After a turbulent 2015, stocks tumbled in the first few weeks of 2016, causing concerns that the bull market we’ve enjoyed since 2009 may be over. We’d like to take the opportunity to help you put market corrections in perspective.
Blog Posts
The Evolution of the Financial Plan
By Michael J. Searcy
My company’s slogan in the 90’s promised, “Mike Searcy will put your life in a 3 ring binder.” The financial planning industry was just starting to become popular, and for many households who were used to stuffing receipts into shoeboxes, the idea of having someone organize their finances into a binder sounded promising. However, I found many were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of paperwork they had built up through the years, paralyzing them from taking action. Others who took action would receive their financial plan and then never look at it again. My company is now celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and I find that many people today are still overwhelmed with getting their finances in order and adjusting their plan along the way – are you one of them? If you are, and you haven’t taken a look at how the industry has evolved to help you with this process, keep reading.
Women Business Owners: Overcoming the Failure of Tomorrow
By Michael J. Searcy and Jessica A. Kmetty
For the past few decades, women have increasingly turned their creativity, ingenuity and business acumen into entrepreneurship, with the number of women-owned businesses near 10 million and growing. While women strive to run successful businesses and overcome the challenges of ownership today, it becomes easy to neglect setting up a retirement savings plan which could help secure a successful future. Without a retirement plan, these women and their employees could work for years, striving to build a successful company, only to fail financially in retirement.
Are You Prepared For Mental Decline?
Joe got excited about Apple and ordered his advisor to buy 100 shares; his advisor worried about the out-of-character behavior but wasn’t authorized to speak to Joe’s family. Sally thought she had won the lottery and wired $50,000 to a scammer; her bank questioned the large withdrawal, but Sally approved it anyway. Dennis gave his caregiver cash and expensive gifts that totaled over $100,000, leaving his family with no way to get the money back.
Are Your Estate Documents In Order?
One area that is particularly critical to get right in your financial planning process is estate preparation and the protection of your loved ones from the unexpected. Proper estate preparation is an act of love and responsibility to those you care about.
5 Big Mistakes Made By Caregivers of Children with Special Needs
By Michael J. Searcy
Parents of children with special needs face a whirlwind of emotions dealing with the health of their child, physical demands of caregiving, financial concerns and future planning. While there isn’t any one place you can turn for all of the answers, we spoke with several of our clients who are caregivers about their situations. Based on their responses and our experience in the area of special needs, we developed a list of 5 big mistakes caregivers make and pointers to help avoid these mistakes.
Conversion to Exclusive Fee-Only Financial Advisor Services
Over the 40 years that Searcy Financial Services has been serving clients, we have helped clients purchase Life, Disability and Long Term Care insurance policies to protect their future. While insurance planning was, and will continue to remain, an important aspect of financial planning, we will no longer act as an agent to complete the purchase process. This act allows our firm to be known as a “Fee-Only” firm with various licensure and accreditation boards, as we will no longer receive any commissions for the sale of new insurance nor receive any commissions for the sale of insurance in previous years.
Physicians Tempted by the Exotic Attraction in Investing
By Michael J. Searcy
Not everybody can get into this club. Not everyone I work with is entitled to buy into this product. I’m allowing you entry because of your elite status, but only if you make a quick decision because I can’t hold your spot long…
3 Steps to Building Financial Security for a Child with Special Needs
By Michael J. Searcy
A friend shared with me…Several of our friends had kids at the same time as us, and we started noticing that our son was developing a lot slower than the other children. He had been born premature and was about 9 months old when he started having bad seizures. He was cared for at the Shawnee Mission Infant Development Center and that’s when we found out about his situation and that he would have a mental delay his entire life.
5 Critical Financial Issues in Remarriages
Many Americans are in their second and third marriages. In fact, statistics from a 2012 book, The Remarriage Blueprint, suggest that nearly 40 percent of new marriages include at least one previously married spouse. Remarrying later in life can produce a number of complex financial, legal, and emotional matters that should be addressed as soon as possible. If you or someone you love is part of a blended family, we urge you to think about these important issues.
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