Shotwell Rutter Baer

Amy Gauden joins Nick and Dave to review the Organization step in our Stratetic Reliable Blueprint process.

Watch on YouTube HERE

If you are just joining us now, please go back and listen to the first 4 steps so you are all caught up.

Amy has been working in the financial field for over 21 years. She has vast experience and recently took on a new role in para-planning. She aids in data gathering for clients and prospects, and behind-the-scenes organization. She assists the financial planners as a “puzzle master” with all the clients’ paperwork and information.

Related: Exciting Announcement – Amy Gauden FPQP®

In order to get organized, you have to lay everything out on the table. In the past, most clients would come to us with a big box or folder of all kinds of papers and receipts. This still happens once in a while, but now, most things are online.

We will provide a complete review of all of your assets and liabilities, including:

Looking at your income cash flow in this way will help you understand where your money goes and how your resources might be reallocated to help you reach your goals.

The financial advisors at Shotwell Rutter Baer work with many clients to maximize their retirement plan benefits and abilities. If you would like to find if there is more you can do with your plan, give us a call at 517-321-4832.

Check out our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process here. 

Shotwell Rutter Baer is proud to be an independent, fee-only registered investment advisory firm. This means that we are only compensated by our clients for our knowledge and guidance — not from commissions by selling financial products. Our only motivation is to help you achieve financial freedom and peace of mind. By structuring our business this way we believe that many of the conflicts of interest that plague the financial services industry are eliminated. We work for our clients, period.

Click here to learn about the Strategic Reliable Blueprint, our financial plan process for your future.

Call us at 517-321-4832 for financial and retirement investing advice.

Join Nick and Dave as they continue their podcast series on each step of the Strategic Reliable Blueprint.

If you are just joining us now, please go back and listen to the first 3 steps so you are all caught up.

This step is usually where most people want to start. But, if you just focus on the problems it is hard to get motivated to make the changes that will help you reach your financial goals.

We are much more successful in the obstacles meeting if we go through the first three steps, well, FIRST!

The main focus of this step is to take the vision we have put together and address each issue so we can get there. Some of them are monetary, some aren’t. What is getting in our way to achieving these goals?

Remember, what would your life look like if money wasn’t an issue. What are your dreams? Let’s see if we can make them come true.

Your focus should be on where you want it to be, not get mired in where it is now. This is why it is so important to work with a financial advisor who can help you make these changes and see what is possible.

Time is a big concept that comes up in the Obstacles Phase. Outsourcing some things can really help with this. For example, you want a nice lawn but you don’t enjoy doing yard work, you could hire this out.

Often our clients are the ones that come up with the solutions to their obstacles with our guidance. We can help them carry them out.

Listen to the full episode for lots of creative ideas about overcoming your financial obstacles to have the life you want.

The financial advisors at Shotwell Rutter Baer work with many clients to maximize their retirement plan benefits and abilities. If you would like to find if there is more you can do with your plan, give us a call at 517-321-4832.

Check out our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process here. 

Shotwell Rutter Baer is proud to be an independent, fee-only registered investment advisory firm. This means that we are only compensated by our clients for our knowledge and guidance — not from commissions by selling financial products. Our only motivation is to help you achieve financial freedom and peace of mind. By structuring our business this way we believe that many of the conflicts of interest that plague the financial services industry are eliminated. We work for our clients, period.

Click here to learn about the Strategic Reliable Blueprint, our financial plan process for your future.

Call us at 517-321-4832 for financial and retirement investing advice.

We are very excited about this quarter’s client webinar: ESG Investing 101 featuring Professor Apollo D. Lupescu from Dimensional Fund Advisors. Dr. Lupescu explains how to design and implement portfolios that take into account environmental, social, and corporate governance factors. He is a great speaker and you will really enjoy what he has to say.

What is ESG Investing? 

This is an approach to investing that focuses on companies that are socially and environmentally responsible.

Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance is an evaluation of a firm’s collective conscientiousness for social and environmental factors. It is typically a score that is compiled from data collected surrounding specific metrics related to intangible assets within the enterprise.

Are all companies like this? No. Not all companies are helping the environment and societies. So, for example, if you want to invest in energy you can choose one that is greener than others. Ones that are making efforts to be better.

