Financial Planners
Despite all the worries about tariff policy causing a recession, global markets and the economy kept rolling through the third quarter of 2025. Real GDP showed 3.8% growth through the end of the second quarter, and expectations are that we’ll see similar results for the third quarter. However, signs point to a softening labor market, […]
Economics isn’t a neat equation — it’s more like a bowl of tangled spaghetti. Learn why predictions so often miss the mark and how a strong financial plan helps you navigate uncertainty. We Treat Economics as Science We are daily bombarded with economic numbers, and our brains want them to work like inputs in a […]
If we had predicted at the beginning of the second quarter that a balanced stock and bond portfolio would be return close to 7% for the quarter and have positive year to date returns over 7.5% by July, we would have sounded crazy. Honestly, predicting that would have felt crazy, too. The last three months […]
As you are no doubt aware, last week the Lansing State Journal reported that Michigan State University won’t be able to achieve financial stability without laying off staff. Michigan State, along with most other higher education institutions, is facing unprecedented budget upheaval and uncertainty. This is of course upsetting news. Losing one’s job is always […]
Looking back at our past blogs and podcasts, I think online security is the only topic Nick and I have covered more often than budgeting and having a contingency fund. But based on some stories we’ve heard recently, this seems to be a topic we can’t talk about enough: Online and phone scammers keep getting […]
The first quarter of 2025 started strong but saw US markets reverse course as the Trump administration’s tariff policies grabbed the headlines. Meanwhile, international stocks as well as bonds posted gains for the quarter, offsetting some of the negative domestic returns in diversified portfolios. While economic indicators such as inflation and unemployment remain in a […]
This article is from our friends at Clearnomics and is an excellent explanation of President Trump’s tariff plan and what it might mean for the economy. It provides excellent historical perspective and a good reminder of why it’s important to stay the course with your portfolio… On April 2, President Trump announced new tariffs on […]
This article was also published in TheStreet.com Overall, the stock and bond markets have been very strong since late 2022, and as I write this in early 2025, the economy and the stock market are not showing signs of impending doom. However, when markets go on an extended run there is always concern that prices […]
The following piece is brought to you by our friends at Clearnomics Check out our Kitchen Table Finance Podcast where Dave and Nick discuss this in detail. Listen HERE The 19th-century author Balzac wrote that “our worst misfortunes never happen, and most miseries lie in anticipation.” This quote perfectly captures 2024, a year of major […]
I’ve barely gotten used to writing 2024 when I put the date on something, and we’re already well into the year’s fourth quarter. We’re already making Thanksgiving plans and talking about Christmas travel. Here in northern Michigan, the weather has turned very November, making sure we don’t forget that time is moving on. The end […]
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