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Financial Planning Fridays

Short, practical answers to the planning questions clients ask most, one topic at a time.

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147 episodes

Every episode of Financial Planning Fridays

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#128: Gifting to Loved Ones

For families who have saved more than they will need, lifetime gifting can transfer wealth to children, grandchildren, and others in ways that are both tax-aware and meaningful. This Presilium video reviews effective gifting strategies, the difference between giving now versus at death, and how to align gifts with family values.

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#127: Our Core Investment Belief

Presilium shares its core investment belief: the world continues to improve over time, and owning a diversified set of quality businesses through stocks is one of the most effective ways to grow family wealth over the long term. The video frames this philosophy as the foundation for staying invested through market cycles.

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#126: The Worst Investment Strategy

After two strong years for the S&P 500, record amounts of new money have flowed into the index even as it has grown more expensive. This Presilium video explains why chasing the recent top performer can be one of the worst long-term strategies and makes the case for diversification and discipline over recency bias.

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#125: Consistency Counts

This Presilium video explains why consistency is often overlooked when evaluating investment returns. Historically, a portfolio that delivered steadier, more reliable returns has at times outperformed a more volatile one, because smaller drawdowns can compound more favorably and may help investors stay the course toward their long-term goals. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#124: Investing Before a Global Crisis

Many investors fear committing money right before a global crisis. This Presilium video studies seven major historical events, including downturns and wars, to show how markets recovered over time and why a long-term, stay-invested approach has historically rewarded patient investors despite scary headlines.

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#123: 2025 Market Outlook

Presilium's 2025 market outlook uses historical patterns to address three key questions for the year ahead, beginning with whether stocks can continue performing well for a third consecutive year after back-to-back 20% gains. The video frames history as a guide for setting expectations, not a guarantee of results.

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#122: Politics and Your Investments

With a new presidential term beginning, this Presilium video examines how the S&P 500 has performed across past administrations and why long-term investors generally should not overhaul their strategy based on election outcomes. It encourages staying focused on the financial plan rather than the political cycle.

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#121: 2024 Year End Review

Presilium's 2024 year-end review reflects on a strong year for markets and revisits the historical signals that informed its optimistic outlook entering the year. The video reinforces the firm's habit of using market history as context and the value of staying invested through changing conditions.

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#119: Roth Conversions

A Roth conversion moves funds from a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA, where they may grow tax-deferred under current rules, including for up to a decade after passing to heirs. This Presilium video explains how strategic conversions may help reduce lifetime taxes and support your retirement and legacy goals, depending on your situation. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#118: Donor Advised Funds

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are the fastest-growing charitable giving vehicle. This Presilium video explains how a DAF lets you take a charitable tax deduction in the year you contribute, invest the funds to grow tax-free, and recommend grants to charities over time, often using appreciated assets for added tax efficiency.

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#117: Staying Invested in 2024

Each year, founder Jerry revisits the crises of his career, each of which felt like a unique reason to sell at the time. This Presilium video walks through decades of market scares to show that, despite new risks every year, staying invested has historically kept clients' plans on track and rewarded patience.

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#115: What Do You Own in Your Portfolio?

Most people describe their accounts as simply 'stocks and bonds,' but this Presilium video reframes the picture: investors actually own small stakes in many of the world's most innovative, profitable, and well-run companies. That ownership mindset helps investors stay confident and patient through market swings.

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#114: Cybersecurity

With U.S. cybercrime complaints exceeding 880,000 and losses topping $12.5 billion in a year, this Presilium video explains why protecting your finances has never been more important. It shares practical steps to limit exposure and guard accounts and personal information against increasingly AI-powered fraud.

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#113: How Long Can Stocks Go Up?

After the current bull market's two-year anniversary, this Presilium video looks at what prior bull markets did past the same milestone. Of 27 bull markets since 1928, twelve lasted longer than two years, with strong average and median returns afterward, offering historical context for investors wondering how long stocks can rise.

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#112: Determining Your Investment Mix

Your stock-to-bond mix is the single biggest driver of long-term portfolio outcomes. Because Presilium plans for clients to live to at least 95, holding too many bonds can lower long-term growth and limit the goals you can fund. Most people can responsibly hold a higher stock allocation than they assume.

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#111: The Top 3 Ways We Can Help

Many families who came to Presilium felt off-track until they addressed three things: they lacked a written financial plan, were missing tax-saving opportunities, and had no disciplined investment strategy. Building a plan, coordinating taxes, and investing consistently were the highest-impact improvements.

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#110: Financial Planning Fridays # 110: Why You Should Rebalance

Rebalancing means moving your portfolio back to its target allocation as markets rise and fall. Most investors know they should do it but rarely do, often because they never set a defined target allocation or a rule for when to act. A disciplined process makes rebalancing systematic instead of emotional.

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#109: Financial Planning Fridays # 109: NUA and Company Stock in Your 401k

Net unrealized appreciation (NUA) is a tax rule for employees holding appreciated company stock inside a 401k. Instead of rolling shares into an IRA, you transfer them to a brokerage account, paying ordinary income tax only on the cost basis and long-term capital gains rates on the appreciation.

