Entrust Blog

When we hear the word “recipe,” most of us think of food. And now that the summer season is here, foods with fresh ingredients are abundant–a welcome and nutritious change. But we can also apply the friendly term “recipe” to our portfolio asset allocation, recognizing that our portfolio ingredients are likely to be stocks, bonds and real estate. Fortunately, when we get the proportions right, these investment ingredients may deliver welcome results and keep us financially healthy. Sue’s experience provides ...

Take a look to be sure you are using these three easy steps to protect yourself from cyber-fraud.

Bizzie, a thoughtful and practical woman who has carefully cultivated her legal consulting practice for decades, is married to a high school music teacher and has one son–a teenager soon to complete his senior year and head off to college. Our story begins when Bizzie inherits a substantial amount of money following the sudden death of her father. While the handling of the family finances was always her husband’s responsibility, upon receiving this inheritance–which felt like a windfall to Bizzie–she ...

Cyber-fraud is on everyone’s minds these days. For instance, we probably all know of someone who was scammed through their email. A common and all-too-effective ploy is for a hacker to send an urgent and alarming email of distress–from a loved one–requesting that money be sent immediately. A good friend of mine responded to one such request for help because ostensibly it came from his best friend; as a result, he lost thousands of dollars.At Entrust we are vigilant about ...

We spend most of our lives working and saving so that at some point we will have the financial freedom to step away from the grind and do something else.  Do you know if you are on track for financial security throughout retirement? Just posing this question reminds me of our clients Brent and Wanda. When we began working together in 2005, they were about forty years old. As small business owners, their demanding schedules prompted them to aspire to retire early–preferably ...

2017 is well underway and it is time to accelerate the implementation of your tax savings strategies, before spring arrives on Monday, March 20th. A key step for maximizing your savings this year is to take advantage of opportunities to reduce your taxable income in the months ahead. Whether you are a business owner or an employee, these money-saving tips for funding medical expenses and your retirement plan (assuming you are eligible) could enable you to trim thousands of dollars ...

There is no time like the beginning of a new year to renew your savings goals to maintain your financial security.  Take a look at our video What’s Your Number? for tips you can use.

When I established my holistic financial planning firm in 2000, I was advised by colleagues to avoid using the word “holistic” to describe Entrust Financial’s services. “It sounds too new age,” they said, “Like you are reading taro cards or something. It just doesn’t sound like you are offering rigorous financial and investment advice.” I admit I was puzzled by the strong negative reaction to the word holistic because to me, offering financial advice using a holistic process was the ...

You can instill a sense of gratitude and generosity in even the youngest children by teaching them to share with others, beyond the immediate family. For instance, a great place to start is to encourage your kids to volunteer their time or share a portion of their allowance with the causes they love. Strategies for transforming your children into young philanthropists include: Discover what sparks their interest Create a family tradition Establish a donor-advised fund Discover what sparks their interest You can easily ...

Entrust’s November video, intended to help you make good financial choices, focuses on: How can you get your children excited about giving back? It all starts with family meetings about the family finances, followed by conversations with children about sharing some of their money, and for many families expands into funding a donor-advised fund as a component of the family’s charitable giving road-map. We hope that you find this video helpful. Please share it and visit us today: Entrust Financial or Balancing Act Book