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“Good fortune is what happens when opportunity meets with planning.” —Thomas Edison
While retirement planning has always been the cornerstone of the service we provide (hence, our name!), we’re always looking for ways to bring the best of what’s available to our clients. Our president, Ryan Costello, recently attended an investment conference where he got a firsthand look at a product called MoneyGuidePro. After only a few minutes, he realized that this program would be the next step in building a quality retirement plan at TRPG. This interactive tool allows advisers to collectively dig into clients’ goals for retirement and determine whether they’re on track to meet those goals. If not, it quickly identifies some potential solutions to get them headed back in the right direction. You can also prioritize your goals into “needs,” “wants,” and “wishes” to help you visualize potential tradeoffs during your retirement years. We can’t wait to show you this solution the next time you’re in!
By now you may be aware of the new phenomenon sweeping the nation—Pokémon GO. Its catchphrase “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” refers to the player’s objective of catching as many of the virtual critters as possible. We don’t completely understand the craze, but at least it’s getting kids outside! The game is so popular that within days of its release, it had already exceeded Twitter and Facebook in the number of daily users. Nintendo, which owns a 32 percent stake in Pokémon, saw a big jump in its stock price—gaining over 100 percent just two weeks after launching the app on July 5. Dramatic increases like this often leave investors wishing they would have had the foresight to get in before it happened. But it’s also a good reminder of the random nature of stock market returns. You’ll never be able to consistently predict when a stock will rise (or fall), nor by how much. Diversification allows us to “catch ‘em all”—so that you participate when companies like Nintendo soar in price but you also limit losses if the stock of a particular company falls considerably. (Coincidentally, a couple of the international funds we invest in here have direct investments in Nintendo.) Yes, the opportunity for large gains is limited, but you also remove some of the unnecessary risk in your portfolio. So you can spend less time worrying and more time catching Pokémon (go ahead, we won’t judge you).
At TRPG, we take great measures to ensure the safety of your personal and financial information. One of those measures is choosing where your assets are held. As you probably know, your investments are held with Charles Schwab, a brokerage firm that places equal importance on your protection. For more information about their policies and procedures on information security, operational controls, and Schwab’s Security Guarantee, please review their online resources.
In addition, Schwab encourages you to follow these preventative steps to help protect your information:
- Keep your web browser and operating system updated and activate the computer firewall.
- When you log into a Schwab website, check the address bar for site validity; a green bar shows that you’re on the authentic Schwab site.
- Be cautious when using public computers. If you do use one, clear the browser’s history (cache) and cookies before leaving. Only use wireless networks that you trust or are protected. Public Wi-Fi locations can be dangerous places to connect your devices.
- Create unique passwords for each financial institution you do business with and don’t share your login credentials.
- Be alert to phishing scams—these often come in the form of urgent-sounding emails where you might be encouraged to click on a link in order to update personal information.
A Retirement Planning Group Communicaton
July 2016[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_btn title=”Client Event Corner”][vc_column_text]Don’t forget! The Retirement Planning Group invites you to our TRPG Dog Days of Summer Pancake Breakfast. Please join us for this fun summer celebration, where you can bring your four-legged friends for a pancake breakfast in our parking lot with an optional walk along Indian Creek Trail behind our office.
When: Sat., August 6, 2016
Time: 8:00—10:00 a.m.
Where: TRPG parking lot
11512 W. 119th St.
Overland Park, KS 66213
To RSVP Click HERE. We hope you can make it!
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You may remember the “Brexit” headlines at the end of last month and the subsequent market panic that followed the U.K.’s vote to leave the European Union. The day after the vote, we sent our clients an email explaining the situation along with the recommendation to remain patient, disciplined, and not to overreact to the news. We referenced history as evidence that each time a setback has occurred “markets have recovered and moved on to eventually set all-time highs. We feel that this time will be no different, once again.” While we were certainly confident in saying this, it even surprised us how quickly the markets recovered and did, in fact, go on to set all-time highs. U.S. stocks have done this several times since then. Of course, many investors did lose money during this event, selling near the bottom to wait until “things get better,” now wondering if they should get back in after the market has already run up again. It’s the perpetual problem of the market timer. Rest assured, patience and discipline win.
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We would like to introduce the newest member of our firm, Heather Markovich. She joins us as a Client Service Associate and will be working out of our St. Louis office. Heather grew up in the West County area of St. Louis, MO, and graduated from the University of Missouri—St. Louis (UMSL) where she majored in Business with an emphasis in Finance. She has more than 17 years of experience in the financial services industry with several firms throughout the St. Louis area. A Lake St. Louis resident, Heather lives with her boyfriend and both of their 13-year-old sons. They keep busy on weekends with the boys’ soccer games and managing rental properties they own, as well as spending time with friends and family. Heather also enjoys boating and stays active jogging and taking Zumba classes. We know she’ll be a great asset to our clients!
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At the same time, we also say farewell to Jaime Lowry, our Director of Marketing. Jaime will be pursuing a Masters in Counseling degree at MidAmerica Nazarene University and has found a great fit in her next employer, Integrity Resource Center, as Marketing Director. We are sorry to see her go but happy and excited for her as she embarks on this new journey. Thank you, Jaime, for a job well done!
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