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#108: Stress Testing Your Portfolio

Stress testing means evaluating how your portfolio would behave in a sharp market decline while conditions are still calm. Done in advance, it confirms you can comfortably hold your strategy through the next temporary downturn rather than abandoning it at the worst time.

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#107: Save Your Beneficiaries from Excess Income Tax!

How you allocate which assets go to heirs versus charities can dramatically affect the after-tax legacy your family keeps. By directing tax-deferred accounts to charity and other assets to heirs, families can minimize income tax on inherited wealth and maximize what loved ones actually receive.

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#106: Market Performance After the Fed Cuts

With the Federal Reserve expected to begin cutting interest rates, Presilium reviews how the S&P 500 has historically performed after prior rate-cutting cycles began since 1980. Historically, average returns following the start of rate cuts have been positive across one-, three-, and longer-term horizons, though past patterns may not repeat. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#105: Three Critical Documents You Need

Every adult and family should have three foundational estate planning documents: a will that directs who inherits and who serves as executor, a durable power of attorney for financial decisions if you're incapacitated, and a healthcare directive for medical decisions. Together they protect your family and your wishes.

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#104: The Best Performing Stock of All Time

Drawing on Hendrik Bessembinder's July 2024 research on which U.S. stocks generated the highest long-term returns, this episode uses the best-performing stock in history to explain why Presilium avoids concentrated individual-stock bets. The research suggests most long-term market gains have come from a small handful of stocks that are nearly impossible to identify in advance. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#103: Market Returns After 5% Pull Backs

When the market fell sharply in early August 2024, Presilium followed its plan and rebalanced client accounts, an approach designed to add to stock exposure after meaningful declines from a prior rebalance. Drawing on Goldman Sachs data since 1980, this episode reviews how forward returns after such pullbacks have historically tended to look. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#102: Protecting Yourself from Sudden Market Declines

Sudden, sharp market declines can occur at any time and cannot be predicted, so they must be planned for in advance. Reviewing the six major S&P 500 declines of 20% or more since 1980 shows that despite these drops, the market rose significantly, underscoring the value of preparation over prediction.

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#101: Annual Market Declines

Intra-year stock market declines occur in nearly every year, yet markets frequently still finish the year positive. Using JP Morgan data showing each year's largest S&P 500 drop alongside its full-year return, this episode reframes routine declines as expected events and potential opportunities rather than reasons to fear.

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#100: 100 Episodes Strong!

This milestone episode celebrates 100 editions of Financial Planning Fridays, the weekly video series Presilium launched nearly two years earlier to stay connected with every client and share short, consistent financial planning insights they can watch or listen to anytime.

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#99: Building Real Wealth

True investment returns must be measured net of inflation to understand their impact on real wealth. Viewed this way, stocks have historically built far more purchasing power than many investors realize, especially compared with lower-returning assets that struggle to keep pace with inflation.

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#98: Mid-Year 2024 Update

This mid-year 2024 update reviews how the first half of the year played out against Presilium's January 2024 outlook, which cited reasons for optimism including strong follow-up years after good years, favorable election-year tendencies, and the potential durability of a new bull market.

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#97: Required Minimum Distributions

Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) are mandatory annual withdrawals from tax-deferred retirement accounts that begin once you reach a certain age. Their purpose is to ensure retirement savings are drawn down and taxed during your lifetime rather than deferred indefinitely. Planning ahead helps manage their tax impact.

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#96: The Future of Social Security

Social Security paid 67 million Americans last year and remains central to many retirements. The latest Trustees report projects the Trust Fund could deplete by the end of 2034. While the headline is alarming, the report's details offer important context for retirees and reasons not to panic.

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#95: More Votality, Please!

Many investors try to minimize or avoid volatility, but over the long term it has historically accompanied the higher returns stocks have delivered relative to assets like gold, bonds, and cash. Volatility can be viewed as the potential compensation for bearing short-term uncertainty, which is why long-term investors may choose to tolerate it rather than fear it. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#94: Lifetime Tax Savings

This episode outlines the top tax-saving strategies Presilium uses to lower clients' lifetime tax bills, including coordinating account types, withdrawal sequencing, and Roth conversions. The core message: a written, multi-year tax plan that integrates these strategies can meaningfully improve a household's lifetime net income.

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#93: Predicting Market Declines

Using a First Trust chart of global crises over 55 years, this episode argues that market-moving events cannot be reliably predicted, and that selling long-term stock investments in reaction to scary headlines typically harms returns. The market has recovered and advanced through every past crisis despite the fear at the time.

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#92: Keep a Positive Mindset

Drawing on 150 years of S&P 500 returns, this episode shows that positive years far outnumber negative ones and that severe down years are rare. The takeaway is that focusing on infrequent large losses often pushes investors to sell prematurely, while a positive long-term mindset helps them stay invested and capture market growth.

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#91: A Head Start

This episode encourages clients who have more than they will spend to consider lifetime gifts to family, friends, and charities. By giving sooner, the recipients gain more years for compounding to magnify the gift, and the giver gets to see the impact during their lifetime rather than only through their estate.

