Our Commentary

Your Best Strategy for Investing in CDs

For most people and most situations, investing in a mix of Equities (stocks) and Fixed Income (money market, bonds and certificates of deposit) will make the most sense.  You need stocks for long-term growth and fixed income investments as a counter-weight to a volatile stock market and as a source of income in the form […]

6 Habits of Superstar Employees

In last week’s column, I discussed the “7 Keys to a Killer Job Interview”.  Once you’ve got that new job, here are the six habits for becoming a super star employee: “Lights on…lights off”.  Do you remember the movie, ‘The Karate Kid’?  One of the most memorable scenes was when master martial artist, Mr. Miyagi, […]

7 Keys to a Killer Job Interview

The U.S. economy is strong and that’s great news for job seekers because companies are hiring!  However, it’s still a competitive job market and those who have the best interview skills are going to get the best jobs.  Being good at a job interview is a skill that can be learned.  Here are my seven […]

5 Golden Rules of Money

Money

In a few short months a massive group of students will graduate and enter the workforce for the first time.  Unlike years past, this is actually a good time to be entering the job market.  Unemployment has dropped to historically low levels…to the point we are close to what is considered full employment.  This means […]

Is Your Business Worth Anything?

Small businesses with 20 or fewer employees make up approximately 90% of all businesses in the United States.  Unfortunately, most of these businesses will never survive the next generation due to a lack of business succession planning on the part of existing ownership.  As a financial planner, and one that meets with business owners on […]

Interest Rates Are Rising- What You Should Do Now

A Short History Lesson There’s an age-old saying, “Don’t fight the Fed”.  What this means is that the smart money pays attention and takes cues from the Federal Reserve Board’s actions, particularly as it relates to changes in interest rates.  The Fed Funds Rate is the interest rate set by the Federal Reserve for bank […]

Six Best Strategies for Your Income Tax Refund

various US currency rolled tightly and lined up together, including a twenty and one hundred dollar bill

For 2017, the average tax refund is expected to be $2,763.  For a lot of people, this is the most amount of money they’ll have at one time during the whole year.  Unfortunately, most folks squander the money and a month after receiving it, they couldn’t tell you what they did with their refund.  Thoughtful […]

This Tax Strategy…Going, Going, GONE!

taxes

I love the fact that the Trump Tax Cuts & Jobs Act (TCJA) puts money in almost every working American’s paycheck.  We’re already beginning to see some of the effects with many corporations giving bonuses, expanding operations and creating jobs.  Locally, ServisFirst Bank increased their dividend by 120% due, in part, to tax savings because […]

Want Free Financial Advice? Don’t Miss the March 3rd Alabama Money Expo!

Most people could benefit from financial advice but, in many cases, they simply don’t know where to go to get sound advice and they don’t want to find themselves in the middle of a sales pitch.  Look no further than the 2018 Alabama Money Expo presented by the Regions Institute for Financial Education on Saturday, […]

Ask the Right Questions…of Your Financial Advisor

If you want to achieve financial freedom by retirement age or earlier, you’re going to have to invest a lot of money.  To invest successfully, you’ll either need to spend the time to learn how to invest or hand over at least a portion of the responsibility to a professional investment advisor.  Choosing an advisor […]