"Every gambler knows that the secret to survivin' Is knowin' what to throw away and knowing what to keep 'Cause every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser And the best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep" So sang legendary American singer Kenny Rogers on the title track of his album, "The Gambler," over four decades ago.  Written by Don Schlitz, the song compares playing cards to life and offers lessons about judgement, self-awareness and knowing when to act or

While financial planning isn't usually "sexy" or fun, as my wife likes to say, it's probably the most useful thing I do (please withhold your jokes).  Why?  Let's take a look at just a small part of a recent financial plan I wrote for a couple with two young children.  Reviewing the couple's financial documents, I noted (among other things): The couple's new baby had been omitted from the prior year's tax return.  Whether this omission was an oversight of the CPA preparing th

Many of you know I have a 10 year-old son, Micah.  A few years ago, Micah started taking more of an interest in my work and began visiting me in my office during the work day, inquiring how the market was doing, and asking what I thought would happen next?  For a while, it was cute, and I enjoyed sharing this part of my life with him.  However, about a year ago, Micah became less interested in my views, and more interested in looking at stock charts and telling me when I shou

Stocks continue to tack on gains driven in large part by the AI build-out.  Valuations are at historically high levels and caution is being thrown to the wind.  Will it matter?  Someday, but that day continues to not be today, and it may not be for a while.  Right now, the promise of future revenue has seen companies as large as Oracle deliver 30% overnight returns. A Fed easing cycle, driven by concerns over rising unemployment, seems to be incoming despite above target infl

"What am I even doing?"  Have you ever asked yourself that question?  Maybe it's the first thought you have when you wake up in the morning?  Or it comes while sitting at your desk as your timecard moves into the 70th hour of work for the week?  Or perhaps it was even while sitting in my office discussing account balances and investment returns.  Why save?  Why postpone?  Why do many of the financial things so many of us do without even thinking about it?  So often we're told

Passed July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) codified much of President Donald Trump's second term agenda.  While its passage seemed uncertain at times, congressional Republicans ultimately fell in-line with the President's directives and united behind him.  Let's take a look at some of the most important parts of the legislation together and note that while there are certainly other very important parts to the law, I've chosen to focus strictly on the financia

I was able to enjoy a few weeks on the east coast recently and thought I'd share some of the fun I had with my family.

A few days ago, I learned of the unexpected passing of an aunt.  We weren't particularly close, she always lived out-of-state and visits...

In my January "What's Going On With the Market" section I first noted some dark clouds on the horizon.  February saw me follow with a...

From time to time it's always good to review and, perhaps, re-examine the different services Flatirons Wealth Management provides to its...

The election of Donald Trump last November virtually ensured that the next four years of all of our lives, regardless of who we voted...

It is not uncommon at an initial conversation for new clients to ask about paying off a low interest rate debt.  Maybe it's a mortgage...

Being a financial planner sometimes allows me a unique window into the thoughts and emotions the public is currently having around the...

Following the election of Donald Trump, domestic stock indexes rose to all-time highs.  Industries expected to benefit from a Trump...

Much like The Terminator, it appears Donald Trump has come back from the political graveyard and won the 2024 U.S. presidential...

From time to time clients email me with some fantastic questions.  One such question arrived about a month ago - "Should we be...

Conversations with clients frustrated by skyrocketing insurance premiums have, unfortunately, become an almost weekly occurrence here at...

At least once a year a prospective client will sit across my desk and begin our conversation saying, "I'm disappointed with the returns...

It's happening again.  Sure as the sun rises when financial markets perform well investors begin to throw extra money at stocks and...

Good News!!!  The Social Security Administration released its annual trustees' report last week which noted the trust that funds social...