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#90: Your Lifetime Return

This episode introduces the idea of a lifetime return, the S&P 500's growth since the day you were born, achieved with no research or trading. It contrasts that effortless market return with the much lower returns most investors actually earn, arguing that behavior and staying invested, not activity, determine real long-term results.

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#89: Global Financial Crisis Case Study

This episode revisits the Global Financial Crisis as a case study in enduring severe but temporary market declines. It frames steep drawdowns as the price investors occasionally pay for stocks' superior long-term returns, and argues that being prepared and staying invested makes even the worst declines survivable.

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#88: Market Returns in Election Years

This episode reviews how the stock market has historically performed in presidential election years, finding that contentious politics and negative ad cycles have not derailed long-term returns. The message is to ignore election noise and stick with a long-term investment plan rather than reacting to political headlines.

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#87: A Fun Look at Social Security

This episode takes an accessible look at Social Security, noting that more than 68 million Americans receive about $1.5 trillion in benefits each year, funded by payroll taxes split between workers and employers. It explains that most collected funds pay current benefits and frames Social Security as a key piece of retirement income planning.

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#84: Why We Don’t Recommend Individual Stocks

This episode shares the top reasons Presilium does not recommend individual stocks. Chief among them: your stock-versus-bond asset allocation drives most of your long-term return, while which specific stocks you pick and when contributes far less, so a diversified approach better serves most clients than concentrated single-stock bets.

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#82: Our Investment Allocation and Performance Report

This episode walks through the detailed reports Presilium provides clients, showing exactly how a portfolio is allocated across stocks, bonds, alternatives, and cash and how those holdings are performing. The reports give clients transparency into both their investment mix and their results.

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#81: Market Returns After a Strong February

This episode examines what a strong start to the year has historically meant for stock returns, drawing on Bespoke Research data on past market performance through mid-year and year-end after various early-year gain ranges. It is a data-driven, educational look at seasonal patterns, not a prediction of what may happen next. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#80: The Benefits of Dollar Cost Averaging

This episode explains the benefits of dollar-cost averaging, investing fixed amounts at regular intervals. Using a flat-market example, it shows how steady contributions buy more shares when prices are low, allowing investors to profit even during volatile or declining stretches that feel discouraging.

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#79: The 15 Year Anniversary of the Global Financial Crisis

Marking the 15-year anniversary of the 2008 market low, this episode draws three critical lessons from the Global Financial Crisis: severe declines cannot be perfectly predicted, no one reliably called the bottom, and investors who stayed the course were rewarded as markets recovered and reached new highs.

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#78: Life and Market Milestones

The S&P 500 closed above 5,000 for the first time on February 9, 2024. Looking back at index levels alongside personal life milestones shows how far the market has climbed over a lifetime, reinforcing the case for staying invested through decades rather than reacting to short-term headlines.

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#77: Everyone Needs a Financial Plan

A financial plan acts like a GPS for your money: building wealth without one is harder and produces weaker results. Presilium starts every client relationship with a plan and uses it as the foundation for every subsequent decision, from investing to retirement to estate matters.

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#76: We love investing in stocks!

Investing in the leading companies of the world has historically been a reliable way to grow wealth faster than inflation, helping families reach larger goals. Although markets feel unpredictable day to day, ownership of stocks over the long term has rewarded patient investors who stay the course.

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#75: Investor Patience Pays Off

The S&P 500 spent roughly 30 months going nowhere before a strong rebound carried it to new highs in early 2024. The episode illustrates why staying invested through flat or declining stretches matters: rewards often arrive suddenly, and patient investors are positioned to capture the recovery.

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#74: Financial Planning Fridays 74: The Best Investment Opportunities

Severe market declines of 33% or more are rare, occurring only a handful of times since World War II, and have historically been followed by strong rebounds. This episode frames deep downturns as uncomfortable but potentially meaningful long-term opportunities for disciplined investors who stay the course. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#73: All Time Market High

When the S&P 500 reaches a new all-time high, some experts warn of an imminent crash while others insist the rally is just starting. The episode explains why record highs are a normal feature of a long-term uptrend and why a disciplined plan matters more than market predictions.

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#72: Our New Client Process

Presilium follows a structured four-step introduction experience for every new individual or family. By the end, clients have two valuable assets: a clear financial plan showing how to reach their goals and an investment portfolio designed around that plan.

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#71: 2024 Market Outlook

Presilium's 2024 market outlook looks to market history for three reasons to remain optimistic and stay invested. It examines how the S&P 500 has historically performed following exceptional years, framing the case for discipline rather than market timing heading into the year.

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#71: Why We Invest

This episode explains why Presilium invests rather than only saves: investing builds a future bigger than saving alone could reach. Using a long-term example, it shows how compounding over decades dramatically reduces what you must set aside to reach a major goal like $1 million.

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#69: 2023 Year-End Review

This year-end review revisits 2023's strong market returns and how the historical patterns Presilium highlighted in its 2023 outlook played out. All three reasons for optimism held true, reinforcing the value of studying market history and staying invested through the year.

