I hope that each of you had a wonderful first half of 2024. Kel and I had the opportunity to celebrate the 4th of July with Ross, Reid, Cole, and Parker in Washington D.C. Standing in our nation's capital, surrounded by the symbols of our freedom and history, was a powerful reminder of the liberties we enjoy and the responsibilities we carry."Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought
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Blog
The Freedom
July 16, 2024Enjoy the Moment!
July 14, 2023 Enjoy the Moment! My youngest son Parker and I had an opportunity recently to go to Nashville and enjoy a weekend together. We were meeting some friends to go skiing and Parker’s dad did something really stupid. I somehow dropped my cell phone (along with my driver’s license, cash, and debit card) 16ft to the bottom of the Cumberland River. Thank goodness for a good friend that made sure we were fed and taken care of. What sta
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2022 In Review
January 20, 2023I am now learning (as many of you have already learned) that raising pre-teens and teenagers can be about as unpredictable as it gets. Kellie and I officially have 2 middle schoolers in our house. While raising kids is a tremendous blessing, you never know what’s coming next. Speaking of things being unpredictable, major investment firms’ predictions were lousy in terms of where they predicted the S&P 500 to be at the end of 2022:
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This Too Shall Pass
October 10, 2022You would not be human if you didn’t experience some degree of fear at the direction of current events from time to time. The great achievement, at times like this, is simply not to give in to the fear. In a very real sense, our whole job is helping you toward that achievement.Every bear market has its unique precipitating causes. This one’s seems to be inflation/interest rates. Neither I nor anyone else can predict when, where, or how this bear market will bottom out. We can on
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Reasons I Love America
July 18, 2022I hope that you and your families enjoyed a great 4th of July as our family did. While our country certainly has problems and challenges that need to be addressed, I am reminded of how fortunate we are to live in this great country. I came up with some things I love most about America. What do you love most about America?
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This Time is Not Different
May 18, 2022“Among the four most dangerous words in investing are ‘It’s different this time’ “-Sir John Templeton The primary function of financial media seems to be terrifying us out of ever achieving our financial goals by shouting about the market’s volatility. We’ve been reminded of this almost hourly as the S&P 500 approached “official bear market territory,” defined as closing 20% below its January all-time high. Every market de
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Inverted Yield Curve + Inflation = Stay the Course
April 29, 2022Recently the yield curve inverted for the first time since August 2019 (which means that long-term interest rates have dropped below short-term rates).Why do we pay attention to this?Because this inversion suggests that investors believe the near-term economy and markets to be riskier than the long-term.This recent inversion in the yield curve and inflation soaring above 7% have left some investors wondering whether to adjust their investment strategy. While it can be tempting to worry and
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Update- Russia/Ukraine
March 8, 2022“The four most dangerous words in investing are: this time is different.”-Sir John Templeton The concerns and uncertainties are real, and the road ahead always has unforeseen bumps along the way. We join in praying for the people of Ukraine and their safety during these horrific events that are unfolding. It is my belief that the current Russia/Ukraine event has very little to do with democracy. It has to do with energy, which is the lifeblood of the Russian economy.&
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2021 In Review
January 13, 2022“An optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimiststays up to make sure the old year leaves.” – William E. VaughanWhile there is plenty that we would all love to see left behind, we are excited about the new year and what lies ahead. My family and our entire Nickels Wealth Management team wish you a wonderful 2022! We started off the new year wearing shorts and sandals at my house with 80 degree temperatures. The next day, my boys w
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Resilience
July 20, 2021My son Reid has always loved watching Mississippi State Baseball. He and I have watched countless games on the ESPN app going back to when he was 3 or 4. Reid and I made the trip out early Wednesday morning to see game 3 of the College World Series Final. What a memory with a kid that loves baseball! Chris Lemonis, head baseball coach of Mississippi State talked often about how resilient and tough this year’s team was. While those attributes are common amongst
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2020 In Review
March 2, 20212020 and Upcoming Presidential Election
September 3, 20202020 so far: health crisis, financial crisis, race crisis, and now a bitterly partisan upcoming Presidential Election. "If you spend more than 13 minutes analyzing economic and market forecasts, you've wasted 10 minutes." - Peter Lynch The media is pounding you and I with new "market forecasts" based on who takes the White House in November. I have had conversations with many of you over the last few months regarding the upcoming . . .
