Summary To honor Women’s History Month, let’s look at recent trends, achievements, and the outlook for women in the world of finance. The gender gap in the world of financial planning and investing is quickly narrowing. Recent evidence suggests that women are starting to invest earlier than in previous generations, becoming more active in the financial planning process, and often outperforming their male counterparts. Starting early When it comes to investing, history shows that those who start early are more likely to have an advantage. That’s true for interest paid in a savings account, lo ..read more

Yes, our team has been asked this question more than a couple of times over the last few months. Why hold bonds now? The main critique of bonds today goes something like this: Bonds are in the Preservation Bucket in my portfolio for stability. The value of my Preservation Bucket is not stable. Therefore, bonds are not serving their purpose. There is no doubt that bonds are in an historically difficult season from a price perspective.  Inflation pressures have forced short-term interest rates up at a rapid rate, and prices have fallen commensurately to accommodate for the higher yields o ..read more

We are receiving more and more questions about cryptocurrencies and the role they play in RPG Managed Portfolios. Frequently crypto questions center around whether or not this is a craze, or if the blockchain and cryptocurrencies are built to last.  Are we seeing a bubble or will prices continue to soar? Is it too late? What does RPG think about crypto-currencies? Great questions.  Certainly, we do not have all of the answers, but we want to take an opportunity to share some thoughts. Fortunately, we do not need to be digital mining experts or know the future when ..read more

Long and difficult-to-read books and articles abound on asset allocation strategy and the role that fixed income plays in a diversified portfolio. This note aspires to be neither long, nor difficult! Rather, we want to take a moment to remind ourselves and our readers of the important role that bonds play in a portfolio, even when the world is telling us they just don’t make sense. First, what is the purpose of holding bonds in a portfolio? The main reason that we broadly include bonds in portfolios is that they serve as a dial. A properly constructed bond allocation helps mitigate portfolio r ..read more

Not long ago, our family sat in an office speaking with a doctor whose team had saved my son’s life a few months earlier. Since the rescue surgery, Jacob (now 15) has had a couple of follow-up surgeries and endured quite a bit.  On the good side of a rough few months, Jacob’s surgeon hit us with some wisdom. “Many doctors and the research community often speak of cure rates.” “Our team,” he continued, “is most often in the business of healing, not curing.” My attention turned inward at that moment…what a profound distinction. Jacob would most certainly heal.  His body would recover ..read more

At Resource Planning Group, we think a lot about legacy building.  Planning helps guide how we can best utilize time in pursuit of the “important stuff.”   Sometimes we learn the most about legacy from our own experiences.  This Thanksgiving marks 25 years since my father left us. And his legacy has been on my mind a lot lately. Please enjoy this tribute to him and the legacy he left our family… and we would love for you to share stories from your home in the comments! Dad was big on respect.  Don’t get me wrong, he did not demand it from me or anyone else. But he did ..read more

On September 26, 2021, the House Budget Committee released House Report No. 117-130 (the “Report”). Although it remains uncertain whether the Biden “Build Back Better” infrastructure agenda (or some form of it) will be enacted into law, it is likely that the proposed tax law changes contained in the Report will be part of whichever bill ultimately passes into law. The changes proposed to the income tax include raising the top income tax rate for long-term capital gains from 20% to 25% (effective September 14, 2021!) and raising the top marginal individual income tax rate from 37% to 39.6% (eff ..read more

We all have them: moments that impact us forever.  Some of these moments sneak up on us, others may culminate from detailed plans and thoughtful consideration. Below are a couple of moments in time that have impacted my house… and maybe they begin to tell a bigger story about legacy.  The first vignette involves my grandmother, many years ago. I was a young man, with my college a few years in my past and wedding date on the horizon.  This particular moment came in a phone call: “Grandmom, I have a new address for you…yes, I just moved into my new home in Atlanta!” Then Grandmom ..read more

Well-known investor Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital has often said, “You can’t predict, but you can prepare.”  While markets are cyclical, oscillating between bull and bear markets, you can never know with certainty when the market is going to turn, how quickly it may do so, how far it might fall, or when it will begin its next cyclical ascent.  That is, until you have the benefit of hindsight and are able to identify the now obvious triggers for the change from bull to bear—something that occurs long after the bear market has established itself, possibly near the end of it.  Em ..read more

With the annual Medicare Open Enrollment period right around the corner (October 15th – December 7th), we thought it would be helpful to highlight some key areas that you should focus on during this time to make the most of this valuable benefit. Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage – You can change between the two (from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan or from a Medicare Advantage Plan to Original Medicare.) However, there are a few things to keep in mind: Changing from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan You will want to investigate all the plans available in you ..read more