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#68: Stock vs. Bond Income During Retirement

Using a 30-year example starting in 1993, this episode compares income from stocks versus bonds in retirement. While bonds offer higher initial yields, stocks have historically grown their income over time, an important consideration for retirees planning income that keeps pace with rising costs.

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#67: Friends Who Panic

This episode recounts a client urged by a well-meaning friend to sell everything and move into gold and cash ahead of a predicted crash. It explains why abandoning a carefully designed, plan-matched portfolio on panic-driven advice can derail long-term goals, and why discipline beats reacting to predictions.

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#66: Your Investment Mix Menu

The blend of stocks and bonds in your accounts is the dominant driver of long-term returns. This episode presents a menu of allocation options and explains why choosing a mix that matches your financial plan, then rebalancing over time, is one of the most important investing decisions a family makes.

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#65: Stay Invested Update

This update revisits more than 20 years of crises, each of which offered a seemingly good reason to sell stocks at the time. It shows that every year carried its own new-feeling risks, yet staying invested through them all rewarded disciplined investors who looked past the headlines.

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#64: Supercharge Your Savings

Americans hold more than $17 trillion in traditional bank accounts earning an average of about 0.46%, leaving potential interest on the table. This episode explains how high-yield savings and money market options may help your emergency fund and short-term cash earn meaningfully more, while noting that yields can change and each option carries its own considerations. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#63: Year-End Planning

As the year closes, several planning moves can reduce taxes and strengthen your position: harvesting tax losses in taxable accounts, reviewing Roth conversion opportunities, maximizing contributions, and checking required distributions. This episode walks through the year-end steps Presilium completes for clients before December 31.

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#62: Normal Market Declines

Over the past 15 years the market experienced an average temporary decline of about 16.8% per year, yet the S&P 500 still averaged roughly 10.67% annually over that span. This episode explains why intra-year declines are normal, expected, and the price investors pay for long-term returns.

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#61: The New Bond Market Crash

Long-dated bonds maturing in 20 years or more declined more than 40% from their December 2021 high as interest rates rose, a major drawdown that drew little attention. This episode explains why long-term bonds are so sensitive to rate changes and what that means for how investors should think about bond risk.

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#60: When Should You Update Your Will and Estate Plan?

Your will and estate plan should reflect your current wishes, but life events can quickly make them outdated. This episode outlines the milestones that should trigger a review, including marriage, divorce, births, deaths, large changes in assets, and moving to a new state, so your legacy passes the way you intend.

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#59: Market Returns During Government Shutdowns

Government shutdowns generate alarming headlines, but history shows they have had little lasting effect on the stock market. This episode explains what a shutdown actually is, reviews how markets have performed during past shutdowns, and reinforces why short-term political events should not drive long-term investment decisions.

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#58: Making the Lump-Sum vs. Monthly Pension Decision

Choosing between a pension lump sum and a lifetime monthly benefit is one of the most consequential decisions at retirement. This episode walks through the breakeven analysis Presilium uses, applying a reasonable rate of return and life expectancy to compare options and weigh flexibility, longevity, and survivor needs.

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#57: Finish Strong

After roughly 20 months of uncertainty and constant doomsday headlines, investors who maintained their strategy, rebalanced when appropriate, and stayed disciplined were rewarded. This episode reinforces why tuning out media noise and sticking to a long-term plan is one of the most valuable things an investor can do.

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#54: Temporary Market Declines

The S&P 500 finished up 10% or more in 55 of the 95 years since 1928, yet 23 of those strong years also included a temporary decline of 10% or more. This episode shows that meaningful pullbacks are normal even in winning years, so investors should expect them and stay the course.

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#52: Four Keys From a Year of Videos

Marking the one-year anniversary of Financial Planning Fridays, this episode distills the series into four core principles that have helped people make better financial decisions and stay calm through uncertainty, reinforcing the value of a plan, discipline, and a long-term perspective.

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#51: A More Balanced Look at Dividend Stocks

Dividend stocks are a popular source of seemingly certain retirement income, but focusing on yield alone can be misleading. This episode explains why Presilium prefers generating income from a portfolio's total return rather than dividend yield, since a dividend is not free money and chasing yield can distort a portfolio.

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#50: Buy More of Your Worst Investments

Rebalancing often means buying more of your worst-performing assets and trimming winners, a disciplined way to buy low and sell high. This episode explains the many forms rebalancing takes, from shifting between stocks and bonds to moving among stock types, and why broad diversification supports the process.

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#49: Fortune Tellers and Market Forecasters

Market forecasters are often no more reliable than fortune tellers, yet their predictions dominate the news and tempt investors to abandon their plans. This episode explains why no one can consistently predict the market and why tuning out the noise and staying invested is the more dependable path.

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#48: How much can you spend in retirement?

How much can you spend each year in retirement depends on many factors, including your income sources, portfolio, time horizon, and goals. This episode walks through the financial-planning process Presilium uses to combine these inputs and estimate a sustainable, personalized spending level for retirement.

