Posts in Investments
Third Quarter Market Review

As the Covid-19 pandemic enters its 8 month, so many questions remain unanswered. How far are we from having a vaccine? Will there be an emergence of new Covid cases as the weather gets colder? Will states be able to effectively reopen local economies? Most importantly, when will things get back to normal? These unresolved questions all seem pretty important at the moment. However, will these temporary issues have a meaningful impact on a well-diversified, long term investment strategy?

Read More
Finance in a Flash: What is "The Market"?

In this episode of Finance In A Flash, Nick & Chip discuss one of the most used phrases in all of finance, "The Market". What are people actually referring to when they say things like; "The market is crashing today!", "The market is down 1000 points", or "Stocks are soaring!"? Nick and Chip unpack the different indexes people may be referring to when they mention "The Market" and why you shouldn't always correlate the performance of "The Market" with your overall portfolio.

Read More
Longer Life Expectancies and the Impact on Retirement Planning

Let’s face it, seniors today are healthier, more active and are likely to have longer lives. So what are the financial implications for retirees who will likely live well into their 90s and possibly their 100s?

Read More
Roth Conversion Instead of Required Minimum Distribution (RMD)?

With the passage of the CARES Act on March 27th, Congress eliminated IRA required minimum distributions (RMDs) for the year. This means that many taxpayers above the age of 72, or anyone who is taking inherited IRA distributions, will likely have quite a change in their taxable income in 2020. So, is it a good year to do a Roth Conversion instead?

Read More
Financial Planning Opportunities Amid Market Downturns: Planning Techniques

On this episode of Finance In A Flash, we conclude our series titled: Financial Planning Opportunities Amid Market downturns. Throughout the episode, we cover several planning techniques such as Roth Conversions, Refinancing your mortgage, and reevaluating your budget, especially if you are in the distribution phase.

Read More
Financial Planning Opportunities Amid Market Downturns: Tax-Loss Harvesting

On this episode of Finance In A Flash we continue our series on Financial Planning Opportunities Amid Market Downturns by covering Tax-Loss Harvesting. We go through the details of Tax-Loss Harvesting and the benefits of using this strategy during times when your investments have losses.

Read More
Establishing Your Emergency Fund Target

Do you know the factors to consider when establishing an emergency savings account? How much cash is it appropriate to keep on hand in short term savings and money markets?  Before we address the question, it is important to understand the important role cash plays in an overall financial plan.

Read More
Benefits of Portfolio Rebalancing

We at Beacon Financial Strategies, believe that rebalancing is an integral component of the investment management process. In this presentation, Chip Hymiller, AIF®,CFP® explains the concept of rebalancing and discusses the advantages of implementing a portfolio rebalancing strategy.

Read More
Why Haven't Stocks Declined More This Year?

Doesn’t it seem like the stock market should be down more in 2020? This article takes a deeper dive into the numbers and it turns out that when using more diversified definition of “the market,” stocks have taken quite a hit this year.

Read More
FAQ: Should I Sell Stocks Now & Reinvest When the Coast is Clear?

Stocks are declining just about everyday. It seems like investors would be much better off just selling their stock positions and waiting until things stabilize and there is more certainty. This web presentation addresses the logistics behind this decision and identifies a common scenario that can play out when making this type of portfolio adjustment.

Read More
Webinar: A Perspective on The Financial Markets

This webinar provides a historical perspective to recent stock market declines related to COVID-19. It also provides some financial planning opportunities and ideas to explore in the future.

Read More
A Rule of Thumb for Withdrawal Rates

A question we often get is “How much can I withdraw from my accounts during retirement and not deplete them?” That question coupled with the ideal stock/bond mix makes for an interesting discussion on how probable your retirement goals are.

Read More