Veteran’s Day Salute

Today, I salute my fellow veterans and their families, and thank them for their service to our country.  I attended a Veteran’s Day ceremony at Geneva Middle School North this morning – it was thoughtful and touching, and I appreciate the hard work by everyone involved.  It was a pleasant reminder of the many reasons I love this country and our freedoms.  Despite this unhealthy economy and the barrage of negative news available 24 hours a day, I still believe strongly in our capitalist economic system.  I still believe strongly in a low-cost passive investment strategy.  I still believe strongly in providing hourly, as-needed financial planning and advice to people from all walks of life.

What should you do during this market turbulence?  I can’t stress enough the importance of staying the course and sticking with your long-term objectives.  That said, if you haven’t reviewed your financial goals or rebalanced your investments within the last twelve months, we should schedule some time for a financial review.  We can discuss your concerns, take stock of your finances, rebalance your investments, and hopefully provide a little peace of mind.

Happy Veteran’s Day!

Caring for the Caregiver Conference on Saturday, September 24th

This one day conference will provide insights and sources of information to help caregivers navigate difficult decisions regarding those they care for, especially aging family members.  Three sessions cover the following topics:  1) Legal & Financial Issues & Family Conflict, 2) Care Receiver Living Options, and 3) Self Care Options for the Caregiver.  During breaks and lunch, more than 30 local service providers will be available to answer questions and provide informative materials related to their organizations.

This free conference  is held at Hosanna! Lutheran Church in St. Charles (36W925 Red Gate Road) from 8:15am to 3pm on Saturday, September 24th, 2011.  Contact Clarus for a brochure, or look for Liane at the conference (I’ll be a panelist at the 9am session on Legal & Financial Issues).

Clarus Moved!

If we’ve not spoken in the last few months, then you may not know that Clarus Financial Planning moved into permanent office space in downtown Geneva.  Rather than make it simple, I decided to renovate a very old space into something with a bit more character.  It’s a work in progress, but is coming along nicely.  Here are the details:

  • Clarus Financial Planning is now located at 312 W. State Street, Suite 106.  This is a block east of my old conference facility, near the light at Third Street.  For those of you familiar with downtown Geneva, the new office is almost directly above Stockholms.
  • The new phone number is 630-492-1244.  The fax is the same: 214-445-0788.
  • Email and website information are the same.

I hope to have an open house in early 2011.  In the meantime, it’s business as usual with planning sessions and annual reviews.  Please let me know if you need to schedule a review.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I am reminded of all the blessings in my life.  I have the wonderful job of working with some of the smartest individual investors I’ve met, and I treasure working with each of you.  Thank you!