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#47: What will stocks do in the 2nd half of 2023

After the market's strong start in the first half of 2023, this episode reviews S&P 500 data back to 1937 to examine how stocks have historically performed in the second half following strong first-half returns. The data shows that strong momentum has more often than not continued through year-end, though history offers no assurance about any given year. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#46: Stocks Are the Best Long-Term Investments

For long-term goals, stocks have historically been a resilient asset rather than the riskiest. This episode reviews historical data showing how the probability of a positive S&P 500 return has risen as the holding period lengthens, illustrating why time horizon, not short-term volatility, may be a more useful way to think about investment risk. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#45: A History of Bull Markets

A new bull market began on June 8, 2023, when the S&P 500 closed 20% above its prior bear-market low. This episode reviews all 15 bull markets since World War II to show their typical length and magnitude, offering historical context for what a new bull market has meant for long-term investors.

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#44: How Your Family May Benefit From A Trust

A trust is one of the most versatile estate-planning tools, helping families manage and distribute assets according to their wishes while maintaining privacy, minimizing tax liability, and preserving wealth for future generations. This episode explains the core benefits a trust can provide and when one may make sense for your family.

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#43: Three Key Ways to Grow Your Wealth

Growing wealth over a lifetime, through the inevitable ups and downs of markets and life, comes down to a few fundamentals. This episode covers three key drivers, beginning with having a regularly updated financial plan you fully understand, and the disciplined behaviors that turn that plan into lasting wealth.

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#42: Higher Earnings = Higher Market

In the short term, stock prices move quickly on emotion and good or bad news. Over the long term, the market has marched steadily higher because the earnings of the world's leading companies have grown. This episode explains why rising corporate earnings, not daily sentiment, are the durable driver of long-term market value.

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#41: A Preview of 2033

Each year, the Abundance 360 conference gathers entrepreneurs, investors, and executives who believe humanity may see more progress in the next ten years than in the past hundred. This episode connects that wave of innovation to why a long time horizon and staying invested can position a portfolio to participate in accelerating technological change. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#40: What Has Lower Inflation Meant for Stocks?

The Consumer Price Index fell from 9.1% in July 2022 to 4.9%, a 4.2-point drop, with further declines expected. This episode explains what the CPI measures and reviews how comparable historical declines in inflation have related to stock market returns, while noting that past patterns are not guarantees.

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#39: Preparing for the Next Bull Market

After 11 months in a bear market, with the S&P 500 down more than 25% from its January 2022 high, this episode reframes the downturn as an opportunity. Handled properly, a bear market is a time to reposition a portfolio in preparation for the next bull market, which often arrives sooner than headlines suggest.

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#38: A 100-Year Plan

Some Presilium financial plans use hypothetical, multigenerational projections that can illustrate wealth lasting for decades. This episode invites you to consider a 100-year time horizon, which may reframe how you think about investment decisions, withdrawal rates, and how wealth could be positioned to benefit future generations. Projections are illustrative only. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#37: DJIA 351,000

Because many retirements Presilium plans last at least 30 years, portfolios may need to provide both income and growth across that span. This episode uses a long-range, hypothetical Dow Jones illustration to explain the concept of long-term compounding, emphasizing that decades-long time horizons can call for staying invested rather than reacting to short-term moves. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#36: The Importance of Diversification

Diversification means holding a variety of stocks, bonds, and real estate so a portfolio matches a client's plan and short- and long-term goals. This episode reviews annual returns across ten different asset classes to show why no single asset class wins every year and why spreading risk supports reaching long-term goals.

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#35: Two More Reasons to be Optimistic in 2023

After a strong first quarter of 2023, this episode shares two more reasons for optimism for the rest of the year, building on the firm's earlier commentary. It reviews historical data on every year since 1950 when the S&P 500 returned 7% or more in the first quarter and how those years tended to look afterward. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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#33: When to Collect Social Security

Choosing when to begin Social Security is one of the most impactful retirement income decisions you will make. This episode highlights seven key facts, including that full retirement age is now 67, that you can claim as early as 62 or as late as 70, and how the timing of your claim affects the size of your monthly benefit.

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#32: Keys to Reaching Your Goals

Framed around CEO Jerry Davidse teaching financial planning to future leaders in Cambodia, this episode distills the universal keys to reaching your financial goals: saving consistently, investing for the long term, and following a disciplined plan. The principles apply whether you are just starting to save or managing substantial wealth.

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#31: Don’t Invest Like Your Neighbors

This episode draws on the American Association of Individual Investors' weekly sentiment survey, run since 1987, which asks investors whether they expect the market to rise or fall. It explains why crowd sentiment is often most pessimistic near market lows, and why a disciplined, plan-based approach beats copying what neighbors are doing.

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#30: Now is the best time to be alive

We live in an age of unprecedented technological progress, with breakthroughs in medicine, transportation, and communication transforming daily life. This episode argues that this accelerating progress is a reason for long-term optimism, and that staying invested lets you participate in the growth created by human innovation over time.

