When your tax refund arrives, it presents a unique opportunity to make strategic financial decisions. Rather than succumbing to the temptation of immediate spending, consider these six wise ways to use your tax refund to your advantage. 1. Build Your Emergency Fund If your emergency fund is below recommended levels, allocate your tax refund to…
This is not your typical New Year’s resolution article. The concepts in those articles are good, and I work with many of my clients to help them budget, save, and plan because those are fundamentally the right things to do. Many of those articles are out there, and that topic is covered extensively this time…
Naughty or Nice Investments? If you are like most investors this year, you have been eyeing the market and asking yourself if an investment is a good one (nice) or a bad one (naughty). Knowing can be challenging, but active investors and fund managers ask themselves this question daily. By doing so, they are trying…
Cooler weather, shorter days, football, and pumpkin patches all bring home that we are well into fall and approaching the end of the year. For many people, the end of the year can be a good time to reflect and take stock of where you are and where you would like to go. As someone…
A recent article I read by David Booth, Founder and Chairman of Dimensional Fund Advisors, made an interesting observation about the relationship between health and wealth. His article, Practicing Healthy Habits, Pursuing Wealthy Outcomes, relates how he looks at investing compared to how Peter Attia looks at living longer in his book Outlive: The Science…
Death and taxes are two facts of life that one must accept. Based on that, understanding taxes in retirement can help you put in place tax-efficient strategies that will minimize their impact. The first key to understanding the answer is to know that in retirement, all those years of saving into tax-deferred accounts (401Ks, IRAs,…
As a financial advisor, whenever I’m asked a question like this, my mind floods with a list of questions for more clarification. At first glance, the question seems straightforward. However, the answer is nuanced and requires several layers of analysis. First, you must know if the $90,000 per year, or other hypothetical dollar amount, is…
This month we are going to talk about investment performance in relation to a financial plan. If you have been following along, we are a big proponent of planning, and over the last several months, we have advocated an approach to planning for the long term. We believe that long-term planning allows you to not…
In today’s technologically advanced world, there are countless systems and apps that will calculate your net worth. These systems calculate net worth by aggregating your bank and investment accounts while subtracting out any debt obligations. While that might be a good description of net worth, is this a good definition of your worth? Money is…
You have spent decades of your life working hard saving diligently, and now it’s time to consider retiring. This is a huge accomplishment in and of itself, and the goal is to have the time and money to be able to do more of the things you love. We believe an additional goal should…
Today, the typical consumer is exposed to more news and information than at any other time in history. A recent survey about stress indicated 95% of Americans “try to keep up with the news daily,” and 56% said that doing so “causes them stress”. Even more interesting is that 72% believe “the media blows things…
A good analogy for a financial plan is a GPS for your financial life. It tells you where to turn and when and recalibrates your route if you happen to miss a turn. In addition, it ensures you are prepared when, not if, you meet one of the many obstacles that life will put…
Doug Vander Weide, CEO, announces the addition of Michael Jiskoot, CPA, MBA to the Valiant Wealth Family Office team as Financial Advisor. In an announcement to clients Doug stated, “Valiant Wealth continues to be a business that is about its people. This includes employees, as well those of you who have trusted Valiant Wealth as…
In keeping with one of Valiant’s core values of philanthropy and being a good global citizen, we are so proud of our teammate JT Hodges and his work to help the people of the Bahamas impacted by Hurricane Dorian. Over the past several months, JT and the grassroots relief movement Team Ghosts, have dedicated time,…
A select crowd of Nashville entertainment notables kicked off the holiday season at the historic Franklin Theatre to celebrate JT Hodges at the screening of his new Lifetime Movie “Christmas Stars”. Over 300 guests were greeted by JT, his wife Kasey, and their two lovely girls. In the spirit of the season, a special appearance by Santa Clause inspired fun photo moments. The social hour offered…
Doug Vander Weide, the CEO, announces the addition of Tom Jackowski, JD to the Valiant Wealth Family Office Leadership Team. Stemming from over 20 years in private practice, Tom brings an established reputation for legal proficiency, business and private equity acumen, and philanthropic expertise. His role includes advising on client-related legal issues, providing advice…
What an incredible way to start the New Year for the Valiant Wealth Family Office Team. Doug Vander Weide, his daughter Grace and yours truly, Ginny Shiverdecker, were joined by an incredible group of volunteers from the greater…
Minimizing investment costs is a critical part of investment success. Because we live this as part of our firm’s investment philosophy, we are excited to announce that Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) has reduced expense caps and investment management fees for several of the funds…
A magical feeling permeated the air at The Woods in Jupiter Thursday, evening Dec 1st. Entrepreneurs, business owners, and medical professionals gathered at the new Tiger Woods owned restaurant for the first Valiant Wealth Philanthropy Experience. The Florida event was raising funds for the Abōd Shelters Foundation to benefit projects in Africa. Doug Vander Weide,…
Investors are coming around to the facts about their chances of successfully beating the stock market over any period of time. As we’re fond of saying here, taxes and expenses matter as much as any other investment decision you make. The Wall Street Journal recently picked up on the success of Dimensional Fund Advisors, whose…
