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Secrets of a Wealth Creator: How to Buy, Borrow, and Pay Smarter Let’s face it, we all buy things and we will need to buy things our entire life. It’s not necessarily what we buy, but rather the way we choose to pay for them that can have a lasting impact on our financial well-being. Especially those things we call Major Capital Purchases. These are things that cannot be paid for in full with our regular monthly cash flow. Certainly, things like cars, vacations, weddings are major but a new set

I was recently featured on a number of websites, including yahoo!money, after announcing a solution to the COVID-19 economic impact. I announced my six-phase program designed to help individuals establish a foundation for continuity and long-term success in achieving wealth building goals following the impact of the Covid-19 economic meltdown. It is called the Wealth Advantage 2.0.

Having helped hundreds retire comfortably and securely over the past 30 years, I took another step forward as an industry professional and to provide even more help to my clients.I am very proud of this accomplishment.

Come on (Face it)…It’s time to Rethink your Financial “plan” So, your 401k account value is down. You are not sure if you should be making extra payments on your mortgage. You just can’t seem to get rid of the credit card debt. You have those student loans hanging over your head which look like they will be there forever. What do you do?

This month I wanted to address the huge issues that have and will impact our financial futures created by COVID-19. The discussion is not pretty but the opportunities are huge. The substantial decline in the Stock Market, the loss of jobs, and the limitations to our physical freedom is creating setbacks to everyone’s financial goals. People have lost 3 vital elements of their Wealth...

The benefit amount you will receive from Social Security will be based on your work and earnings history as well as the age at which you start your benefits. For example, assume that an individual born in 1952 had a work and earnings history that would generate a monthly benefit of $1,000 when started at the earliest possible age of 62. The following table shows how that benefit amount increases for each year that he delays the start of his benefit.

When participants start contributing to their 401(k)s, future taxes are generally of little concern. But as retirement approaches it becomes more apparent that taxes might present a significant problem, especially for those who fear that their tax rates might increase in the future.

It’s not that 401(k) plans are necessarily bad, it is just important to understand that if you are counting on them to provide you with a reliable, consistent, lifelong retirement income you are going to have to do-it-yourself.

Paying taxes is never fun. But once you stop working taxes can reduce what’s left to spend enjoying your retirement. Fortunately, there are some perfectly legal options that might allow you to put more of your retirement income in your pocket instead of Uncle Sam’s.

The briskness of Autumn is in the air. It is a time of change as the leaves from the trees are turning beautiful shades of gold, orange and red. Summer activities may be replaced with watching or playing Football and attending Pumpkin Festivals. Farmers markets begin to shift to Fall harvested vegetables such as squash, potatoes, brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

You are most likely aware that the sapphire is commonly known as September's birthstone. It symbolizes truth, sincerity, and constancy. It is a member of the Corundum (aluminum oxide) family. Although the pastel blue color is most common, a vivid blue gem is preferred.

As summer winds down and children head back to school, we hope you enjoyed a beautiful time of the year for travel and relaxation with family and friends. Enjoy some of my favorite vacation quotes: “Sometimes the most scenic roads in life are the detours you didn’t mean to take.” Angela N. Blount “Don’t count the days. Make the days count.” Muhammad Ali “Travel is not reward for working, it’s education for living.” Anthony Bourdain

Simple Summer Pleasures… and Your Money Change is inevitable. Take ice cream and frozen treats, for example. As far back as 400 BC in the Middle East, ice was transported from the mountain tops and kept cold in yakhchals, cone-shaped ice houses. Grape juice was poured over the ice and served to royalty as a sweet treat.

How Innovative Are You with Your Money? June 14, 1777 is the date the United States adopted the American Flag by resolution of the Second Continental Congress. Established in 1949 by President Harry S. Truman, the week of June 14 is designated as "National Flag Week." (June 12-June 18 in 2019).

Once again, we are shown that life is a series of expected and unexpected events.The 2019 Kentucky Derby ended with an historic disqualification as race stewards ruled that winner, Maximum Security, left his lane and cut off another horse. Second place, Country House, was named the winner of the race. On the other hand, Tiger walked away with the Masters, which was possibly one of the greatest career comebacks in the history of professional sports.

It's Spring time! A time to breathe new life and energy into your world. The first rite of Spring is to clear out the dust, dank odors and darkness of the winter. The first warm rays of spring are a time to throw off the weight of winter and start fresh.