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#29: Emergency Drill

This episode is a behavioral exercise: imagine your investment accounts are down 40% in a market free fall with no end in sight, then notice how you feel. The drill helps you gauge your true risk tolerance and pre-commit to a disciplined response before a real downturn forces emotional decisions.

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#28: Investing During a Recession

Since mid-2022, debate has raged over whether the U.S. economy is in or near a recession. This episode explains what a recession is, characterized by declining economic activity, rising unemployment, and falling stock prices, and why disciplined, long-term investors typically benefit from staying invested rather than fleeing markets during downturns.

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#27: Improving After Tax Returns

Improving Financial Planning Fridays #27 covers two primary ways to increase your after-tax return: tax-loss harvesting, which uses realized losses to offset gains and income, and tax-aware portfolio management. After a volatile 2022, harvesting losses can lower your tax bill without changing your long-term investment strategy.

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#26: January Barometer

Financial Planning Fridays #26 examines the January Barometer, the market adage that the year's stock returns tend to mirror January's. After the S&P 500's best January since 2019 (up 6.2%), Presilium reviews the historical data on how reliable this indicator has been and why it should not drive your investment decisions.

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#25: Don’t Give Your Investments a Day Off

Financial Planning Fridays #25 explains why your investments should never take a day off. Because the market's strongest days often cluster near its worst, stepping out can mean missing the rebounds that drive long-term growth. Once you have a solid plan, keep the stock portion invested through all market conditions.

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#24: Staying Invested

Financial Planning Fridays #24 reviews the major crises of the past twenty years, each of which felt unprecedented and offered a tempting reason to sell. Presilium shows that disciplined investors who stayed invested through every scare were rewarded, because 'this time is different' rarely justified abandoning a long-term plan.

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#23: Market Votality Cushion

Financial Planning Fridays #23 explains the 'volatility cushion' Presilium uses for retired clients: the number of years a plan can meet spending needs using only income and bonds before touching stocks. A larger cushion gives the stock portion of a portfolio time to recover, reducing the risk of selling equities in a downturn.

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#22: 2023 Contribution Limits

Financial Planning Fridays #22 covers the 2023 IRS contribution limits, the largest increases in history, and how to use them to maximize tax-advantaged retirement accounts. Saving into 401(k)s, IRAs, and similar accounts is one of the most effective annual investment moves because of their significant tax advantages.

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#21: 2023 Outlook

Financial Planning Fridays #21 shares three reasons Presilium was optimistic heading into 2023 after 2022 delivered the S&P 500's fifth-worst return in 90 years. The episode notes that diversified, rebalanced portfolios generally weathered the downturn better, leaving disciplined investors well positioned for a recovery.

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#20: 2022 Review

Financial Planning Fridays #20 reviews 2022, one of the most volatile market years on record. Presilium describes how it rebalanced client accounts 27 times, acting each time the S&P 500 moved up or down 5%, to systematically buy low and sell high and turn volatility into long-term opportunity.

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#19: Family Balance Sheet

Financial Planning Fridays #19 explains the importance of an accurate family balance sheet. Presilium shows how its client balance sheet tracks current net worth and account ownership, updated daily and accessible through the client portal, giving families a real-time, single-page view of where they stand financially.

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#18: The Yeild Curve

Financial Planning Fridays #18 explains the yield curve, an illustration of interest rates on bonds across different maturity dates, and how it informs where to allocate money held in cash and bonds. Understanding maturities and the return of principal helps investors position the fixed-income side of a portfolio.

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#17: Compound Growth

Financial Planning Fridays #17 explores how powerful compounding can be over time. Einstein reportedly called compound interest the eighth wonder of the world, and Presilium clients are often surprised how large long-term projections become, especially when wealth is allowed to compound across multiple generations.

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#16: Market Performance After Midterm Elections

This Financial Planning Fridays episode reviews historical U.S. stock-market behavior after midterm elections. Presilium examines past returns following prior midterms to add context after the November 2022 vote, emphasizing that history offers perspective for long-term investors rather than a prediction of future results.

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#15: Thank you for introducing us

In this Thanksgiving-week episode, Presilium thanks clients for introductions and walks through its process for working with anyone a client refers. The firm explains how seriously it treats the trust an introduction represents and how it ensures referred individuals receive a careful, welcoming experience.

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#14: Investing for Education

This Financial Planning Fridays episode covers saving for college using 529 college savings accounts. With the average four-year private-college cost exceeding $218,000, Presilium explains how 529 plans offer tax-advantaged growth and flexibility, and why starting early helps families manage rising education expenses.

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#13: Money Market

This Financial Planning Fridays episode explains how to optimize accounts not invested for the long term. Presilium discusses using money market accounts to earn more on cash you may need within a couple of years, while keeping risk and volatility low, noting rates had risen meaningfully by late 2022.

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#12: Financial Planning Friday’s – 12 Facts to Wrap Up 2022

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#20) previews Presilium's year-end review of 2022 through twelve key facts. The full episode recaps one of the most volatile market years ever and how disciplined, systematic rebalancing helped turn that volatility into long-term opportunity for investors.

