In this podcast, we talk about the dangers of benchmarking yourself against others. We provide tips for focusing on what you can control to avoid making potentially harmful decisions based on what you would think somebody else would want you to do.
What is the 4% withdrawal rule? It's the general idea that when you get to retirement, whatever the pool of money is that you have, you can theoretically safely withdrawal 4% of that balance every year until you pass without running out of money. There are many variables that go into that such as inflation, how long you will live, how much income you will need in retirement, investment returns, and your own definition of success. We believe that it's important to engage in financial planning to help review trade offs and your specific situation. To hear our updated thoughts on the 4% withdrawal rule and if it requires a major change in strategy, check out this podcast episode!
Most people are familiar with trusts through conversations or experiences with their parents or friends. But just because the circumstances may have made sense for them to establish a trust, it doesn't mean that it is right for your situation today. In this podcast episode, we discuss what a trust is and what it does. We discuss circumstances where it may apply and where it may not. And, we also clarify what type of accounts you should put in a trust.
Money is said to be one of the top causes of marital distress. We sometimes joke that meeting with your financial planner can often feel like a combination of math class and marriage counseling. A big part of advising is listening, understanding, and communicating. When couples don't agree, we try to help them focus on the points of agreement, which usually includes what matters most to both of them. Our goal is to influence the way they talk to their spouse about money through partnership and a shared vision. In this podcast, Adam and Ben talk through how we can be the middle man - so to speak - in this type of situation.
Our experiences in life will shape the way that we think and feel about money. It's statistically impossible to run into somebody who hasn't lost a loved one and hopefully that's not a really painful story to tell. That's one reason why we talk about the role of life insurance in planning so hopefully emotional travesties don't become a financial one. In this podcast episode, we talk about the importance of life insurance and planning.
At Haas Financial Group we love statistics! We often play a fun game where someone has a statistic and the other person has to guess what they think it is. Oftentimes the actual answer is wildly different than what we were thinking. That proves the point that conventional wisdom is often not in line with the statistic and it leaves us trying to figure out why there is a disconnect between what somebody should be doing and what they're actually doing. In this podcast episode, we highlight some surprising facts in financial planning and investing. Will you go "huh" after listening?
In this podcast episode, we provide a checklist to help prepare for your final career year. This is partially a financial conversation, but what we've come to recognize is that during this time of change, many experience fears of getting it wrong, failure, and anticipating loneliness. There's a big psychological hurdle to approaching financial independence too. When we talk about preparing, it's really to help with those emotions and provide a sense of financial security. If you are thinking this may be your last year of work, there are also financial considerations for your bridge years. What happens when your paycheck stops? Do you know what your monthly expenses are? Have you thought about a budget? Have you thought about healthcare?We've walked many people through this process and if you're not really sure about the next steps to take with this checklist, then reach out to us!
Nobody wants to relive the results of last year from a market perspective. But, we can use this historical context as a guide to shape our outlook for 2023. The odds of us having a positive year this year are in our favor, even though we are still facing many of the same issues. Ben and Adam hope that giving some historical context will help investors understand what to expect from investments this year.
The New Year naturally presents a time for people to hit the reset button and think about what matters most to them, especially through the lens of financial planning. When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier. We use your Statement of Financial Purpose as a powerful tool to help align what you're doing in your life from a financial perspective. We are big proponents of aligning your values, vision, and wealth. When we understand the context of what matters most to you, it helps us walk through the pros and cons of financial decisions in a different way that isn’t just about the numbers.
We are quickly approaching the end of 2022. In case you missed some of our podcast episodes this year, Adam and Ben recap their favorites from the year. If you have some downtime during the holiday season, it may be the perfect time to take a listen!
In this episode, we run through some financial housekeeping items to cross off before the end of the year.
Change can be hard, especially when transitioning into retirement and figuring out new routines in life. You may be surprised to realize it's hard to change your pre-retirement mindset of saving to a post-retirement mindset of drawing down your investments. Now your savings is finite. We can help you overcome the fears of: Did I save enough? How do I know when I'll run out of money? Where do I pull money from? Our goal is to help you balance that excitement of doing the things you want to do during the go-go years of your retirement by making a plan that tracks if your money and spending can last your lifetime. Check out this episode to find out how we guide people through this process.
