Why Would You Pay More For Xfit Each Month Than a Financial Advisor?
To stay healthy we pay ~$150/month for Crossfit or Yoga. Now you can have your own personal advisor working with you to ensure you meet your financial health goals, for less than your monthly health studio membership.
A recurring theme keeps coming up in conversations with potential clients... the idea that they "don't have enough dough" to "deserve" a financial advisor because they don't have significant investable assets lying around.
This notion, incidentally, is perpetuated by many advisors that won't talk to anyone with assets under $500,000! Because apparently their time/overhead is worth more than $5,000/client/year?
I became a financial advisor because of my love of investing and finance and my passion for helping others reach a place where cash is not the primary variable in determining a family’s long term decisions. It is important to me that my services are affordable and accessible so that I can build trustworthy and lasting relationships with as many people who could benefit from my help. To do all these things I have put together a win-win solution for those who don't have a boatload of assets -- yet.
Introducing Chamberlain Financial Advisors' Monthly Subscription
I want to work with people in their 30's and 40's that have great potential, realize they want to meet long term goals, and need someone they trust to help shepherd them through. I am offering a monthly subscription option, that is less than your monthly Crossfit or Yoga membership -- and it's equally as important for your (financial) health!
We will develop a regular cadence for meetings, virtual or in person, around your schedule. We will work on budgeting, investing, insurance (I’ve got a guy you can work with), saving for a house/boat/college expenses, annual company elections and anything else you may have on your mind. And as we work together, we will build a lasting relationship of trust.
Financial Planning & Investment Retainer
$125/month + $997 Upfront Fee
For those saving for retirement and who want to stay ahead of the game. Chamberlain Financial Advisors will create and manage your plan, guide your through the implementation process, monitor your investments and advise you as life changes.
Full implementation
Ongoing guidance
Investment advice
No asset requirement
Virtual planning available
Can you afford to put off this decision any longer? Do right by you and your family and start investing in your future. Schedule a call to discuss how, for less than your monthly cable bill, we can start building your wealth and reach financial freedom.
(**And Jenn and I love our fitness routines!! We love y’all @crossfitdecatur and @purebarredecatur.)
Why You Need to Friend Your Future Self
Think about you!
Yes, you. Where do you live? Who do you live with? Where do you work? How do you spend your free time? Now picture yourself in 10 years. Where do you live? Same place? Who do you live with? Are you working?... Do you have the same occupation?
Think about you!
Yes, you. Where do you live? Who do you live with? Where do you work? How do you spend your free time? Now picture yourself in 10 years. Where do you live? Same place? Who do you live with? Are you working?... Do you have the same occupation? How do you spend your free time?
In 2008, UCLA psychologist Hal Hershfield, Ph.D., conducted a study asking similar types of questions and found people commonly had two different neural patterns when thinking about the present versus the future: The first neural pattern: "I'm thinking about me". The second neural pattern: "I'm thinking about a stranger".
How you identify with your future self is called "self-continuity". Because many of us are not well connected to our future selves, we make decisions that maximize our current selves, and leave our future selves in bad shape. Check out this short article from Men's Health for more.
An example of this sort of behavior: On Friday watched the Atlanta United game with friends. As the game wound down, I ordered a parting drink. I certainly did not need it, and I had already scheduled an xfit workout the following morning. I failed to contemplate how my future self (only 8 hours into the future) was going to deal with waking up early and feeling crappy for my work out.
Get to know your future self and accomplishing your goals can be simpler than it seems.
Saving now, for either a short term goal such as a vacation, or a long term goal like retirement can seem vexing. And it will require a short term sacrifice. But your future self will appreciate it.
Here are a few things to get in touch with your future self:
1. Write a letter to your future self
2. Take a picture of yourself and run it through agingbooth or faceapp
3. Tap a surrogate, like your mom/dad, or someone with a similar job
4. Schedule a time with me and let me help get you connected
YOUR FUTURE SELF IS LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING YOU!!
Lets schedule a quick 20 minute call to work on getting you to acquainted.
The END is NEAR!... Now What?
Fortune Magazine's August 2018 cover features a cryer with a placard reading "The END is NEAR". It discusses the longest US boom in stocks, is coming to an end. As evidence, it is using indicators that have sometimes (often?) been used in the past to determine a coming drop in the stock market:
Fortune Magazine's August 2018 cover features a cryer with a placard reading "The END is NEAR". It discusses the longest US boom in stocks, is coming to an end. As evidence, it is using indicators that have sometimes (often?) been used in the past to determine a coming drop in the stock market:
U.S. unemployment is nearing significant lows.
U.S. annual real GDP is dropping.
The treasury yield curve inversion is close (yield on short term exceeds the yield on long term treasuries.
The Federal deficit is ballooning.
Corporate debt is at all time high.
Oil has recently spiked.