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#12: Market Timing

This Financial Planning Fridays episode makes the case for sticking with a long-term investment plan through both up and down markets. Presilium reviews data behind the saying that time in the market matters more than market timing, showing why staying invested usually serves long-term investors better than attempting to predict short-term moves.

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#11: Bull vs Bear Markets

This Financial Planning Fridays episode defines bull and bear markets and uses recent examples to explain market cycles. A bear market is a decline of 20% or more from a peak; the S&P 500 was down about 23% as of October 2022. Presilium uses history to help investors keep perspective during downturns.

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#10: Our Secure Client Vault

This Financial Planning Fridays episode shows how clients can use Presilium's secure client vault. Powered by eMoney, the portal uses the highest level of encryption available, twice the standard followed by many banks, to let clients safely store and access important financial, tax, and estate documents in one place.

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#9: Estate Planning

This Financial Planning Fridays episode introduces estate planning. A good estate plan transfers your assets and investments to designated beneficiaries in the most effective way possible under current law, and in the easiest way for loved ones during a stressful time. Presilium also touches on the lifetime gift exemption.

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#8: Tax Loss Swaps

This Financial Planning Fridays episode explains tax loss swaps, a strategy Presilium uses for clients when the opportunity arises. By selling an investment that is temporarily down to capture the realized loss, then reinvesting, the firm can offset future capital gains without making a large change to a client's overall allocation.

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#7: The Decision Center

This Financial Planning Fridays episode introduces the Decision Center, a key feature of Presilium's financial planning software. After building a plan with a step-by-step path to a client's goals, the firm uses the Decision Center to model how different decisions, such as spending, saving, or retirement timing, affect that plan.

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#6: Account Withdrawal Order

This Financial Planning Fridays episode explains how the order you take withdrawals from your retirement accounts can significantly affect reaching your goals. Many clients hold three account types, after-tax, IRAs/401(k)s, and Roth IRAs, each with different tax rules, and a good plan models how much to draw from each.

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#5: A Key Way to Manage Risk

Presilium measures portfolio risk by comparing the retirement income you need each year against what you hold in cash and short-term bonds. This shows how many years of spending you could cover without selling stocks in a downturn, helping retirees avoid forced sales at the worst time.

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#4: Rebalancing

Rebalancing means moving your portfolio back to its target investment allocation as markets rise and fall. Presilium builds each plan around a target mix, then rebalances to keep risk in line and systematically trim winners to buy what has lagged, a discipline most investors know about but rarely follow consistently.

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#3: Financial Planning Friday’s – 3 Reasons to Be Optimistic in 2023

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#21) previews Presilium's 2023 market outlook and three reasons for optimism following a difficult 2022. The full episode explains why diversified, rebalanced portfolios held up better than the index and why disciplined investors were well positioned for the year ahead.

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#3: Asset Allocation

Asset allocation is the mix of stocks, bonds, alternative investments, and cash in your portfolio, and it is the largest determinant of long-term investment results. Presilium explains how a written plan sets the right target mix for your goals and risk tolerance, simplifying wealth-management decisions.

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#2: Special Episode: The Bear Market is Over

When the S&P 500 closed 20% above its October 12, 2022 low, it officially ended the bear market that began in June 2022 and started a new bull market. This episode reviews how negative headlines persisted throughout the eight-month rally, reinforcing why staying invested through pessimism matters for long-term results.

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#2: Financial Planning Friday’s – A Plan for Success

This is a short series-intro stub pointing to Financial Planning Fridays Episode 2, which explains the probability of success in a financial plan. The full episode covers how planning software runs thousands of trials to estimate the odds your plan meets its goals.

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#2: The Probability of Success

Probability of success is a core financial-planning metric created by running 1,000 random trials of potential investment returns and volatility against your goals. Presilium uses eMoney planning software to produce this figure, which quantifies the odds your plan meets its objectives rather than promising any guaranteed outcome.

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#1: Special Episode: The Failure of SVB

This special episode breaks down the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, which collapsed after rumors of trouble triggered a rapid bank run amplified by email and social media. It explains how the run unfolded, the broader implications for the banking system, and what long-term investors should and should not do in response.

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#1: Welcome to Financial Planning Fridays

This kickoff episode of Financial Planning Fridays makes the case that a written financial plan is the foundation of long-term success. Citing Picasso's view that goals are reached only through a plan you believe in and act on, Presilium frames the plan as the vehicle that turns goals into outcomes.

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Financial Planning Fridays #86: Stay Ahead of Inflation

Using the rising price of a postage stamp as a proxy for everyday inflation, this episode shows how prices have climbed roughly 15-fold over 60 years and why investments must outpace inflation to preserve purchasing power. It explains that historically, owning stocks has been the most reliable way to stay ahead of rising costs.

