Assisting our Elders – A Cautionary Tale

This is a story that’s personal and a bit troubling to share, mostly because it involves some miscues and errors that I would think, as a financial professional, I might have been able to foresee and avoid.   Since I didn’t, I’m going to share my experience in hopes that it will highlight some steps you…

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Should You Consider a Credit Freeze?

Some time back a government agency that holds my personal data reported a data breach and offered free credit monitoring, for which I signed up.  A few weeks ago the monitoring company notified me that my personal data had appeared on “the dark web,” a part of the internet that’s associated with illegal activities.  It’s…

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Between Greed and Fear: A Prudent Financial Path

Many of us arrive at adulthood with little to no formal education regarding investment management. How much financial management is taught in school or even college? Yet most of us eventually find ourselves owners of a 401(k) or similar self-directed retirement plan. Where do we start? Parenthetically, that is, in part, where I formed my…

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In Support of the Fiduciary Standard

It’s one of the most fundamental and dear characteristics of the work we do at Empowerment Financial Guidance: earning the trust and confidence of our clients. We strive to do this in various ways, of course, including the intangibles of demeanor, openness, and honesty. We also have been very intentional in creating a structural business…

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Your Name Here

When my favorite hockey team of my youth, the New York Islanders, moved into their new arena a couple of years ago, my college friend Jim was eager to attend. “This place is awesome!” he reported to me some 3,000 miles away. I believed him. I was a hockey player and a fan long before…

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The Investment Climate

Every year since the financial crisis of 2008-09, Laurence Fink, the founder and CEO of BlackRock, has written a letter to CEO’s.  In this letter, the leader of the world’s largest asset manager outlines the priorities which his organization would like to see in the companies in which they invest.  It’s a call to action,…

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