “may have been impacted.” The truth is, we don’t know yet. Identity thieves are patient, often waiting...

Thursday, August 31, 2017

You hear the term ‘Fake News’ thrown around a lot these days. It makes sense—our media has been caught in lies, and celebrity culture threatens to overtake more important things. But beneath the term ‘fake...

Monday, July 31, 2017

Have you avoided investing over the past few months or years, thinking that, because the future was uncertain, you were avoiding risk? If so, are you frustrated? Many people think risk and uncertainty are the same thing. However, if...

Friday, July 7, 2017

Is it a general sense that you have “enough”? Is it because your investment performance has been good the last few years? Does it come from comparing yourself favorably to others? OR Is it because you’ve had an...

Friday, June 2, 2017

Safe Distribution Rate, Value Investing, BLACK SWAN, High Yield Bond, CDSC, Mortality & Expense Ratio, Value Trap, Separately Managed Account, Limit Order, Hedge Fund, Emerging Market, Currency Risk, Tax Loss Harvesting, Market Neutral...

Friday, May 26, 2017

From it’s very first note, the song played at a military funeral, sunset and flag ceremonies, floods my memory. Personally, I think it is one of the most moving songs I know; just a single bugle and played entirely from the C...

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Chasing returns is a popular form of the game called, “I can tell when it’s time to get in the stock market, and when it’s time to get out,” a favorite of amateur investors for many decades. This is a dangerous...

Friday, March 31, 2017

Four questions to ask before you retire. Will I outlive my assets? How can I know? I love my life, but I cannot imagine living another three or four decades. Do I really need to be prepared for that? Could health care expenses be a...

Friday, March 3, 2017

Is it worth the cost to hire a financial advisor? Wouldn’t I be better off keeping that fee for myself? These are excellent questions and the answers depend on many factors. Recently, two well respected firms have weighed in....

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Do you need a financial advisor? Americans today want help in planning a successful financial outcome. But while there’s no shortage of advice— conferences, seminars, books, and, yes, financial columns in the media —...

Friday, January 6, 2017

Is conservative the new aggressive? Everyone wants the perfect investment—high returns and low risk. But it’s interesting that many clients who once described themselves as aggressive investors, now shy away from taking...

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Luke Perry of Beverly Hills 90210 fame just turned 50. He once referred to himself as "mad, bad and dangerous to know," and now he is 50 years old and on the cover of the October issue of the AARP magazine. Does that make you feel...

Monday, September 26, 2016

You’ve probably worked hard to create a retirement plan that will sustain you in the future and allow you to focus on your passions and family. But did you know that there are some factors that could derail your retirement...

Monday, September 19, 2016

Do you get stressed over our unpredictable economy? Watching the market every day can be frustrating or exciting or both. You do your part, working hard to save for retirement and choosing suitable investments. But just doing your part...

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

As a boy, I recall my grandfather showing me his closet full of neckties and telling me, "never throw your ties away." He told me that even when a tie went out of style, with just a little patience, the style would make a comeback at...

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

If someone were to ask you, “What level of excitement do you feel for a life insurance review,” what would your response be? You might respond that you’d rather stare at a broken TV, watch your phone recharge, or only...

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

We would all love to spend less time worrying about our finances. One of the simplest and most effective strategies to make this a reality is first to spend some time organizing your financial house. By investing some time upfront, you...

Monday, June 27, 2016

As you’ve likely heard in the news, voters in the United Kingdom (U.K.) have chosen to leave the European Union (E.U.) after 43 years of membership. The resulting “Brexit” will likely affect the U.K. markets as well...

Monday, June 13, 2016

It recently occurred to me that I’ve been in this business for over ten years. This epiphany was an eye-opening moment for me and has caused me to spend some time reflecting on our practice and examining the reasons for my...

Thursday, June 9, 2016

In general, we understand the value of obtaining a second opinion, whether it is for our health, our families, or our career. When we research all the options, gather information, and get second opinions, we tend to have more peace of...

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

By: Michael and Toby Goostree The Greek Philosopher Heraclitus said, “There is nothing permanent except change.” Though most of us agree that change is inevitable, we often live our lives wishing he were wrong. We tend to...

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

For as long as I can remember, finance has always intrigued me. Even as a young boy, I was curious about how investments work and which tools and techniques were available to help people reach their financial goals. When I was 16, I...

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Goostree Financial Group is an independent wealth management and retirement planning firm based in the greater Kansas City area. Led by father-son team, Michael and Toby Goostree, the firm provides comprehensive financial planning that...