When I first began my career as a financial advisor working in a national brokerage firm one of the first tools I learned to use was a software program for “financial planning”.  I collected answers to a defined series of questions which I then loaded into the program.  What came back was impressive, because it.. read more →

Two of my least favorite things:  running and mud collided on Saturday at the second annual Mudder’s Day Run, a 5k run put on by Harmony Family Center at the newly renovated Camp Montvale in Blount County.  Since Fred and I both serve on the board of Harmony Family Center and were event sponsors we.. read more →

Here is a link to a good article about Investment/Market Commentary that bombards us daily through the various TV and Radio outlets.  It will prove useful for all investors to be aware of what this article is saying. http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-04-09/what-you-re-hearing-is-market-noise -Willis Mashburn   read more →

As a financial planner I am frequently asked by parents about the best way to save for the cost of their child’s college education.  The question I am never asked is should their child go to college.  For most parents that is not a consideration.  The expectation is that once graduated from high school the.. read more →

The second key to successful investing is Diversification.  Diversification in its simplest terms is: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.  One can diversify among asset classes as we noted before but it’s also important to diversify within asset classes.  For instance, most investment strategies include stocks of  United States large capitalization companies as.. read more →