Trail Markers for an Unknown Destination How can you measure progress when your destination is uncertain? A few years ago, I was driving to Acadia National Park, a national park that I had never been to before. It was about midnight, and I was looking forward to setting up my tent and going to sleep. One thing stood in my way: finding my campsite through unfamiliar terrain. The uncertainty of financial planning can be like finding your way through unfamiliar terrain. Uncertainty makes progress difficult to measure. Building a financial plan that will be sustainable despite all the uncertainty ..read more

Grand Wealth recently implemented a sabbatical policy to help strengthen cross training and empower our team to step into leadership when the opportunity arises. Jeff was the first member of our team to take a sabbatical and we wanted to find out how it went, and his mindset upon returning to Grand Wealth. Tell us about your sabbatical and what you did during your time away? We spent 20 days in Europe on a cruise traveling from Amsterdam to Budapest with stops in Germany, Netherlands and a final stop in Prague before coming back home. Once we got back home, I had one week to regroup before hea ..read more

We’re in a challenging environment for savers and investors alike, but there are silver linings to be found. In a recent MLive Wallet Watch article, Anastasia Wiese, JD, CFP® shared tips on how to navigate rising interest rates and market volatility. She discusses how to seize improved opportunities in your saving accounts, while staying invested in the markets for future growth. For your savings: Anastasia pointed out a silver lining that higher rates are bringing to many savings accounts. While higher rates are bad news for borrowers, they can be beneficial if you’re saving money for upcomin ..read more

One value that we try to instill at Grand Wealth is the importance of cross training and empowering our team to step into leadership when the opportunity arrives. This year we added a new benefit and created a sabbatical policy. With Jeff being our first team member to take a sabbatical, we decided to take this opportunity to see how he is feeling. How do you feel about leaving the firm for an extended period of time? I have mixed feelings. It will be uncomfortable not having access to my e-mail or updates on firm activities but I have great confidence that everything will be handled duri ..read more

One of the many values I hope to instill into our team at Grand Wealth is the importance of intentionally empowering everyone to step into leadership when the moment arrives. To grow as a company and deliver on our mission to help clients achieve more for themselves, their families, and their communities, all of us must be prepared for any situation to ensure our clients’ success. At the end of the day, our clients can count on any member of our team to understand their needs and step up to guide them. Planning and collaboration are both essential to this level of adaptability and growth, but ..read more

“Retirement is changing.” So begins a recent Grand Rapids Magazine Look+Feel column, “A Shift in Retirement.” As retirees are living longer with less access to traditional pension plans, Steve Starnes, MBA, CFP® notes that financial planning plays an even more important role in the ability to retire as we desire. Plus, there’s lifestyle planning. “Not doing anything [in retirement] is hard for a lot of people,” says Steve, “whether they need the money or not. Practically speaking, most people should start saving and investing 10%–20% of their salary early on, so compound growth over long timef ..read more

With inflation on the rise, many households are revisiting how to save, invest, and spend their hard-earned money. In a recent MLive article on how to budget for higher prices, Anastasia Wiese, JD, CFP® shared best practices for sustaining your investment stamina during inflationary times. First, it’s important to maintain, if not add to your existing savings and investing. “When money gets tight, [people] automatically give up savings first and that’s not the best strategy,” said Anastasia. “When you’re in a little bit of a market decline or correction time, that’s actually the best time to b ..read more

On paper estate planning may not come across as a glamorous process, but in reality estate planning is all about protecting your loved ones and planning for the future. You might have heard stories about a family member passing away and family members arguing over who should be in charge of the finances. The good thing about estate planning is this can help alleviate those family strives. Steve Starnes shares in the first podcast episode of This Day & Age, tips, and tools you need to set yourself up for success in the later stages of life. The episode explores why having a plan in place is ..read more

Although women are increasingly household breadwinners and financial stewards, talking about money often remains taboo in “polite society.” In a West Michigan Woman piece, “Wine, Women and Money: Sharing Financial Know-How,” Anastasia Wiese, JD, CFP® explores how women can broach the subject in small, private gatherings—with a little wine to help the conversation flow. “When women share information about career and finances, goals, hopes, dreams—and yes, fears—we can find the crucial support needed for success,” says Anastasia. “It’s not surprising that even today, women are less confident—not ..read more

How do you invest your money over the long-term? If you’ve read much of our work, you’ve probably noticed we embrace evidence-based investing. But what does that mean? What Is Evidence-Based Investing? Evidence-based investors build and manage their portfolio based on what is expected to enhance future returns and/or dampen related risk exposures, according to the most robust evidence available. This also means sticking with your long-view, evidence-based strategy once it’s in place, despite the market’s uncertainties and your own self-doubts you’ll encounter along the way. Evidence-Based Inve ..read more