Crucial Context: Wall Street analysts and industry pundits have never predicted both a drop and the timing of a drop.
So, what does this all mean? Mostly nothing.
The economy follows a standard pattern: expansion, peak, contraction and trough. Are we headed for a peak and contraction ... certainly. But that should not affect your investment patterns. Because an expansion will be just around the corner. And nobody has proven adept and timing the markets.
If you had sold at the top of the Oct 2007 and then waited for opportune buying times, you might have missed the 30 best days of the last 10 years. And if you had missed those 30 days? You would have realized a net loss of .9% ... as opposed to the 7.2% annual return, had you stuck it out and bought throughout that time.
So rest assured, a contraction is coming ...
...but don't worry, what follows will be an expansion. Continue to buy the best companies in the world at a discount throughout the process.
Are you mentally prepared for the coming drop?
Are you invested in a way that will cause you to run for the hills? Do you have an appropriate risk strategy that suits your style?
Let's talk if you need a second opinion on your portfolio.
The Problem with the Majority of Parenting and Investment Advice.
I read an article on the Farnam Street blog, 5 Mental Models to Remove (Some of) the Confusion from Parenting and was struck by the similarity between the common pitfalls with parenting and personal finance advice and the approaches we often take:
I read an article on the Farnam Street blog, 5 Mental Models to Remove (Some of) the Confusion from Parenting and was struck by the similarity between the common pitfalls with parenting and personal finance advice and the approaches we often take:
"Few topics provoke more unsolicited advice than parenting. The problem is, no matter how good the advice, it might not work for your child. Parenting is the ultimate “the map is not the territory“ situation. There are so many maps out there, and often when we try to use them to navigate the territory that is each individual child, we end up lost and confused. As in other situations, when the map doesn’t match the territory, better to get rid of the map and pay attention to what you are experiencing on the ground...
...As in any other area of your life, developing some principles or models that help you see how the world works will give you options for relevant and useful solutions. Mental models are amazing tools that can be applied across our lives."
Are you caught up in tactics without a clear mental model or strategy?
Many of us save a few bucks every month, stash money yearly in our kids 529s, and invest in our company's 401k plans. All super good things to do, but will it get you to where you want to be? Do you have a set of family goals that inform all areas of your strategy? Here are a few of mine:
I want my kids to be self-reliant adults who will make a difference to society. That means I am comfortable if they fail often, as long as they win in the long run. They play a variety of sports, play violin or the sax and arent bashful about speaking Spanish to a stranger. If you have heard a 10 year old practicing violin, you know the sound of failure. And we save each year so they can go to sleep away camp for part of the summer, where they learn how to make friends and learn on the fly.
I want the freedom in my own life to make choices not based entirely on finances. That means I invest part of every paycheck, whether the market is up or down, so that I can create long term wealth. And we prioritize traveling for new and unexpected experiences. That means Jenn and I have a weekly family budget and stick to it, even if we have to forgo some fun now.
Are you living by tactics as you go? Have you developed a set of guiding principles? If you haven't, you are not alone. Want to live free of financial burdens and have peace of mind? You'll need a strategy and a plan. I can help.
Let's talk about your personal financial goals. Contact me to set up your free consultation.
How to Pick a College That's Worth the Expense
Picking a college is one of the most important early decisions one can make. Its arguably the most important decision…
Picking a college is one of the most important early decisions one can make. Its arguably the most important decision (other than choosing a suitable mate) in determining the trajectory of someones future. Money Magazine published a thoughtful analysis on the Top 25 List of the Best Colleges that graduates are likely "able to avoid heavy debt and succeed in the workplace".
Yes, my alma mater, Ga Tech is ranked 19th!! Tech has long been ranked one of the best values in college. I like how this article expands the data to include the ability to quickly escape the heavy burden of debt.
Have questions on how to help your kids limit their debt burden due to college expenses? Call or email Josh.
College Savings Check-in
Here's a handy timeline to do your own college savings check-in.
In Georgia, it is back to school time. Parents, here's a handy timeline to do your own college savings check-in. Not sure how much to save? Here's a college savings calculator that I like. If you have questions about the benefits of a 529 or an IRA as the right vehicle for your family, which one to go with or if you would like a review of your existing plan for some peace of mind, schedule a call.
chamberlainfa.com
Remembering My Mom
It’s my mother's birthday today. She would have been 66 today.
It's my mothers birthday today. She would have been 66 today. She died entirely too early, though she fought cancer for 20 years--yes, twenty years. Much longer that she was expected to live. We had a great relationship, we shared a goofy sense of humor and spoke the same love language. I don’t have any regrets about how things went down, there was nothing left unsaid. She died with dignity, under the watchful eye of my little sister. My mom's death pushed me to change my life: help friends and family to reach a level of financial freedom where dignity, not cash, prevailed in family decisions. Chamberlainfa.com