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We believe in taking our knowledge about investing and financial planning, and using it to educate our clients and our community. However, the best advice is is highly personal and it reflects your specific circumstances --which this blog cannot do. Thus, please don't consider this blog "investment advice" or "financial planning"... It's for educational purposes only. 

Friday, March 19, 2021

One Hundred Million Dollars. This is the estimate of how much salary Tom Brady left on the table to help free up more team salary to build a great roster to help win Super Bowls and solidify his legacy. One.Hundred. Million. Dollars....

Friday, March 12, 2021

There I was, minding my own business, on the couch watching Shark Tank re-runs on CNBC, when a commercial pops up with none other than Hall of Fame Quarterback Joe Montana telling me about the viability of Gold in an IRA. (If you...

Friday, March 5, 2021

For the last two weeks, things have once again gotten a little unsettled in financial markets, so I wanted to be sure you received some information to help put some things in context and to (hopefully) add some calm to the environment....

Friday, February 26, 2021

Greetings! Yesterday (February 25, 2020) was a tough one for the markets. The 10-year treasury jumped to a 1 year high of 1.6%, which caused the worst single-day selloff of stocks since October. The recent rise in interest rates has...

Friday, February 19, 2021

Greetings and thanks for reading my blog. We're going to talk a little about Hot Stocks this week, but before I get into that.... As of this writing, it's about 1pm on February 19, 2021 and I've already broken my 2021 New Years'...

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Friday, January 15, 2021

Recently I saw a Twitter post from a financial advisor that said "If your financial advisor isn't recommending a 1-5% allocation to Bitcoin, why haven't you fired them?"... When this kind of sensationalism starts becoming more...

Monday, January 11, 2021

On March 23 of 2020 I wrote the following (link to blog): Let's pretend for a minute that it's the year 2025... You’re looking back at the CoronaCrash of 2020, the massive losses it dealt to your portfolio and how you reacted as...

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Good afternoon! This week it felt fitting to offer just a little reminder about election-related investment decisions, as well as outline some of the dangers of chasing the performance of BIG stocks, and, finally, discuss the pending...

Monday, September 21, 2020

Hi Adam, Good afternoon! Before I get into these few topics, I'll note that we're seeing a little bit of a pullback from a market rally that's lasted several months. I hope you're hanging in there; volatility is never fun but it's...

Thursday, September 3, 2020

Greetings! It's been a busy few weeks and there are some exciting to new developments with the firm. I'm looking forward to sharing those with you later in this email and also in the weeks to come. ... Over the last couple weeks I've...

Thursday, August 6, 2020

Hi everyone, I hope your summer is going well. We just wrapped up July and Phoenix set a record for "Hottest Month on Record"... Some records are fun to break, others are not. This one isn't. Speaking of hot, there are a few stocks...

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Hope you're enjoying your summer, it's crazy to think we're almost halfway through (which, in Phoenix, is a good thing). The three things this week covers prediction (which I talk about a lot), growth and value stocks (which I also...

Monday, June 29, 2020

Hi Adam, The market in 2020 gives me A LOT of potential topics to address, sometimes it's hard to choose. This week, I narrowed them down to these Three Things to consider.... 1) International vs. US Stocks 2) Big Companies and Market...

Friday, June 19, 2020

I hope everyone is having a great week. Here are a few things I'd like to highlight this week: Thing #1: The New Recession It's official, we're in a recession. Thanks Coronavirus.... Investors may be tempted to ditch equities and go...

Tuesday, June 9, 2020

Hi Adam, Three Things is back. I took some time off from the weekly "Three Things" format because, frankly, the market was so crazy earlier this year that a weekly newsletter on a variety of topics just didn't cut it. Instead, I tried...

Sunday, May 17, 2020

We've seen a nice rebound from the March 23rd lows in the stock market, which has offered some reprieve from an unprecedented onslaught of bad news. Meanwhile, the nasty unemployment figures and damage to economy is becoming more...

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Data is a powerful thing. When tasked with scanning the universe to select an investment strategy for clients, there are a lot of choices and the data is crucial to rely upon. In this blog I'm going to outline some FACTS about mutual...

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Over the last 2 months I've spent a lot of time contextualizing the crash we've all endured, how markets tend to behave in situations like this, and why we should be confident going forward....I have addressed why we shouldn't panic...

Saturday, March 28, 2020

Before I get into this blog, let me first remind you of the following: The events that transpire in a single week in 2020 will not be the deciding factor in the success or failure of your financial plan. ...Now that that's out of the...

Monday, March 23, 2020

Let's pretend for a minute that it's the year 2025... You’re looking back at the CoronaCrash of 2020, the massive losses it dealt to your portfolio and how you reacted as an investor. Just as we reflect on prior crashes, our...

Monday, March 16, 2020

As you know, the last 3 weeks have seen some of the most prolific declines in the history of the stock market. Your portfolio has been hit, my portfolio has been hit (my invested portfolio is built with the same funds I recommend),...

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

In the past few weeks, I’ve done a few “double takes” at my computer or my phone, as we’ve watched major swings in stock prices and movements in the bond and crude oil markets. And on top of the financial...

Monday, March 9, 2020

The world is watching with concern the spread of the new coronavirus. The uncertainty is being felt around the globe, and it is unsettling on a human level as well as from the perspective of how markets respond. The article below...

