World events that impacted this year.

"Those who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it." 
Winston Churchill

Volatility is a word that we have heard a lot this year. Here are 5 Tips to help you survive & thrive in any financial environment.

3 Questions to Help you Decide!

When I was a student I got so stressed before tests! The week leading up to the test I would study loosely, be constantly stressed, and cram the day before.

Eventually, I learned to create a study plan two weeks before my test. I studied each day for a set time, had little stress, and usually performed well. With an appropriate plan I was able to enjoy my life without worrying about my test. I wasn’t planning for the worst but rather preparing myself so I would have freedom.

This is similar to the approach we use in life insurance planning.

Cash Flow Management. What To Know and How Can It Help You?

If you ever google financial planning, there is no doubt that you will quickly come across the idea of budgeting. At Creekmur Wealth Advisors we prefer to focus less on budgeting and lean more into cash flow management as a foundation for beginning your financial journey.

A common question I receive as a wealth advisor is, "What investments someone can make to get a big return?"

While Creekmur Wealth Advisors spends a substantial amount of time researching, modeling, and planning investment strategies we do not believe that rate of return is the most important rate to focus on when it comes to investing. We do appreciate seeing a high rate of return and strive to achieve that.

However, the most important rate I would encourage clients to focus on and monitor is their savings rate since it is totally under the investors control and is the largest contributor to your final net worth.

Your savings rate is calculated by taking the total amount of your annual savings and dividing it by your gross or net income. I prefer using gross income as this encourages us to find tax-efficient methods of savings to maximize our savings rate.

“Nothing is certain but death and taxes” -Benjamin Franklin.

The more time I spend in the financial services industry, the more I see this quote proving to be very true. 

There are not many certainties in life, but the things we do know for certain, we like to plan for and taxes are one of those certainties. You may have already filed your taxes, but planning for taxes is different matter.  Since it's tax season, there is no better time to review your financial plan to ensure your financial life is operating as efficiently as possible!

One of the biggest issues that new investors run into is developing an easy-to-repeat, long-term investing strategy. Below I'm going to discuss three steps you can use to help develop your investing strategy. By having a set strategy every investor is better prepared to weather the inevitable volatility of the market.

What 3 Steps Should You Follow When Investing?