Blog Posts

By: Michael J. Searcy

When your children believe they are dealing with someone they know and trust, it can make them more vulnerable to undesirable situations. Did you know you can also fall victim to the “stranger danger” mentality of thinking that the only people who might cause you harm are people you don’t know?

Some Reasons Why People Do Business with Friends Include:
• Friendships are built on trust so you feel that trust would carry over to business
• Their verbal propositions seem caring and genuine
• You believe their knowledge of the industry is equal to others
• They offer you “extras” that non-friends wouldn’t receive

By: Michael J. Searcy

Using money you’ve worked hard to earn on your business makes sense. While other people are spending money on new cars or vacations, you hardly miss the funds you spend on your business because the prize at the end of the spending tunnel is in sight. You can see how the funds are helping to reach your goal of building a successful business.

Treating your retirement fund like another business is a strategy that can help set you up for future success. Payments you make today toward your retirement are funds that can be saved and invested to experience the benefit in the future. Think about why you own your business… Chances are you find joy in watching your business grow, and you expect it to provide a future payoff or benefit after years of dedication and hard work.

By Michael J. Searcy

Every journey you take on an airplane comes with about a 0.0001 percent chance that you won’t arrive at your final destination. With such a small percentage for failure, it’s no surprise people feel secure flying all over the world, every day. Now what if you boarded a plane and the flight attendant came over the speaker saying, “The Federal Aviation Administration has requested we inform you there is now an 85 percent chance of flight failure”? I’m picturing people scrambling for their luggage and pushing their way through the aisles and off the plane.

By: Michael J. Searcy

Just as a misdiagnosis can occur with your physical health, the same can happen with your financial health. Financial setbacks can be a challenge to overcome, and the longer you travel down the wrong path, the more difficult it becomes to get back on track. By seeking a second opinion on your financial plan, you may be able to catch those misguided turns and make the changes necessary to reach a successful financial future.

If you starting working with an advisor early in your career and haven’t looked at the options available to you today, you may not be aware of the industry changes, competitive standards and technology updates that have helped advisors advance their level of service and care. You may also be facing new life and age situations that weren’t addressed in your original plan. In fact, you may have originally been set up with a “plan” filled with insurance and investment products that didn’t take into account other aspects of your life.

By: Marc C. Shaffer

It is easy to stray from basic, solid principles of finance. These remain true no matter what your age or circumstances. To make it easy, here are seven keys to fulfilling your financial vision of a steady tomorrow.
Consider each one closely. They should be ingrained in your brain. You need to continually read and practice them.

1. Pay yourself first. Make saving for your future a first priority, which you put before your other financial obligations. Put away as much as you can, and try to save at least 10% of your annual income (total, not take-home). Depending on your obligations, you may be able to save more or less. The more you save, the more wealth you create – but something is better than nothing.

By: Marc C. Shaffer

Happy, financially successful people set out concrete goals and work to achieve them. To start spending your time and money on things that really matter to you, create written goals based around what you value in life. To ensure that you won’t stray from your objectives, it is important to write them down.

Why are goals important?

1. They provide us with purpose and direction.

2. They help us convert our thoughts into concrete actions.

By: Michael J. Searcy

Some of the most important financial issues in our lives are never addressed because they feel too overwhelming to tackle. Our brains revert to thinking if we could just devote one day, one week, one month to accomplishing a task, it would instantly be complete. Because that thought process can set us up for failure, training our thoughts to work in a new process can be the advantage we need to accomplish our financial goals. By understanding that each small step is an accomplishment, we can focus on the overall picture. When it comes to being prepared and financially secure, even the slightest edge can set us far above the crowd. Here are some common issues and tips for achieving that slight edge: