As we close out the third quarter of the year, it's a natural time to pause and take stock of your progress toward your financial goals. By this point in the year, nine months of progress, challenges, and decisions have shaped where you stand today. With three months ahead, there's time to fine-tune your approach, close gaps, and position yourself to finish the year strong.
As we approach the year's final quarter, it’s the perfect time for a retirement plan check-up. Even if you set your 401(k) contributions months ago, life has a way of shifting the numbers — salary increases, bonuses, or payroll changes can all affect how much you are actually putting away.
As we embark on a new year, there's no better time to take control of your financial future by thoroughly reviewing your cash flow. If having a vision and establishing goals is the touchstone for a financial plan, this essential financial practice sets the foundation for achieving your goals and ensuring long-term financial stability.
Anyone who has gone through a divorce knows how emotionally challenging and financially complex it can be. While attorneys handle the legal aspects, a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® focuses specifically on the financial implications of divorce. This specialized designation equips professionals with the expertise to guide clients through the intricate financial aspects of divorce proceedings, ensuring better outcomes for their financial future.
Anna Marie Mock, a fee-only certified financial planner at Highland Financial Advisors, discusses the dynamic interplay between art and science in financial planning. Drawing inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci's philosophy that "everything connects to everything else," she emphasizes that financial planning is an art involving subjective goal-setting and a science-driven by objective analysis tools. In this video, Anna explains how the scientific method can be applied to financial planning, using equity compensation as a concrete example.
I'm heading to Portugal this summer, and like any good trip, the itinerary has a little bit of everything: a few days wandering through Lisbon's hills, a stretch on the Algarve coast, even a detour into the quaint fishing village of Cascais. No single stop makes the trip. The magic is in the mix. Investing works the same way, yet most people plan their portfolios like a one-city vacation—all in on the destination that's trending, and hoping it delivers.
Most of my clients do not think much about currency markets. They think about their retirement, their kids' college, their business, and their taxes. Currency movements feel like something that happens in the background — abstract, global, vaguely relevant. And then a headline pops up warning about a "collapsing dollar" or a "surging greenback," and suddenly everyone wants to know what it means.
Why where you own the future may matter as much as what you own
Financial planning helps you develop a better decision architecture to improve your life. If asked what financial planning is, you may think of cash flow planning, retirement planning, insurance, and estate planning. Financial planning also involves the design and management of your investment portfolio — the tool most likely to help you achieve your goals. Because financial planning is all about building a better future for yourself, your investment portfolio should be structured with an eye toward the future.
Why a well-built portfolio is the only honest answer to the question everyone is asking right now.
I have been getting some version of the same question from clients for the past several weeks. It sounds something like this: “Reed, with everything going on — the war with Iran, oil prices spiking, inflation creeping back, AI wiping out jobs — how far is the stock market going to drop? Should I be doing something?”
Every market cycle eventually raises the same uneasy question: are we overdue for a reset? I hear it often from clients right now, and honestly, I understand why. The S&P 500 is hovering near 6,950 — essentially flat year-to-date after a turbulent stretch — the VIX recently spiked above 21, and headlines have ranged from new global tariffs to uncertainty about the Federal Reserve's next chair.
The start of a new year is the ideal time to reassess your investment strategy. Much like reviewing your fitness goals or updating your household budget, your portfolio deserves a thoughtful check-up. Changes in tax laws, market conditions, and personal circumstances can all impact whether your investments remain aligned with your goals.
Many investors begin the year with a carefully constructed portfolio that aligns with their goals and risk tolerance. However, as the year progresses, that portfolio may evolve into something different from what was initially intended. Markets move, sectors rotate, and performance varies across regions. Without realizing it, your portfolio may have “drifted”, leaving you with more risk than planned or less exposure to the areas that now offer opportunity.
I’ve been asked numerous times throughout my career about the importance of diversification in a portfolio. After all, why not just buy the “hottest stocks” or the hottest sector, as evidenced most recently by the “Magnificent 7” (Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla)? This portfolio would have had a 1,3-, and 5-year annualized return of 20.9%, 46.22% and 37.98%, respectively.
As we cross the halfway mark of 2025, the coming months present a crucial window for strategic financial decisions. While many focus on summer plans, forward-thinking investors are laying the groundwork for sustained growth. Here are five key investment areas we consistently address with HIGHLAND clients.
As a financial advisor, I often remind clients that investment returns are only part of the story—the after-tax returns are what truly matter. Without careful planning, taxes can erode your gains year after year. Fortunately, there are several strategies you can use to reduce your tax liability and grow your wealth more efficiently.
