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Can I Retire Before Age 59.5?
Can you retire before the age of 59.5? The quick answer is maybe, but many mistakenly believe that they simply cannot leave their job and access the retirement accounts before this age. In fact, while the IRS has a general rule that imposes a 10% penalty on accessing your retirement accounts before 59.5, there are many exceptions that allow those with adequate savings to retire in their 50’s. When I work with retirees that have not yet reached that age of 59.5, I like to dev
Steve Coker, CFP
5 days ago3 min read
A Young Professional Game Plan
Clients often ask me to talk with their young adult children to provide guidance on saving and investing. While everyone’s situation is different, the fundamentals are often the same. Here is what I tell them. 1. Live below your means The most fundamental money management tip is to simply live below your means. If you spend more than you make it leads to a lifetime of debt and enslavement to the paycheck. Living below your means allows you to build wealth. Even a small amo
Steve Coker, CFP
Mar 273 min read
Staying the Course
It is not uncommon for us to get the question, “What are you going to do with my investments when the market sells off?” The answer often surprises people, we most likely won’t do anything. If we decide to do something, we will probably be buyers if the market continues selling off. So why even have an advisor if we won’t do anything when the news gets bleak? The simple answer is that we have already done something, we just did it well before any crisis happened. A good inves
Steve Coker, CFP
Mar 132 min read
Diversification strikes again – Why we stay globally diversified
The concept of diversification is one of the hallmarks of modern investment theory. Diversification offers many benefits, most notably the ability to achieve better returns with lower volatility (something every investor wants), and we have said many times that asset allocation diversification, typically between stocks and bonds, is one of the most important decisions that an investor can make. But what of international diversification? Many fear investing in international
Steve Coker, CFP
Mar 13 min read
Stocks and Bonds Rally on Potential Lower Rates
Stocks and bonds and gold all rallied on Friday after Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, in statement at the annual Jackson Hole...
Steve Coker, CFP
Aug 22, 20252 min read
Why Gold?
During May we made the decision to add gold, purchased through an exchange traded fund, to many of our portfolios. Let us be clear, we...
Steve Coker, CFP
Jun 13, 20253 min read
2025 Outlook
Forecasting is always a dangerous business. Look at 2023 and 2024, when many economists were predicting a major recession and stock...
Steve Coker, CFP
Jan 3, 20254 min read
The Pros and Cons of Owning a Rental Property
We are frequently asked whether it is a good idea to invest in real estate. The answer of course is “it depends”. As the saying goes,...
Steve Coker, CFP
May 31, 20243 min read
Investing Basics: What is an ETF?
I’ve recently had a number of conversations about ETFs – how they work, what the benefits are, etc. Despite the fact that they make up a...
Steve Coker, CFP
May 24, 20243 min read
Risk Realized
So far, April has not been good for the stock market, which is now down almost 6% from its high at the end of March. The most significant...
Steve Coker, CFP
Apr 19, 20242 min read
The Cost of Chasing Fund Performance
It’s so easy to do and seems so reasonable. If you have a mutual fund that is underperforming, why not simply swap it out for a fund...
Steve Coker, CFP
Apr 12, 20242 min read
Rebalancing: Self-Discipline in Buying Low and Selling High
One of the often-quoted tenets of good investing is to buy low and sell high. Similar to commercial spending – you want to purchase...
Steve Coker, CFP
Mar 15, 20242 min read
On Elephants and Donkeys
During my 20 years of professional investing experience, I have learned that political considerations rarely matter as much as the papers...
Steve Coker, CFP
Mar 8, 20242 min read
Inheriting an IRA? 4 key rules you should know
If you have been named as the beneficiary of an IRA then you should know that inheriting an IRA is different from inheriting other...
Steve Coker, CFP
Feb 25, 20243 min read
2023 A Year in Review
What a difference a year makes! As we began 2023 we featured some of the common doomsday predictions that we found in the media:...
Steve Coker, CFP
Jan 7, 20242 min read
Santa Claus Rally
It is only the middle of December, but the Santa Claus rally is topping off what has been a very good year in stock and bond markets. ...
Steve Coker, CFP
Dec 16, 20232 min read
The Basics of Restricted Stock Units
If you are a corporate executive then it is likely that you are receiving Restricted Stock Units (“RSU”) as a key part of your...
Steve Coker, CFP
Dec 1, 20232 min read
How To Tell If Something Is a Scam
As returns on publicly traded investments like stocks and bonds struggle, investors are turning to “special” private deals that claim to...
Steve Coker, CFP
Apr 21, 20232 min read
Too Hot or Too Cold?
The stock market had a tough week as investors vacillated between worries that the economy is too hot, which would lead to more...
Steve Coker, CFP
Dec 9, 20222 min read
The Housing Recession Deepens
Mortgage rates are still rising, reaching 7% this month from around 3% less than 12 months ago. As a result, mortgage applications for...
Steve Coker, CFP
Oct 21, 20222 min read
