Often times, we only look at the short-term cost of owning a pet such as adoption fees, toys, food and vaccinations. However, other costs, such as pet insurance, additional vet bills and housing need to be considered before adopting a furry friend. In this week's podcast episode, Valerie Escobar, senior wealth advisor, and Mike MacKelvie, wealth advisor, are joined by very special guest Lucy as they talk about the real cost of owning a pet.

How do we get our kids to make better decisions with money? In this week's podcast, Valorie, senior wealth advisor, and Mike, welath advisor, will be sharing with you tips and insights to help you teach your kids how to become financially literate.

In this week's podcast episode, Valerie Escobar, senior wealth advisor, and Mike MacKelvie, wealth advisor, walk through 5 tax planning strategies and opportunities like Roth conversions, backdoor Roth IRA conversions, asset allocation, tax-loss harvesting and making qualified charitable contributions. They'll also discuss considerations for each of these strategies and why it's important to consult with your wealth advisor.

Should you or should you not be doing your own investing? In this episode, Valerie and Mike will be covering the 5 most common financial pitfalls of a DIY investor.

When there are so many outside factors affecting our well-being, it can be very beneficial to take a moment and focus on what's happening inside you. In this episode, we invite Briana Struemph to help us understand what meditation is, how we can benefit from practicing and lead us through a simple breathing exercise.

If you've always wanted to give back to the community where you live and work, but wonder how to get started, learn strategies from Katie Dunn Fitzgerald, principal and senior wealth consultant at Mariner Wealth Advisors, who joined us to talk about how to find an organization to volunteer your time for that's fits your interests, aligns with your values and operates with integrity.

We've all seen the automotive industry headlines lately; chip shortages and used car scarcities, to name a few. In this episode, we invited back John M. Vincent, an automotive consumer advice writer with U.S. News & World Report, to discuss challenges manufacturers face, how to take advantage of the current car market and his thoughts on electric vehicles.

When it comes to multi-generational wealth planning and how prepared children and grandchildren are to receive an inheritance, there are a few key concepts to keep in mind. We invite Chad Hamilton of our practice management team to discuss setting up a goals-based, comprehensive foundation of education. Included in this groundwork discussion are building blocks of debt, cash flow management, investment 101 and insurance.

If you or someone you know is just getting started on the financial paths of life, there are many routes to choose and potholes to avoid. We invite a group of our advisors to sit down and share some tips on how to thoughtfully build wealth based on conversations they've had with their clients and experiences in their own lives. From recognizing the difference between good debt and bad debt, to best practices for budgeting, this conversation offers five actionable steps that can be taken to begin building wealth today.

When looking for ways to improve success within an organization or business, individuals may consider reaching out to a consultant for recommendations. Another avenue for this goal, that employs a more collaborative approach, is leadership coaching. We invite Teresa Carey, CEO and president of PerformancePointe, to discuss the key differences between consulting and coaching, describes methods she uses to work alongside executives and offer some general advice for business success.