I’ve had a few clients reach out to me over the past couple weeks (the last week of December 2024 & first week of 2025) with similar concerns: “How and why did my account go down at the end of 2024?!” The short answer: accounts are down because the market is down, and the market […]

Have you heard this year’s version of Wall Street’s favorite joke? “We’re going to predict how the stock market does this year!“ Woof. Yikes. Why?! 1-year stock predictions are pointless. We’d all be better off accepting that fact. Risk, Reward, Timelines, and More Time and again, I want to ensure every long-term investor understands the […]

Most personal finance experts would tell you that cars are a terrible investment. Cars are a “necessary evil,” a steep price to get from Point A to Point B. You’re leaking money on a depreciating asset. They’d tell you to avoid debt a car as best you can. Owning a depreciating asset is one thing, […]

Friend-of-the-blog Christian has done something remarkable. He’s lost ~85 pounds over the past 7 months, dropping from ~280 pounds to ~195. Kudos, Christian! Inspired by Christian’s success, my own health has sharpened into focus. I have the data to support this – I’ve gained 8 pounds over that same period that Christian’s lost 85. I’ve […]

I met with a family a few weeks ago for an introductory conversation. I’m always interested to learn about people’s history with money. It’s an open-ended question that allows for a multitude of interesting answers. This family explained that ~20 years ago, they received a significant lump sum payment. They reached out to a financial […]

Here’s a fun question from friend-of-the-blog CJ: “I was hanging out with family and friends around Thanksgiving, and I wanted to gauge their opinion on something interesting: Who is more famous globally: Taylor Swift or Cristiano Ronaldo? Almost everyone I asked [for reference, readers: CJ is about 30-years old and lives near me in Western […]

The end of the year flies by. One day, you’re eating turkey and pecan pie and taking a well-deserved nap. Next thing you know (or so it seems), you’re counting down the New Year’s clock to welcome 2025. If you’re not careful, the holiday season will fly by (in a sleigh?) before you can do […]

“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” We’ve all heard that phrase, alongside the concept of having “the right tool for the job.” I submit that many people in the retirement planning community (especially online in DIYer circles) do not have the right tools or mental models for including long-term […]

There are a few broad categories that trigger people to reach out to me. Retirement planning is biggest. Major life changes (marriage, divorce, having kids) is a common reason, too. Another one, albeit slightly more unique: “I have a good handle on our finances, but I want to get you involved because my spouse needs […]

Much ink has been spilled on the 4% rule, including here on The Best Interest. The short and sweet definition? The 4% rule is a retirement strategy that suggests withdrawing 4% of your portfolio’s value annually, adjusted for inflation, to ensure your savings last for a 30-year retirement. If you’d like to dive deeper on […]