Balls and Strikes - In baseball, like life, you get multiple chances to succeed. During nine innings you should get four at bats, and you get four balls and three strikes and whole bunch of foul balls. I think it’s interesting that if you fail to hit safely 70% of the time you can end up in the hall of fame. As in life, we often have many more failures than successes. In baseball, like life, it’s those failures that make us better and stronger and a better competitor the next day. -Tom Egelhoff

As we enter the second month of 2019, I invite you to try applying this quote in your life: “To live a good life: We have the potential for it. If we can learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference.” - Marcus Aurelius What if when someone cuts you off while you are driving but no harm comes of it; calmly shrug your shoulders and carry on with your day.

Inspirational Story for the Holidays Once upon a time, a king had a great highway built for the people who lived in his kingdom. After it was completed, the king had a contest.  The challenge was to see who could travel the highway the best to earn a box of gold.All the people came. Some of them had fine chariots, fine clothing and fancy food. Some wore their sturdiest shoes and ran along the highway on their feet to show their skill.

For most of us the holiday season is a time to be a little less cautious regarding our spending. We tend to knowingly overspend on gifts and other seasonal expenses, and rationalize it by saying things like, “Well, Christmas only comes once a year.”

Is it Trick or Treat? As your financial advisor for the greater Sacramento area I appreciate the opportunity to chat with you once a month. In this newsletter I only include timely insights, tips and opportunities to help you make sound financial decisions.Halloween is just around the corner.

California fires continue to rage. Our hearts and prayers are with the families being affected and the brave firefighters dealing with them. No one ever wants to consider situations like this happening to them and their loved ones. But we must. Being prepared helps to ensure it never happens, right?The biggest issue after making sure you have the right fire insurance is the importance of cash flow and liquidity.

Being the month of our country’s independence, let’s talk about freedom: Franklin Roosevelt once said: "In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved." This holds true whether seeking independence from political, religious, or other control. We are grateful to our forefathers for their hard work and willingness to put their lives on the line for the freedoms we continue to enjoy.

When do you check on your financial well-being? Most people usually do it at the beginning or end of the year, and then of course during tax season. Well, I'd like to propose that we do one right now at the mid-point. It's easy to get caught up in the craziness of everyday life, so summer is a great time to pause and reflect on what you've accomplished so far regards your money.Whether formalized or not, we all have financial goals and aspirations.

The month of May is traditionally a great time for spring cleaning around the house. This also should be a time to "spring into action," and get the four most important questions answered about your money...

Let’s take a moment and talk about money and Easter. It’s a BIG donation week for U.S. Churches for one thing. Statistically speaking, our Easter-related spending will be $18.2 billion as a country. As individuals, we will spend an average of $150! Candy alone will take $2.6 billion and $2.9 billion will go towards other gifts. Most of the balance will be spent on Easter food/dinners and clothes, so we look our Sunday best.

Benjamin Franklin, publisher of the old English proverb "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise", anonymously published a letter suggesting that Parisians economize on candles by rising earlier to use morning sunlight. He proposed taxing window shutters, rationing candles, and waking the public by ringing church bells and firing cannons at sunrise.

"Investing should be more like watching paint dry or watching grass grow. If you want excitement, take $800 and go to Las Vegas." -Paul Samuelson - Noble Prize Economist If you've ever walked into a financial planner's office or a brokerage firm, chances are you were handed a "risk assessment questionnaire," or something like it.

Whether your team won or lost, it was an exciting game filled with incredible offense from both teams. There were few penalties and lots of risky and tricky plays, some that worked and some that didn't work. It reminds me of the stock market. It can be exciting, filled with unexpected turns, and fraught with risk. Investing in the market, however, is not a game.

Each year many of us make New Years Resolutions. In essence, we are promising ourselves that we will change something that may have been habitual for a very long time. On average, by the second week in February, the change is forgotten, and we go back to old habits. Simply making yourself a promise will not create change.

Ten thoughts about money for December. Stay sharp out there! 1. The Basics of Annuities. Annuities are unique financial instruments. They can provide a way to accumulate funds for the future and/or systematically distribute those funds over a given period. Annuities are financial contracts issued by insurance companies. Annuity buyers deposit money into the contract in the form of premiums.

The winter is here and its time to think of how this season may impact on finances. You may need lots of heating this season – cut down on the overall power bills by ensuring that your system is efficient ahead of the real cold that will be here soon. Winter unfortunately often comes with some medical issues too. This is when people suffer from endless flus and other contagious illnesses.

Hello! Here are my 10 “out of the box” thoughts concerning money for this month. Take 90 seconds and check them over. Keep sharp my friends.

Here are this month’s 10 thoughts to consider and keep yourself financially sharp. 1. The market bubbles: The substantial decline in the stock markets in 2002 and 2008 are often referred to as the tech and mortgage bubbles. Do you think another major drop is possible? What will it be called? Political bubble? Are you prepared for the consequences if it does happen?