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Financial Planning Fridays #85: Temporary Market Declines During Bull Markets

This episode shows that bull markets do not rise in a straight line; the current rally of about 49% since October 2022 included several 5-10% pullbacks. Reviewing prior bull markets, it demonstrates that enduring temporary declines is the normal price of capturing the strong gains that bull markets ultimately deliver.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – Investing During a Recession

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#28) introduces Presilium's approach to investing during a recession: a recession is a phase of the economic cycle, not a reason to abandon a long-term plan. The full episode explains why disciplined, diversified investors stay invested rather than trying to time a downturn.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – Improve Your After-Tax Returns

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#27) introduces strategies to improve your after-tax returns, chiefly tax-loss harvesting and tax-aware portfolio management. The full episode explains how keeping taxes low on your investments leaves more of your return compounding for you over the long term.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – January Sets The Tone

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#26) previews Presilium's look at the January Barometer, the idea that the year's market returns follow January's lead. The full episode reviews the historical accuracy of this seasonal indicator and why it should not override a disciplined long-term investment plan.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – Never Take A Day Off

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#25) previews why your investments should never take a day off. The full episode shows that because the market's best days often arrive without warning, staying fully invested through volatility protects the long-term growth that timing strategies tend to forfeit.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – Tune Out the Noise

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#24) previews Presilium's review of two decades of market crises. The full episode explains why tuning out the noise and staying invested through each scare has rewarded patient investors, because the urge to sell during a crisis rarely improves long-term outcomes.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – What’s Your Cushion

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#23) introduces the volatility cushion: how many years a retiree's plan can be funded from income and bonds before tapping stocks. The full episode explains why this buffer is a key retirement risk measure that lets the equity portion of a portfolio recover after a downturn.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – How to Maximize the 2023 IRS Limits

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#22) previews how to maximize the 2023 IRS contribution limits. The full episode explains how the record increases let savers contribute more to tax-advantaged retirement accounts, making the start of the year an ideal time to set up contributions.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – How to Receive the Best Advice in 2023

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#19) previews why an accurate family balance sheet is the foundation of good advice. The full episode explains how a complete, daily-updated picture of net worth and account ownership lets an advisor give better-informed, more personalized financial planning guidance.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – Why It Currently Pays to Think Short-Term

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#18) introduces the yield curve and why it currently pays to think short-term with cash and bonds. The full episode explains how the yield curve, which plots interest rates across bond maturities, guides where to position the cash and fixed-income portion of a portfolio.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – The Power of Compound Growth

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#17) previews the power of compound growth. The full episode explains why compounding, often called the eighth wonder of the world, lets invested wealth grow dramatically over time and across generations, rewarding investors who start early and stay invested.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – What Can We Expect After The Midterm Elections

This Financial Planning Fridays teaser (#16) previews Presilium's look at market performance following U.S. midterm elections. The full episode reviews how stocks have historically behaved after midterms and reinforces why long-term investors should not make portfolio changes based on the election calendar.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – A Special Thank You

This short Thanksgiving-edition teaser thanks Presilium clients for introducing the firm to friends, family, and colleagues over the past year. It serves as a brief companion to Financial Planning Fridays Episode 15, which details how Presilium handles client introductions.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – How to Pay for the Rising Cost of Education

This short teaser introduces the topic of investing for education, pointing to Financial Planning Fridays Episode 14 on saving for college and the advantages of 529 college savings accounts. It frames the challenge of rising college costs that the full episode addresses in detail.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – What Is Your Cash Earning (And Could It Be More)?

This short teaser introduces the question of what your cash is actually earning, pointing to Financial Planning Fridays Episode 13 on money market accounts. It frames the opportunity to improve returns on short-term and idle cash that the full episode explains.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – Time IN the Market vs. Market Timing

This short teaser introduces the principle that time in the market matters more than market timing, pointing to Financial Planning Fridays Episode 12. It frames the case for staying invested through up and down markets that the full episode supports with data.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – Bull and Bear Markets

This short teaser introduces bull and bear markets, pointing to Financial Planning Fridays Episode 11. It frames the discussion of recent market cycles and what they may signal that the full episode explores with examples.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – Estate Planning with a Purpose

This short teaser introduces estate planning with a purpose, pointing to Financial Planning Fridays Episode 9. It frames the discussion of transferring assets efficiently and easily to your beneficiaries that the full episode covers.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – A Plan for Success

This is a short series-intro stub pointing to Financial Planning Fridays Episode 5, which covers a key way to manage portfolio risk. The full episode explains measuring risk by comparing the retirement income you need each year against the cash and short-term bonds you hold.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – A Plan for Success

This is a short series-intro stub pointing to Financial Planning Fridays Episode 4, which covers rebalancing as the critical step during volatile markets. The full episode explains moving a portfolio back to its target allocation as markets move.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – A Plan for Success

This is a short series-intro stub pointing to Financial Planning Fridays Episode 3, which identifies asset allocation as the number-one determinant of long-term investor success. The full episode explains the mix of stocks, bonds, alternatives, and cash in a portfolio.

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Financial Planning Friday’s – A Plan for Success

This is a short series-intro stub pointing to Financial Planning Fridays Episode 1, which explains why a written financial plan is key to your success. The full episode launches the weekly series on the benefits of disciplined financial planning.

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