If you are interested in investing in socially responsible companies, this is a good philosophy to use when choosing companies.

Here is the webinar in full.

https://youtu.be/E56CImK7jV4

The financial advisors at Shotwell Rutter Baer work with many clients to maximize their retirement plan benefits and abilities. If you would like to find if there is more you can do with your plan, give us a call at 517-321-4832.

Check out our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process here. 

Shotwell Rutter Baer is proud to be an independent, fee-only registered investment advisory firm. This means that we are only compensated by our clients for our knowledge and guidance — not from commissions by selling financial products. Our only motivation is to help you achieve financial freedom and peace of mind. By structuring our business this way we believe that many of the conflicts of interest that plague the financial services industry are eliminated. We work for our clients, period.

Click here to learn about the Strategic Reliable Blueprint, our financial plan process for your future.

Call us at 517-321-4832 for financial and retirement investing advice.

VISION is the third step in our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process we walk every one of our clients through.

If you’d prefer to watch the video, check it out here.

If you missed our previous episodes on Step 1- The FIT meeting or Step 2 – Foundation, please review them first.

In this step of the process, we really dig deep into the goals and dreams that our clients have.

This part of the process is somewhat unique when it comes to financial planning. However, we want to be sure that all of the financial decisions and things we are setting up for our clients are going to provide them with the things that are most important to them. Everyone wants to be comfortable in retirement and do fun things, but those things are very different for each client.

In a way, we are really encouraging you to explore all the possibilities you have that you have worked so hard to achieve. Some clients haven’t even thought this far ahead. So exploring their options is really exciting.

Listen for a breakdown of the types of questions we ask, and how this is different from what a lot of other financial advisors do.

Next up: ORGANIZATION

The financial advisors at Shotwell Rutter Baer work with many clients to maximize their retirement plan benefits and abilities. If you would like to find if there is more you can do with your plan, give us a call at 517-321-4832.

Check out our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process here. 

Shotwell Rutter Baer is proud to be an independent, fee-only registered investment advisory firm. This means that we are only compensated by our clients for our knowledge and guidance — not from commissions by selling financial products. Our only motivation is to help you achieve financial freedom and peace of mind. By structuring our business this way we believe that many of the conflicts of interest that plague the financial services industry are eliminated. We work for our clients, period.

Click here to learn about the Strategic Reliable Blueprint, our financial plan process for your future.

Call us at 517-321-4832 for financial and retirement investing advice.

The Foundations meeting is the second step in our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process we walk all of our clients through.

If you missed our previous episode on step 1- The FIT meeting, please review that first.

If you’d rather watch this episode, you can find the video here.

This is Nick’s favorite phase of the process and he refers to it as a jigsaw puzzle. The most important part of a puzzle is the picture on the box. For a financial plan, the most important piece is what is important to you? Who are you? What do you need? What do you want your financial plan to look like?

When you develop a complete picture of your finances it gives you a better understanding of your relationship with money, your goals, and the type of life you want to lead.

We get everything out on the table to make sure we put all the important things in your life into your financial plan. We don’t just talk about money – we talk about hobbies, travel, time, retirement, family, and more.

Listen for a breakdown of the types of questions we ask, and how this is different from what a lot of other financial advisors do.

Next up: The VISION

The financial advisors at Shotwell Rutter Baer work with many clients to maximize their retirement plan benefits and abilities. If you would like to find if there is more you can do with your plan, give us a call at 517-321-4832.

Check out our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process here. 

Shotwell Rutter Baer is proud to be an independent, fee-only registered investment advisory firm. This means that we are only compensated by our clients for our knowledge and guidance — not from commissions by selling financial products. Our only motivation is to help you achieve financial freedom and peace of mind. By structuring our business this way we believe that many of the conflicts of interest that plague the financial services industry are eliminated. We work for our clients, period.

Click here to learn about the Strategic Reliable Blueprint, our financial plan process for your future.

Call us at 517-321-4832 for financial and retirement investing advice.

Join Dave and Nick as they discuss the first step in the Shotwell Rutter Baer Stratetic Reliable Blueprint process.

