I typically devote some part of my weekend to researching on what I plan to discuss each week on Thoughts on Money [TOM]. I had no idea that my decision to write on topics of risk, drawdowns, and recovery periods, as I believe these are important topics for investors to understand, would also be so timely based on how the markets kicked off this week! Links mentioned in this episode: http://thoughtsonmoney.com http://thebahnsengroup.com...
Mar 02, 2020•18 min
Will the income from your portfolio satisfy all of your living expenses in retirement? This week's TOM looks at important factors to consider. Links mentioned in this episode: http://thoughtsonmoney.com http://thebahnsengroup.com
Feb 14, 2020•14 min
In the past few weeks, I’ve found myself in multiple conversations explaining the need and purpose of life insurance. We’ve covered this topic in previous issues of TOM, but based on the recent inquiries, I thought it appropriate to provide a succinct refresher. Links mentioned in this episode: http://thoughtsonmoney.com http://thebahnsengroup.com
Feb 13, 2020•15 min
Topics discussed: In the old fable The Tortoise and The Hare we find this classic tale of the slow and steady vs. the erratic and volatile. This fable lends itself well to many financial analogies, and rightfully so. Looking back at my personal investments over the years, I am pleased with the prudent, tortoise-like decisions I’ve made yet I still experience some level of disappointment as I reflect on a few emotional, hare-like choices that I now regret. As an analogy for much of life, investin...
Jan 31, 2020•11 min
Topics discussed: I had two conversations last week that came to opposing conclusions about 2020. One friend told me they had a gut feeling about 2020 and they felt strongly that the momentum from 2019 would carry over and their stock investments would do even better in 2020. Another friend told me that they felt like 2019 led to an overheated market and they were fearful whether they should own any stocks at all. To both conclusions, I replied with the same question, “Why so?” I asked this ques...
Jan 23, 2020•16 min
Topics discussed: As we closed out 2019, I fielded a lot of questions about Donor Advised Funds (DAFs). For some, this inquiry was sparked by an interest in the tax benefits for 2019 planning and for others, it came from a place of curiosity whether a DAF would be suitable for their situation. I know we’ve touched on Donor Advised Funds before here at TOM but based on all the inquiries, it would appear to be worthwhile to conduct a refresher. Giving has its own rewards. This week, TOM helps you ...
Jan 17, 20200
Topics discussed: As we enter into 2020, we know one thing to be true – politics are going to be a hot topic. Each week the news is going to headline different candidates, we will get a break down of each of their platforms, and there is going to be much uncertainty around who will win the election. One of these topics that are going to get a lot of air time is student debt. Currently, the U.S. Department of Education has lent to about 43 million borrowers, and there is about $1.4 trillion of ou...
Jan 10, 2020•14 min
Topics discussed: As we approach the end of the year, I brace myself for the many retrospective look-backs on 2019 from my favorite media sources. And being that this year also marks the end of a decade, it will naturally invite even more reflection of how the past may inform our future. In the world of investing, the former decade (2000-2009) has now been appropriately deemed, “The Lost Decade.” A ten-year period that was bookended by two significant market events – The Dot Com Crash and The Gr...
Dec 23, 2019•13 min
Topics discussed: The end of the year is a season when I conduct a lot of review meetings with clients. Along with discussing holiday plans, sharing updates on our families, and so on, it’s the perfect opportunity to do some year-end tax planning, review how investments have fared over the year, and to catch up on any other planning items we are working on. It’s also a great opportunity to itemize our goals and notate tasks that we’d like to get completed in the coming year. While these client m...
Dec 19, 2019•18 min
Topics discussed: As we approach the New Year many of us will begin to think about the resolutions that we want to make for 2020. We know from experience that these resolutions are often short-lived, and we realize that making a commitment to something like a new diet may not be realistic or sustainable. Amongst these common resolutions are often financial goals like saving more or sticking to a budget. Today on TOM I want to talk about some practical ways that you can achieve these resolutions ...
Dec 18, 2019•14 min
I absolutely cannot believe that we are already preparing for Thanksgiving. It feels like 2019 flew by, right? Well, I know from experience, that these last 6-weeks of the year seem to fly by at hyper-speed as well. This is indeed a great time of the year to spend time with family, rest, and reflect on the year. It’s also a great time to do some end of year tax planning. I know, I know, tax planning is not so festive, and it isn’t as fun as a turkey dinner, but the holiday season is our final op...
Nov 22, 2019•13 min
Thoughts on Money Podcast is hosted by Partner, Private Wealth Advisor Trevor Cummings from The Bahnsen Group in Newport Beach, California.
Nov 18, 2019•8 min
Here is a very common question I get as an advisor, “Should I pay off my mortgage?” This is a difficult question to answer for two reasons: Most of the people asking have already come to their own conclusion, and they’d be hard-pressed to be convinced otherwise. They are looking for confirmation rather than insight. The answer to this question depends on the particulars of one’s situation, this is not a quick and easy, black and white, yes or no answer. Some significant discussion and financial ...
Nov 05, 2019•19 min
Trevor Cummings talks about how "risk" can work as a benefit for the savvy investor.
Nov 05, 2019•14 min
For a retiree, there is plenty of media out there to help instill this fear that you may outlive your savings. Talks about rising healthcare costs, fearmongering about the next financial crisis, rumors of disappearing social security, etc. etc. etc. The financial “things-to-be-afraid-of” list seems to be never-ending. It is no wonder that many surveys find a majority of retirees worried about potentially running out of money.
Oct 21, 2019•16 min
As a financial advisor, you get used to the fact that if you show up to a family function or a gathering with friends you are bound to get asked a handful of questions on personal finance, the markets, the economy, etc. The funny thing about these questions is that they are almost always seasonal, meaning they will revolve around the hot topic of the day.
Oct 18, 2019•12 min
It's not only essential to save but to look at where one saves. In this episode of the Thoughts On Money Podcast, Trevor looks at the importance of tax diversification in your retirement portfolio.
Oct 04, 2019•12 min
TOM is a podcast by Trevor Cummings, Partner and Wealth Advisor at The Bahnsen Group in Newport Beach, California.
Sep 25, 2019•16 min
The Thoughts On Money Blog posts for the Month of August 2019
Sep 12, 2019•46 min
In this episode of TOM, Trevor is joined by The Bahnsen Group, Founder and CIO David L. Bahnsen to discuss the last month's topics Trevor covered.
Aug 19, 2019•42 min
In this inaugural episode, Trevor talks about his motivation for starting TOM and offers his commentary on recent issues of the TOM Blog.
Jul 22, 2019•36 min
![Thoughts On Money [TOM] - podcast cover](https://assets.metacast.app/images/podcast/artwork/cWvX57pW)
