With over 25 years in wealth management, I’ve observed various approaches to charitable giving. Donor Advised Funds (DAFs) consistently prove to be one of the most effective tools, especially for those seeking the benefits of a private foundation without the associated complexities and costs.

Setting up a trust can be a powerful estate planning tool, but it’s important to consider both its advantages and drawbacks. Additionally, Transfer on Death (TOD) designations offer an alternative method to achieve some similar goals.

Investors seeking to generate income from their portfolios have two primary strategies to consider: income-focused investing and total return investing. Each approach has its own benefits and drawbacks, and the choice between them depends on the investor’s goals, risk tolerance, and need for sustainable income that keeps pace with inflation.

Few people enjoy a budget and for many the goal of building wealth is so to get to the point that one isn’t needed. We’ve worked with clients at all ends of the wealth spectrum to help them evaluate their spending. Sometimes those with relatively smaller incomes are excellent savers and for some, the more they have, the easier it is to overspend.

As we age, our brains undergo natural changes, but there are ways to support cognitive health and potentially slow age-related decline. Research has shown that the aging brain can compensate for slower processing by using more of its capacity, leading to improved judgment and decision-making abilities[1][2].

Statistically we know that investing a lump sum in equities beats dollar cost averaging 75% of the time. And we know that dollar cost averaging outperforms a buy the dip strategy 60 - 75% of the time. So it seems like a no brainer to go ahead and put that cash to work all at once. In volatile markets like these that can be a scary prospect though. Right now it seems like the economy and markets could easily get worse before they get better. The good news is you don’t have to choose among these three strategies. You can take a hybrid approach, which combines all three. We know that putting money to work and keeping it invested for the long haul is the most important step one can take towards building wealth, regardless of the exact timing of how you get started. So while statistics tell us that investing a lump sum all at once is a better strategy 75% of the time, it really hurts when you put a lump sum to work and then the markets crash, 20, 30, 40, or 50%! For many clients, they only have a large sum to put to work once or twice in their lives so the pressure feels much greater than a robotic approach to investing might suggest.