Horizon Capital Advisors

Some of the greatest coaches in sports today whether it be Andy Reid or Bill Self would never blindly select players to be in their starting lineups or be subbed into the game for no reason. If these greats don't use this methodology for their gameplan, why are you blindly using this strategy for your portfolio allocation? Do you know what you own and why you own it in your portfolio? #investing101 #financialplanning #assetallocation

To answer one of the questions from yesterday's post, we often get questions on whether a 529 or a UTMA Account is the best to use to fund college. While both are good options depending on the individual's circumstances. Here is a high level overview of the differences between the two account options.

Many people fail to recognize the different intricacies of planning for college. While there are many, here are the top 7 things to think about when beginning to save for your children's college education.

A couple of golfers were on the first tee and wanted to place a friendly wager on the round of golf. Nothing too big but something worth playing for. One of the golfers suggests, "Let's play for 10 cents on the first hole and it doubles each hole." Without giving the wager much thought the other golfer says, "Well that's nothing!" In reality...it is. The first few holes aren't exciting to either players. When the two golfers get to the back nine as you will see, is where things get interesting... Hole 1: $0.10 Hole 2: $0.20 Hole 3: $0.40 Hole 4: $0.80 Hole 5: $1.60 Hole 6: $3.20 Hole 7: $6.40 Hole 8: $12.80 Hole 9: $45.60 Hole 10: $51.20 Hole 11: $102.40 Hole 12: $204.80 Hole 13: $409.60 Hole 14: $819.20 Hole 15: $1,638.40 Hole 16: $3,276.80 Hole 17: $6,553.60 Hole 18: $13,107.20 The power of compound interest works in a very similar way. It might not be fun or "sexy" to watch. When you give an investment strategy the time and discipline to stay the course, the results might surprise you. I hope these golfers brought their checkbooks...

With a majority of Kansas City Metro school districts going back in session this week, I can't help but think about going back to school as a kid in Winfield, KS. The idea of new school clothes and school supplies coupled with meeting new friends made for an exciting trade off for summer vacation. One thing that isn't exciting...how much it costs for back to school shopping today. In a Federal Reserve of St. Louis Study, the cost of back to school shopping and school supplies in 2001 (when I started the first grade) was $299.20 per student. Today, families spend $874.68 on average per student. #backtoschool #educationplanning #financialplanning

All goals were created equally. No matter if it is to lose twenty pounds before your trip to Italy or to save $2,000,000 in your 401(k) before you retire. The journey is rarely a straight line. There will be days that you over indulge and have a few too many Krispy Kreme Donuts or have a down week in the stock market. The key is being consistent in behaviors and not fall prey to short term thinking.

As an avid golfer, I like to compare investing in the stock market to a round of golf. Think of your investing journey as 18 holes. Some holes will be good and some holes inevitably will be bad. I've never had a round of golf where each shot went as planned. Just like investing there will be days where performance is bad and where performance is good. As with golf, investors have their own goals. A person that just started playing golf isn't looking to shoot the course record. A person looking to retire probably isn't looking to make 50% year over year in market gains (although wouldn't that be nice?). Today is one of those "bad holes" but remember what your goals are and stick to your plan. BL

It's the first of August! That can only mean one thing...(besides the start of college football). BACK TO SCHOOL! Your child might be heading to their first day of Kindergarten in the next few weeks and as sad as it may seem, you blink twice and they will be graduating high school and off to college! Have you thought about how you are planning to fund college/higher education? #529education #collegeplanning #financialplanning

"No one has a crystal ball" as we say in our profession as to what will happen with the economy or markets. However, when thinking about the long term this would be a good scenario for all investors involved.

As we close the yearbook on 2023 it's important to take a few lessons that occurred during the year. This guide drills down the key takeaways from 2023.