Financial Symmetry News & Views

Over the last few weeks, we’ve had a few clients call us with some understandable concerns regarding current stock market conditions.  They have asked whether it makes sense to sell stocks and move their money in to cash and bonds.  Given the performance of stocks recently, and over the lost decade of the 2000’s, it [...]

Many of our new clients tell us they found out about fee only financial planning by listening to talk radio or watching their favorite financial pundit on television.  Media personalities such as Suze Orman, Clark Howard, and Dave Ramsey do a great service by inspiring consumers to take control of their financial lives. We also [...]

In the world we live in today, we are inundated with 24 hour news and information from more sources than ever before.  New gadgets and devices continue to roll out to capture our attention with fascinating technologies.
Smartphones and other portable devices allow the user to stay connected from even the most remote locations.  Social networking [...]

Historically, gold has been used as a hedge against inflation.  During the run up in to its peak price in 1980, gold was chasing the inflation rate as investors feared that their purchasing power was going to be destroyed by runaway prices.  What they didn’t realize was that the inflation rate had already peaked above [...]

When we start working with a new client, one of the first steps is typically consolidating the number of accounts they have outstanding.  In our experience this makes your finances easier to manage by reducing the mental accounting that needs to take place every time a financial decision is made.  While this has always made [...]

HBO has a popular series they air in the fall called “Hard Knocks.” The aim of the program is to uncover the intricacies and nuances that make the training camp of an NFL team so fascinating.  They pull the curtain back and give us a peek at the events that lends a revealing perspective to [...]

Many illustrations of investment performance calculate the growth of a hypothetical investment from a given starting point.  Typically there is a benchmark, such as the S&P 500 index, charted alongside for comparison purposes.  The models show that had you invested a specific dollar amount, for example $10,000, you would have the initial $10,000 plus whatever [...]

Feeling a little nervous about the recent drop in the market? You’re in good company as it’s perfectly normal in this type of environment.  In fact, we’d be surprised if the drop had not made you nervous as that is what the majority of people feel after a rise over 14 months long.  Here are [...]

No one likes potholes.  Not only because of the annoyance they create, but also the added cost of getting your car realigned as a result. Often times, you may not hit anything major but your steering wheel begins to shake and your car starts to pull to the left after reaching 45mph.  This more subtle [...]

While we emphasize the importance of annual tax planning, it’s also important to not let tax avoidance override your other financial goals.  Liz Davidson, of Forbes.com, wrote a nice piece describing how people lose money when they let tax issues dominate their investment decisions. The article does a great job of examining why payments [...]