If you prefer to watch this episode click here for the video.

We walk every client through our process and it starts with a FIT meeting. This is to see if we are a good fit for each other. You must be very comfortable with your financial advisor as you are trusting us with personal information, your goals, and your dreams for the future.

As fiduciaries, we want to make sure we can deliver on this promise to you and that we are a good fit for your unique financial situation.

Whether you plan to work with SRB or not, this podcast episode provides you with many things to consider and questions to ask any financial planner who you are considering working with.

We hope it proves useful for you.

The financial advisors at Shotwell Rutter Baer work with many clients to maximize their retirement plan benefits and abilities. If you would like to find if there is more you can do with your plan, give us a call at 517-321-4832.

Check out our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process here. 

Shotwell Rutter Baer is proud to be an independent, fee-only registered investment advisory firm. This means that we are only compensated by our clients for our knowledge and guidance — not from commissions by selling financial products. Our only motivation is to help you achieve financial freedom and peace of mind. By structuring our business this way we believe that many of the conflicts of interest that plague the financial services industry are eliminated. We work for our clients, period.

Click here to learn about the Strategic Reliable Blueprint, our financial plan process for your future.

Call us at 517-321-4832 for financial and retirement investing advice.

Fair is fair. Nick interviewed Dave about his personal finances in How Financial Planners Handle Their Own Finances, so in this episode, Dave gets a chance to interview Nick.

For me the most important thing about money is family. Not only the ability to take care of my family but also how I spend my time. We don’t always think about that as money, but to me it certainly is. So, not only how I spend my money, but also my time. Spending time with family and being able to do things, share experiences, spend time with my kids when they are young and still in school.”

The first thing is cash flow. If you want to know what is important to someone, look at their bank statements and their calendar. What do they spend money on and what is blocked off on their calendar? How much time is devoted to family time?

Budgeting: This is what needs to get paid. What do we want to do this year? One thing that is important to us is taking a vacation. So we allocate a monthly amount to that fund. We do the same thing for home improvements and things like that that are important to us that we want to make sure we are actively saving for. But the second half of that is balance. Not only what we want to do this year, but are we going to be able to do that in 5, 10, or 15 years from now. So, what are we saving for, like retirement, over time?

Typically in our house, we are making these larger budgeting decisions, like how much to save annually for vacation, on an annual or semi-annual basis if things change throughout the year. And then a monthly basis for our overall budget. As things fluctuate we have to move money from different pockets and so that is a monthly conversation.

That is a great question because, and I like to tell people, my wife and I come from different sides of the philosophy on this. If it was up to me we would save everything and if it was up to her, we’d probably spend everything. So, what I constantly have to remind myself is that neither one of us is right. If you save everything there is no guarantee that tomorrow is going to come. So what is the point in saving everything and give up the experiences and the things you want to do now? The flip side of that is if you spend everything and tomorrow comes – that sucks too. It’s about that balance.

So early on what I had to learn about myself is because I am a saver, I have slowly tried to not be so worried about retirement and savings. I’m trying to be a little bit more relaxed and know that we are saving enough for retirement. Peeling some of that back and being able to spend some money now for those experiences. It has changed a lot from when I was younger.

I have been in this business long enough to see clients on both ends of the spectrum. Not a lot of them come back to me and say, “I wish I would have saved more money.”  Most of it is about their time and health.

I defiantly try to. My daughter has a job and a car, so she has some expenses and so it has been a progression of, “Hey, if you spend money that you make and all the sudden you don’t have gas money or you have to ask dad for a loan, that is not the greatest feeling.”

We’ve definitely had the conversation about saving and having a cushion. It’s been pretty easy with her. My son is younger so he gets money for his birthday or something it is usually spent before he goes to bed that night. So, it’s a bit different, but he is younger.

There is a book called Raising Financially Fit Kids that I really like. There are a lot of different tactics you can do based on age groups and one of the things I love about her book is she has this principle of an allowance. It’s a tool for teaching about money, it is not a reward.

There are 3 buckets, spend money, save money, and give money.

You figure out how much you want to put in each of those buckets and that really helps kids get this concept of money management.

