Blog Posts

Elders who are able can protect themselves. Share these tips with elders in your life so they might become active participants in watching out for themselves.

By Marc C. Shaffer

As I was chatting with my mentor one day, he tells me there’s a great guy he wants me to meet and his name is Marc Shaffer. Well, that’s me, of course. I had him explain and he told me I was too busy focusing on one thing and all of my energy, my time and my passion was being exhausted in that one area.

I wasn’t spending time with myself, I wasn’t letting myself contemplate what was beyond that singular area of focus, and if I continued along that path, I might end up having done one great thing in my life at the expense of knowing myself and growing in other areas.

Luckily, I had someone in my life who could recognize this behavior and keep me accountable to living a full and diverse life.

Do you have someone in your life keeping you accountable to the things you say you want to accomplish?

By Michael J. Searcy

I have been fortunate to have the freedom of choice in my life and it has steered me through a life I enjoyed. I chose a place to settle down and start my own financial planning and wealth management firm, and I was happy both professionally and personally.

Until I wasn’t.

Now, that might sound like I had reached a negative spot in my life, but in reality, I had just reached a point where I was ready to pivot.

By Michael J. Searcy

Are you limiting your investment success by letting emotions about market volatility control your decisions? We know that you’re more likely to find success, however you define it, if you have a plan in place. Your plan needs a defined purpose and vision, corresponding goals, and a timeline for measurement. But it’s not enough to just have a plan, you also have to trust your plan. When emotions take over, they can quickly steer you off course. That doesn't mean prudent changes can’t or won’t be made along the way to your goal, but without discipline, you may as well throw your plan out the window or not bother making one at all.

This year has already taken us through some market ups and downs. After months of relative calm, extreme movement in the market can lead to confusion. Fluctuations can be unnerving and it’s very normal to have anxiety, especially when headlines are shouting doomsday predictions to get more attention. Understanding the potential causes of the volatility and having steps in place to get through the fluctuation can help ease your anxieties.

When building a financial strategy, we work hard to create an approach that plans for your longevity and allows you to live a satisfying life. But beyond helping clients prepare for a longer retirement, we are focused on addressing a key goal: Managing emotional reactions.

For many investors, the market’s inevitable fluctuations can make investing feel like an emotional roller coaster. However, letting erratic, short-term market movements create anxiety can lead to detrimental financial decisions.