Podcast: “Personal Finances and COVID-19”
May 4, 2020  | By Kevin Smith

Follow this link to our latest podcast. This is a conversation with Austin-based tech entrepreneur, Kevin McLaughlin. He and I regularly discuss the financial challenges and economic opportunities of the Millennial generation. We talk about methods to deal with losses…Read More

Recession Risk by Life Stages
April 23, 2020  | By Kevin Smith

Early to Mid Career Income risk Younger executives and professionals in the process of establishing careers may be at higher risk of income loss, which can come in the form of reduced base pay, lower bonuses or layoffs. 30% rule…Read More

The elusive ‘bottom’
April 22, 2020  | By Kevin Smith

Seeking the bottom of the market is risky business. The conditions that caused The Great Recession of 2007/2008 had nothing in common with our current crisis, but the feeling of watching stocks fall is similar. Investors are struggling with a…Read More

All Bull Markets Will End… And Come Back
February 28, 2020  | By Kevin Smith

We are still technically in a Bull market and have been for about 11 years. When we zoom out and take a deep breath, there is some solace in seeing that Bear markets tend to be much shorter than Bull…Read More

Investing during a crisis: Coronavirus
February 28, 2020  | By Kevin Smith

Stock prices adjust to reflect the collective expectations of all investors. The basic formula for estimating a stock price is estimating future cash flows and discounting them based on risk. Lower expected cash flows = lower price. Higher risk =…Read More

The 5% Savings Challenge
January 20, 2020  | By Kevin Smith

Ready to crank up the dial and build wealth faster? The best way to make financial progress is to set an achievable goal and create a system so you don’t have to think about it. Saving an additional 5% seems…Read More

The SECURE Act is here. What are the big changes?
December 30, 2019  | By Kevin Smith

President Trump signed the SECURE Act into law on December 20th, 2019. The purpose is to help more Americans obtain retirement security. The following is not an exhaustive list of changes, but a description of changes that will likely impact…Read More

Your Budget in a Recession
September 26, 2019  | By Kevin Smith

As of September 2019, life is good here in Austin, TX and much of the United States. Wages are up, jobs creation is abundant, the business community is thriving, home values have been on the rise for years. People under…Read More

The Year of the IPO
July 19, 2019  | By Kevin Smith

Investors revel in the excitement of a beloved tech company ringing the bell on their opening day on the stock market. Months of media attention and speculation about the opening price lead up to this celebrated event. Will this company…Read More

Strategy Breakdown: Selling the Highs and Buying the Dips
May 6, 2019  | By Kevin Smith

One of the most commonly referenced investment strategies must be “sell the highs and buy the dips”. Why is it so popular? Makes sense. Hard to argue against. Easy to apply (in theory). Low cost to execute. High profile investors…Read More