How Setting Goals in 2021 Can Help You Understand Your Financial Life
By Mike Gertsema, CEO & Wealth Advisor I’m a very strong advocate of setting financial and personal goals. When the kids were growing up, I told them all I wanted for Christmas or my January birthday was a list of their goals for the upcoming year. In my experience, once I wrote my goal …
How to Find Happiness and Balance in Your Finances
By Nick Gertsema, CFP®, ChFC®, RICP®, AIF®, VP & Wealth Advisor Too often in the world of personal finance, we find ourselves focusing on what you can’t or shouldn’t do. Every year, there’s a new campaign out there that makes promises that feel unreasonable. “Stop drinking your favorite …
How Asset Allocation, Asset Diversification and Asset Location Affect Your Portfolio
By Mike Gertsema, CEO & Wealth Advisor There is a lot of talk about investing: the stock market, DOW Industrial Average, S&P 500, NASDAQ. Most people shake their heads and ask what it all means and if they should care. The quick answer is yes because it may have an impact on your po …
17 Things You Need to Know About the New Stimulus Package
Congress passed the new $900 billion economic relief and spending bill on Monday. While most of the focus has been on a second round of relief payments to most Americans, there is plenty more in the 5,000-plus pages of the stimulus package.
Looking Ahead to 2021 and How to Be Prepared Financially
By Mike Gertsema, CEO & Wealth Advisor Let’s take a look into 2021. The election is over, there are vaccines available for COVID, and maybe we will get back to the way it was – where we can socialize without fear, hug grandparents, shake hands and gather. I wonder if that’s possible. Ev …
Choosing a Financial Advisor Should Be Easier Than Buying a Car
By Mike Gertsema, CEO & Wealth Advisor Raise your hand if you like the experience of buying a car. I don’t know about you, but I did not raise my hand and I bet a lot of you didn’t either. However, I think the buying process is changing because of all the bad experiences people …
How to Plan for (and avoid) Financial Surprises
By Mike Gertsema, CEO & Wealth Advisor Everyone enjoys a good surprise when it’s a gift, not a bill. There’s a reason our bills aren’t wrapped in decorative paper, no one looks forward to opening them. This year has been one of several surprises, many of them not the fun kind. Let’s loo …
The Comprehensive Guide to Estate Planning
An estate plan doesn’t materialize with the snap of your fingers. In fact, an estate plan demands that you confront your mortality. Perhaps that’s why so many of us fail to plan for the future. The reality is that estate planning isn’t about you – it’s about your loved ones. Much stands to …
Looking Back while Looking Forward as a Financial Advisor
By Mike Gertsema, CEO & Wealth Advisor At our daily team meeting this morning, we discussed a client that is a close childhood friend of mine. When I visit with her, I can’t help but think that I’m talking to her like when we were teenagers – offering advice, and giving each other a bad …
Designing Your Life (and Your Financial Plan)
By Jackie Heater, Director of Client Relations A few weeks ago, I went with my grandson to his college orientation. During the parent session, they recommended a book that each student and parent or grandparent should read: Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life, by Bil …