The broader thing is that money can be so secretive in families so I try to bring them into the conversations at a level they can understand. Not necessarily the deep budget but the overall concept. The more that you can bring kids into those conversations the more you can help your kids have a healthy relationship with money.

I want my kids to know that money isn’t everything. It is a means to an end. There are things that are worth spending your money on and not.

The biggest thing I’ve always tried to do since I graduated and got a real job is put money into retirement. My goal has always been to hit 10-20% between the matching funds that I receive and my own contributions. Somewhere in that range. We have been lucky to work for some places that had a good match. Starting young, saving, and investing. I am ok with having a mortgage and car loans, with where the rates are. With credit cards, I like to play the game where we get the points and pay everything off but we never carry balances.

The other side of that is that I am not a big cash person. I don’t need to have a lot of cash on hand.

Investing-wise it has been on par as to what we do for our clients. 401Ks and model diversified portfolios. One could argue I may be a bit more aggressive than I should be at this stage of the game. But I know how it should play out over time.

I don’t follow the market every day, because I look more long-term. I don’t need to get rich quickly or make a huge return in order to be successful. I am able to achieve all of my goals with the rate of return I can expect.

We know what risks are and are not worth taking.

I don’t worry about too much. But I do worry about if my wife didn’t work for the State of Michigan anymore, how would we afford health insurance. So that is a big one, the rising cost of health insurance. Our approach is to be healthy.

We also have disability and life insurance.

The biggest thing for me and the biggest change has been focusing on what is most important to you. Making financial decisions based on what that is and getting yourself closer to being able to do that. How many times have we seen people who have 40-50 year careers and just want to retire and do something they could have done 20 years ago?

The financial advisors at Shotwell Rutter Baer work with many clients to maximize their retirement plan benefits and abilities. If you would like to find if there is more you can do with your plan, give us a call at 517-321-4832.

Check out our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process here. 

Shotwell Rutter Baer is proud to be an independent, fee-only registered investment advisory firm. This means that we are only compensated by our clients for our knowledge and guidance — not from commissions by selling financial products. Our only motivation is to help you achieve financial freedom and peace of mind. By structuring our business this way we believe that many of the conflicts of interest that plague the financial services industry are eliminated. We work for our clients, period.

Click here to learn about the Strategic Reliable Blueprint, our financial plan process for your future.

Call us at 517-321-4832 for financial and retirement investing advice.

In a rare look under the hood, Nick interviews Dave on how he manages his own finances and investing. Listen to the entire episode for all the nitty-gritty on how certified financial planners use all that knowledge about money in their own lives.

If you prefer to watch this episode click here for the video.

Dave’s secret to success is, “Make a conscious effort to live within your means.”

Dave’s overall philosophy is Flexibility. Realizing you aren’t going to get everything perfect and just doing the best you can.

As financial planners, we see a bit of every type of money management with your clients. People who haven’t saved enough, people who saved way more than they needed to, and people who live longer or shorter than they planned for.

So the third thing is Balance. Don’t defer all of your funds to a later date.

“Yes! It would be too ironic if I answered no. However, budgeting doesn’t come naturally to me. ”

Find out the tools that Dave and his family use to stay on track.

Be sure to listen to the end for some exclusive advice you can start using today!

The financial advisors at Shotwell Rutter Baer work with many clients to maximize their retirement plan benefits and abilities. If you would like to find if there is more you can do with your plan, give us a call at 517-321-4832.

Check out our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process here. 

Shotwell Rutter Baer is proud to be an independent, fee-only registered investment advisory firm. This means that we are only compensated by our clients for our knowledge and guidance — not from commissions by selling financial products. Our only motivation is to help you achieve financial freedom and peace of mind. By structuring our business this way we believe that many of the conflicts of interest that plague the financial services industry are eliminated. We work for our clients, period.

Click here to learn about the Strategic Reliable Blueprint, our financial plan process for your future.

Call us at 517-321-4832 for financial and retirement investing advice.

Each summer we look forward to working with new interns through our teaching program. Today we interview Ashley, a senior at Michigan State University in the Wealth Management Program.

Nick goes on the record saying she our favorite female internet of all time!

