80/20 Financial Services-Blog

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Time is our most precious resource and I thank you for allowing me to get a few minutes of your time each week. I hope you find the blog helpful and informative. Send me an email if there is ever a topic you would be interested in learning more about. I will research it and write a future blog about it.

Is Gold Actually A Hedge Against Inflation?

June 5, 2025 Retirement Funding Insights

Well according to my television and the financial "news" media the economy was on the verge of collapse this past April. The financial "news" media seemed excited about that and also excited to mention that gold had broken through to new all-time highs! And while that is sort of true because gold recorded a new nominal high price, that's not the whole truth. Nominal in this context means unadjusted as it pertains to inflation which, in the end, is all that really matters. They tend to leave the adjusted for inflation part out because it's not as sexy and doesn't excite people as much.

Your NRECA 401k Options Explained In Plain English

May 19, 2025 Investment Retirement Funding Insights

Today I want to discuss, what I feel, is the single most important benefit the co-op offers you. And that is your NRECA 401k plan. It’s important because it’s the fastest and simplest way for you to grow your wealth over time.

Companies Are Rational, The "Stock Market" Isn't

May 7, 2025 Investment Insights

Companies and what's referred to as the "stock market" are two different things. Companies are rational. The "stock market" is irrational. When you begin to realize that we are long-term goal-focused investors and we are owners of successful companies rather than just investors in the "stock market" you can change how you perceive the panic that the financial "news" media assaults us with on a 24/7 basis.

Should We Get Out Of The Market Until Things Settle Down?

April 14, 2025 Investment Retirement Funding Insights

The impulse to get out of the market before something bad happens is an impulse in all of us but it's at best only half of a strategy. What impulse would you listen to for re-entry to the market? Impulses don't make a strategy, but they can totally destroy a strategy.

Should You Sell? Should You Buy? Should You Invest More?

April 6, 2025 Investment Retirement Funding Insights Misc.

It depends on your goals, your long term financial plan, your age even factors into things here. Let's just run through these options real quick.

Why All Of Us Should Embrace Temporary Market Declines

March 24, 2025 Investment Insights

Today I want to discuss why you should actually embrace temporary market declines rather than fear them. I said temporary because they all are temporary and always have been temporary and will always be temporary.

Volatility Isn't Risk And Temporary Decline Isn't Permanent Loss

March 17, 2025 Retirement Funding Insights

It seems there are many people who can't distinguish between risk and volatility. Volatility isn't risk. They aren't the same thing at all.

Why Is The Stock Market So Volatile At Times?

March 10, 2025 Investment Insights

If you follow financial "journalism" at all you will inevitably hear how volatile the market is and how you should take action to protect yourself from the volatility. However, when we turn off the "news" and look at things rationally, we can see a completely different story. One that is actually true. It's not the market that is volatile. It's the investors that are volatile.

The Emotional Cycle Of The Average Investor

March 3, 2025 Retirement Funding Insights

The picture associated with this blog shows what the average investor not working with an advisor often does.

Retirement Has Two Doors. Which One Will You Choose?

February 10, 2025 Investment Retirement Funding Insights

Retirement has two doors. One leads to a chance of success. One leads to certain failure. Which door will you choose?

Why Does The Average Investor Consistently Underperform His Own Investments?

December 23, 2024 Retirement Funding Insights

In a society that has basically turned outperformance into a religion, the average investor is not only underperforming the markets, he is consistently underperforming his own investments!

Investing For And During Retirement

November 17, 2024 Investment Retirement Funding Insights

Successful investing for retirement and in retirement is not that complicated. The planning process can be complicated, such as when to liquidate certain investments, how much cash to keep on hand, and sticking to your plan, but the investing process isn’t hard at all.

Retirement Boils Down To One Simple Question

November 11, 2024 Retirement Funding Insights

If you spend ten minutes this year reading economic forecasts, you've wasted ten minutes of your time that you'll never get back. By the way, time is your most valuable asset. Invest it wisely.

Three Types Of Financial Advisors And How They Get Paid

October 7, 2024 Investment Retirement Funding Insights

The three most common business structures that use the terms are Insurance Companies, Broker Dealers and Registered Investment Advisers. All three are very different in how they run their business and each will specialize in different areas.

Thoughts On Japan Market Crisis

August 5, 2024 Insights

On August 5, 2024 and you probably woke up to doom and gloom on the news today about Japan’s stock market and how it’s crashing and how that’s going to affect the US stock market and basically how the world is ending. The world is not ending by the way.

The Rollover Mistake That Costs Cooperative Retirees Significant Money

July 23, 2024 Investment Retirement Funding Insights

Everyday cooperative employees retire. Some of these retirees take the lump sum option and "rollover" that money to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) or they "rollover" that money into their NRECA 401k. They may be working with a financial advisor or they may have decided that they don't want to pay an advisor and they want to do it themselves. This blog is speaking to the do it yourselfers.