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TOGETHER
April 24, 2020These are challenging times for everyone. I am eager for things to get back to “normal” just as you are. We will get there. Many of the things we enjoy most are not available right now, such as traveling, going to church, little league baseball, or just dinner out with family and friends. My wife Kellie has done a great job homeschooling the boys as I know many of you are doing as well. Based on the nightly reports I receive, I think the greatest te
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Avoiding COVID-19 Scams
March 27, 2020Scammers, fraudsters, and other criminals are taking advantage of rapidly changing data and facts associated with COVID-19, both in the workplace and in our homes. Government agencies, corporations, and news outlets continue to warn individuals to be mindful of increased fraudulent activities during these uncertain times. These scams, which can be sent via email, text message, and social media claim to provide COVID-19 updates, sell products, ask for charitable donations, or reference government
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Market Update
March 17, 20202019 In Review
February 5, 2020“This is 2020” sounds like something only Barbara Walters can say. From my family to yours, Happy New Year! As I reflect on 2019, the word that comes to mind is “gratitude”. There are so many benefits of practicing gratitude; it evokes a healthy state of mind, and we are what we think. “The root of joy is gratefulness. It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful.” -David Steindl-Rast "Rejoic
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Media Fast
August 16, 2019I receive a daily email from a well-known financial media outlet and was struck by recent contrasting headlines . . .
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Estate Planning is Not Just For the Wealthy
August 1, 2019To me, there is no clear benchmark for the word “wealthy”. It means something different to almost anyone you ask. To me, wealth is about much more than money. True wealth is measured by how much freedom that money buys and how much fulfillment you have in your life. What I’m saying is, if you are reading this right now, estate planning is something that you must be doing. Now that we have covered the definition of wealthy and that it includes all of you.&
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Advice from Lou Holtz
July 1, 2019Lou Holtz once said, “Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.” I’d like to tell you a story about a close family friend. Ryan Burt is a great kid that lives across the street and serves as my boys’ unofficial “big brother”. My boys have grown up playing baseball, basketball, riding the golf cart, wresting, and catching frogs with their “Ryno”. After a great sophomore season on the mound and
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Happy New Year!
June 27, 2019From our family to yours, Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday season celebrating Christmas and the New Year with family and friends. The big excitement in our household Christmas morning was the addition of Molly!Two thousand eighteen was perhaps the strangest year I’ve experienced in my career as a financial advisor. Most importantly, it was one of the truly great years in the history of the American economy, and by far the best one since the global financial crisis o
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Emotion vs. Reality
January 14, 2019The recent market changes may have some of you concerned about your portfolio. In a market decline, that’s where we work the hardest not on ways to keep the decline from happening rather keeping you from making key mistakes. The results of research done by Dalbar Inc., a company which studies investor behavior and analyzes investor market returns, consistently show that the average investor earns below-average returns.For the twenty years ending 12/31/2015, the S&P 500 I
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Coach Pitch Baseball and Investing
June 11, 2018I hope this letter finds you and your family well. As for our family, we have been busy at the ballfields which has been fun. Late nights, dirty uniforms, and lots of concession stands for supper! I’m helping coach Ross and Reid’s team and have been reminded of some simple truths that apply to coach pitch baseball and long-term investment success.
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2017 In Review
April 16, 2018It's hard to believe another year has come and gone. 2017 was an exciting year both professionally and personally for me. Professionally, we have continued to expand the number of clients we are able to serve while increasing our support staff to make sure that you are well taken care of. In July, Kellie and I were excited to welcome our son Cole into the family. My son Reid made the following comment on an ice cream run to Dollar General recently, “Dad, it feels li
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How Long Do You Keep Important Documents?
March 5, 2018Knowing which financial and personal paperwork to keep or toss is very important. Here’s a suggested timeline for keeping/shredding documents. Documents which should be kept indefinitely – in a secure location: Birth/death...
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Blessed Independence
March 5, 2018As we approach the celebration of our independence as a nation, we want to take a moment and reflect on how truly blessed we are to live in this great nation in a time such as this.
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Enhanced Statements
March 5, 2018We are proud to share some great news from our broker/dealer – LPL Financial. As you may know, LPL produces and delivers your monthly and quarterly statements. Recently, LPL improved those statements to make them easier to use....
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