When deciding how risky or conservative to be when it comes to your investment accounts, there are many rule of thumb principles out there to sift through. Time horizon for your investments is undoubtedly a crucial factor when it comes to exactly how much risk to encapsulate in a portfolio. Age of the investor is also vital, and that principle piggybacks off of time horizon for obvious reasons.

If you are attempting to invest your capital on your own, perhaps in a 401(k), be sure to focus first on the allocation of the assets rather than the location. By allocation, financial professionals are generally referring to the equity/debt split that makes up a portfolio construction.

If you have a high deductible health insurance plan (HDHP), then a health savings account (HSA) is a great tool to take advantage of. A HSA is a tax-advantaged account specifically designed for medical expenses. The beauty of these accounts is that they are tax advantaged on both the front end and the back end. Here is what you need to know...

Do you have a plan for your assets when you pass away? Where will all of your prized possessions pass on to when you leave your loved ones behind? If you don't have a verified, legal plan in place, your estate will be distributed according to the laws of the state in which you live. Everyone should have a will at a bare minimum, but better yet could be a revocable living trust for the following reasons:

Thinking about selling your home and curious if you will owe any taxes on the profits? Here is what you need to know...

Many of you have the benefit of contributing to a company or government sponsored retirement plan at your place of work. Company plans are different from IRAs (individual retirement plans) in many ways, including a much higher contribution limit and typically an employer match program. But what exactly is the difference between a 401(k) and a 403(b)?

There is a difference between being conscientious and conservative when it comes to personal finance. Sometimes people tend to conflate the two terms, but there is a large difference between them. Every investor needs to be conscientious at all times, but not every investor should be "conservative".

We have all had that unexpected event that happens just as we get back to square one. It’s never expected and it’s never welcome! The fact of the matter is that life continuously throws curve balls at us, and unfortunately those curves usually cost money that we did not expect. The solution? We have to plan for the unexpected.

I used to love Chipotle, and I certainly still love the food (when they have it). Rice, fajitas, NO beans, double steak, toma....sorry, I digress. But I have noticed a continual drop off in service over the last couple of years and it seems to only be getting worse.

The stock market is an interesting thing. It plays on our emotions in mysterious and illogical ways- ways that usually never make sense in hindsight. Today, while the markets continue to decline in 2022, actually marks a great day in so many ways.

This may not be a wealth tip, per se, but more of a life tip. Has the art of the "thank you note" died with technology and our fast paced environment? Do younger generations not see the merit behind such a simple, yet thoughtful task?

Last week we talked about "zooming out" to maintain perspective on your financial goals and how your underlying accounts perform. Today, we want to remind you to ZOOM IN to your underlying holdings and make sure they are both reasonable in expense and minimally traded.

Remember the importance of zooming out when reviewing your financial statements in the most recent months (and any month for that matter). We like to say at Red Oak Financial that "short term volatility is the price you pay for long term gains."

Many people wonder if they should have a trust for their assets as a tool to both avoid probate and direct the assets to beneficiaries of their choosing outside of the will….

There has been a lot going on over the past couple years, from Covid to unemployment to inflation and now to the Russian invasion of Ukraine (and the list goes on). Many investors are wondering what they should do in these turbulent times over seas…

We hope that the below commentary provides a look inside our investment process at Red Oak Financial Group and how we are thinking about the evolving economic environment….

It is important to take advantage of your retirement accounts as best you can if you want to be financially independent in the long run. Make sure you know the limits for your various accounts. Here's some high-level information for the 2022 tax year…

It's that time of year again....TAX TIME! So just how are your various distributions taxed by Uncle Sam? Here are a few quick reminders...

Here at Red Oak Financial, we invest our clients primarily in broadly diversified strategies made up of low cost investment vehicles (i.e. low expense ratios) and implement low turnover methodologies to mitigate ancillary trading costs. We focus on the long term financial goals of our clients, while making near term adjustments around relevant and current economic data to drive performance….

When you pass away after a hopefully long life of accumulating assets, your estate is reviewed in probate court. Probate is the legal process in which a will is reviewed to first determine if the will is valid, and then to distribute the deceased's assets accordingly. Read on for more information….