We have a lot of clients that have children and grandchildren heading off to college. It is often hard to wrap your head around all the expenses associated with college life.

Not just the hard costs of tuition and room and board, but all the required expenses of living away from home while attending college.

Ashely gives us some great insight on this as a current college student herself.

“It depends on what you like to do. I personally don’t go out all the time, but I have friends who do. This is the majority of what their budgets go to.”

Ashley recommends getting at least a part-time job.

“Something that really surprised me, especially at Michigan State, is the cost of parking passes. My sophomore year I had to spend $350 on a parking pass for the lot right next to my dorm. I think that it is kind of crazy if you think about it. I think MSU should have more options for free parking.”

Despite the availability of Uber and public transportation, Ashley says the majority of the students that she knows have cars on campus.

She spends most of her money on:

Anything she has leftover she saves for the short term. She is not currently investing, but rather saving her money and plans to start investing after college when she has a secure full-time job. Many of her fellow finance students view this differently and have started investing.

Ashely reveals that most students don’t talk about their student loans. It is a huge burden and not easy to talk about. It is a real stress point that most students try to ignore until after graduation. Many students also rely on scholarships or a combination of both.

One of the biggest takeaways Ashley has learned during her internship here and working with our clients is to start a retirement as soon as she can. She can take advantage of this now while she is in a lower tax bracket. Opening a Roth now and then moving into a pre-tax account after when she is in a higher tax bracket. She has also learned that long-term investing is a really good strategy. A well-diversified portfolio will grow over time.

“I really think that is the best strategy.”

Nick askes, “Now that you have learned some of these things, what do you wish you would have known heading into your freshman year?”

Ashley admits, “I would have spent a lot less money. I’ve always been an avid shopper. My parents like to joke that I have a shopping addiction. I would have saved more. Put some money every month into investments and left it there.”

“I haven’t been asked by too many of my friends, but if I could take them something it would be the same things I tell myself, to save more for the things that matter to you, invest a little bit in the stock market, open a Roth as soon as you can.”

Thank you for all of your hard work here this summer! We have really enjoyed working with you and learning from you.

The financial advisors at Shotwell Rutter Baer work with many clients to maximize their retirement plan benefits and abilities. If you would like to find if there is more you can do with your plan, give us a call at 517-321-4832.

Check out our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process here. 

Shotwell Rutter Baer is proud to be an independent, fee-only registered investment advisory firm. This means that we are only compensated by our clients for our knowledge and guidance — not from commissions by selling financial products. Our only motivation is to help you achieve financial freedom and peace of mind. By structuring our business this way we believe that many of the conflicts of interest that plague the financial services industry are eliminated. We work for our clients, period.

Click here to learn about the Strategic Reliable Blueprint, our financial plan process for your future.

Call us at 517-321-4832 for financial and retirement investing advice.

Here is our review of the Second Quarter of 2021. If you have any questions or would like a review of your portfolio and financial plan, contact our advisors by calling or emailing us at 517-321-4832 or [email protected].

The market has continued to climb through the middle of 2021 as the economic recovery from the Covid shut-downs continues. This

US and international stocks, real estate, and commodities were all strongly positive for the second quarter. The bond market recovered

While most indicators point toward a continued solid economic recovery, it is difficult to tell how much good news is already built into the price of stocks. If that is the case, any negative news – either virus related or economic headlines – will no doubt lead to turbulence, at least in the short – term. As always, the answer is to remain diversified and patient.

Download our full report here.

The financial advisors at Shotwell Rutter Baer work with many clients to maximize their retirement plan benefits and abilities. If you would like to find if there is more you can do with your plan, give us a call at 517-321-4832.

Check out our Strategic Reliable Blueprint process here. 

Shotwell Rutter Baer is proud to be an independent, fee-only registered investment advisory firm. This means that we are only compensated by our clients for our knowledge and guidance — not from commissions by selling financial products. Our only motivation is to help you achieve financial freedom and peace of mind. By structuring our business this way we believe that many of the conflicts of interest that plague the financial services industry are eliminated. We work for our clients, period.

Click here to learn about the Strategic Reliable Blueprint, our financial plan process for your future.

Call us at 517-321-4832 for financial and retirement investing advice.