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Volatility is back in a BIG way and last week we saw the most precipitous decline in over a decade. While the Coronavirus is a unique catalyst, these kinds of declines are normal market behavior... I know what you're thinking,...

Monday, February 17, 2020

PDF Download: A Tale of Two Decades (Dimensional)

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Here are a few recent thoughts on three particular subjects: The "Best" Fund Companies (Morningstar) Some Thoughts on Long Term Care Insurance Advisor Fee Structures and Comments About Wrap Fees Enjoy! Adam Harding, CFP / Smartvestor...

Monday, January 27, 2020

This blog has been cathartic for me in many ways; it feels like a way to reinforce what we do and why we do it, while working in some fun, interesting, or entertaining things along the way... I started writing this yesterday and when...

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

As we're moving on in 2020, we're continuing to blaze forward with an appreciation for studying history and how markets and economies have been affected by human decision making. This version of Three Things covers my firm's Decade in...

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

It’s a Presidential Election Year in the US once again. For those who need a brief civics refresher, every four years there is a Presidential Election, while every two years the full US House of Representatives and one-third of...

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Close your eyes and pretend that it's early January 2010 and you are reading a review of the financial markets. Investors have been on a roller coaster over the past three years, living through the stress of the global financial...

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Ok folks, we're one week into 2020 and I hope everyone is happy, healthy, and optimistic about the future. In an effort to focus on year-end client needs (notably, Roth IRA conversions and establishing retirement accounts), I took...

Monday, December 2, 2019

Seasons Greetings! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I took last week off from blogging and instead decided to focus on pumpkin pie and football. I have some things I'd like to share with you: a guide for how to talk about money,...

Monday, November 11, 2019

Greetings! I can't believe there's only FIFTY days left in this year... Fifty days left in the decade, actually. Wow. I have some things I'd like to share with you this week: some thoughts on progress, a Buddhist Parable, and some...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Another week with more things to read and digest. Here are a few I wanted to share with you this week: Some Thoughts on Complexity, The "FAANG Factor", andYear-End Tax Tips. Enjoy! Adam Harding, CFP / Smartvestor Pro480-205-1743 If...

Thursday, October 31, 2019

What's scarier than GHOULS, GOBLINS, WITCHES, and GHOSTS? Not much is scarier than these things, but I have a few suggestions (Three to be exact). Enjoy! Adam Harding, CFP / Smartvestor Pro480-205-1743 If this is your first time...

Monday, October 21, 2019

This week I read, watched, and listened even more than usual; I give the credit to my 2 month-old son's newfound ability to sleep through the night for 9-10 hours.... Needless to say, I'm a new man. What stood out to me this week was...

Monday, October 14, 2019

This week I was inspired by some quotes from Steve Jobs, an article about Ultra High Net Worth Investors, and an instagram video featuring Ray Dalio. Enjoy! Adam Harding, CFP / Smartvestor Pro If this is your first time receiving this...

Monday, October 7, 2019

This week I was inspired to share some perspective on Value vs. Growth Investing, an Instagram post, and an invitation to attend a webcast hosted by a Nobel Prize-Winning Economist later this month. Enjoy! Adam Harding, CFP /...

Monday, September 30, 2019

This week I was inspired to share some long-run stock market data, a morbid quote from a famous economist, and a child crying while playing a board game. Enjoy! Adam Harding, CFP / Smartvestor Pro If this is your first time receiving...

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Thing #1: Chart & Video: Periodic Table of Investment Returns Source: Callan I keep a copy of this chart on my desk as a steady reminder of the wide dispersion in annual returns between asset classes from 1999-2018. When building an...

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Another week, another Three Things email...Topics include: longevity risk, a Word of the Day, and some thoughts on life insurance as an investment. Thing #1: Article: The Investor's Survival Guide To A Long Life Seeking Alpha Great...

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Here are the most recent Three Things that stood out to me this week: Global Diversification, Poetry (yea, poetry), and retirement distribution rates. Enjoy! Thing #1: Article: A Tale of Two Decades Dimensional Over the last several...

Sunday, September 1, 2019

I hope you're enjoying the holiday weekend. I've just been laying low, getting accustomed to the sleeping patterns of a 13-day-old baby, and, of course, writing out some thoughts around Three Things that stood out this week. Enjoy!...

Sunday, August 25, 2019

This is a pretty special version of my Three Things email series; I get to introduce you to my son. Enjoy! Thing #1: Clayton Jonathan Harding Mollie (my wife) and I welcomed our first child to the world on Monday August 19th at 6:40 am...

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Thing #1: Video: Recent Market Volatility Dimensional Fund Advisors Over the last 40 years, when the U.S. yield curve inverted as it did this week, the stock market was up 66% of the time 1 year later and 33% of the time 3 years later....

Sunday, August 11, 2019

As a wealth advisor to individuals like you, a business owner, an expectant father (baby boy due any day now!) and a full-time resident of the planet, I’m constantly reading, listening, and watching anything that I feel can add...

Monday, July 15, 2019

Image Cred: Kaboompics.com July 2019 Over the course of a summer, it’s not unusual for the stock market to be a topic of conversation at barbecues or other social gatherings. A neighbor or relative might ask about which...

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Averages are…(wait for it)… Averages.June 2019 Investment opportunities exist all around the globe. Across more than 40 countries, there are over 15,000 publicly traded companies.[1] If you listen to the news, however,...