January of 2023 kicked off with a bang. We’re in the midst of a stock market rally that we haven’t seen in over a year.  The market rose, and rose, and kept rising – all in the last 8 weeks.  We’re far from all-time highs, and expect that to be the case...

Have we reached a stock market bottom yet? 

"Are you kidding me? After the big price drops we've seen the last few days?"

We get it. Pessimism is popular right now. But here we give you an optimist’s case for the market:

Look at the three major stock market benchmarks – the Dow...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

We all know it is coming – that at one point Till death us do part becomes a reality.  What a sad time - someone dear to us has gone away, never to return, and will be missed greatly. 

Do Nothing Until You Really Need to

As a financial planner, I...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

You want to retire in a few years, right? And you know you haven't saved enough.  But there are bills to pay, and at the end of the month there’s nothing left.  In fact, there’s often a shortfall.  What can you do?

 Short...

 By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

You may have noticed in all CameronDowning email signatures this text:

                                      Where 5% of all revenue is donated

   ...

By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

Child:  But Daddy – that’s not fair! 

Daddy:  Well, son, life’s not fair.  Whoever said it is lied to you.  Fair is where you go to ride rides. 

Anyone who’s ever been in one of my CFP® classes has...

We have a hot real estate market in Miami!

I see it from acquaintances who are looking for houses:  sellers receive multiple offers, often over ask, and properties are sold before they even get a chance to swing by for a look!

I loved living in New York City (years ago) and I love living in...

 By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

What follows is one of my all-time favorite quotations, from Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland.  The background is that Alice has come to a fork in the road and wonders out loud which way to turn.  The Cheshire Cat materializes, and the...

 By Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

My industry – financial planning and investment management – unwittingly puts a lot of pressure on people to retire.  We all have retirement accounts and look forward to the day when we no longer set the alarm clock.  Planning for...

by Glenn J. Downing, MBA, CFP®

With mortgage rates so low, we’ve been looking at mortgage refinancing for a few of our clients lately, to see if it might be in their best interests.  Here’s what we know: 

• For those with strong credit, 30-year rates are just below 3%,...

Although I usually blog about financial topics. Now and then I like to switch it up and get personal.  That's the case here - a few observances of the absurdities in modern life.  I hope you are amused!

--GJD

I Got Carded! 

While on vacation recently I stopped at a store to pick up...

Don't Move Employer Stock into Your IRA!*

*That is, don’t do it without reading this first. 

If you have employer stock in your company retirement plan, there are some special tax benefits that you’ll lose if you put that stock into an IRA.

Generally, when you leave your employer...