Market corrections hurt. They can come out of nowhere. And when they do, they ignite fear, amplify worries, and set off alarm bells. It’s hard not to panic when that happens. And it’s tempting to react and want to pull back.1 Many people give in to that temptation.2 Informed investors don’t. Why? Because they know […]

Imagine printing out your next meal or wearing contact lenses that know your thoughts and feelings.1,2 What if your house could learn about you … and then anticipate your needs?3 Mind-blowing inventions like these could be just around the corner. And they’re not even the wildest things that we may see by 2050. Advancements in […]

What would make your life better? A new house or car? A bigger paycheck or bank account? It’s easy to want more when you think of being happier and living better.1 And there’s little doubt that money can buy some (more) happiness.2 But the happiness we get from money is fundamentally limited.3 It leaves us […]

How often do you think about retirement? Most of us think about it a lot — at least four times a week.1 We think about when we’ll retire and how we’ll spend our time in retirement.2,3 As exciting as that can be, it can also be nerve-racking to think about trying to fill up all […]

Do you think you’re telling yourself the truth about money? We may think we know the facts about our finances. But our beliefs can often overshadow the facts. Our wishes, hopes, and fears can tip the scales away from the truth. This makes it easier for us to believe what we want to about money […]

We at Paragon Financial Advisors don’t believe that “any direction” is acceptable. The financial well-being of you and your loved ones is too important to be left to chance. That’s why we encourage our clients to develop their personal financial goals. Goals are basically a result or achievement toward which you are willing to expend […]

Normally, retirement plans are generally considered safe from creditors. A recent ruling by the Bankruptcy Panel for the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has called that safety into question. An individual was awarded ½ of his ex-wife’s 401(k) plan and her entire individual retirement account in their divorce settlement. He later filed for Chapter […]

It has been a good run. Ten years after the 2008 “meltdown,” the bull market in securities is beginning to show its age. And, after a very placid 2017, volatility in the market is showing it’s alive and well. That volatility has been driven by interest rate expectations, trade/tariff discussions, and the mid-term elections. The […]

Thanksgiving week, 2018 was an interesting one for the stock market. The S&P dropped 3.8% for the week putting us officially into a market correction. We closed the week down 10.2% from our last market high. This Thanksgiving week was the worst week since 1939. Monday, November 26, 2018 did see the S&P rebound (up […]

October 2018 marked the 10th year of the longest bull market in history. In 2017, the stock market (S&P 500) moved placidly upward; in fact, the market set record highs over 100 times since the Presidential election in November 2016. This year, 2018, has given investors pause to think, however. In late January, the S&P […]