This summer, Steve Starnes, MBA, CFP® was invited to serve as a guest instructor in an undergraduate business ethics class. He enjoyed the experience, and the questions students asked about sustainable investing. What is it? Can it “work” as an investment strategy? Can environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) ratings help make the world a better place? Inspired by his classroom conversation, Steve covered sustainable investing in a recent Grand Rapids Business Journal article.

Did you take a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRA earlier this year? If so, to help with the financial fall-out from COVID-19, the IRS is allowing you to reverse your 2020 RMD distribution … but you must act by August 31. In a July 28th Grand Rapids Business Journal column, Anastasia Wiese, JD, CFP® describes how the RMD “put-back” works, and whether to consider taking advantage of the opportunity.

In a June 25th Grand Rapids Business Journal column, Anastasia Wiese, JD, CFP® described how current uncertainties may expose retirees to “sequence risk,” or the risk of encountering negative investment returns early in retirement. Specifically, the random sequence — or order — in which you earn your returns early in retirement can impact your lasting wealth. How does sequence risk work, and how can you manage it if it happens to you?

Even in “normal” times, it’s hard to make good financial choices. With today’s increased uncertainty, the challenge is even greater. In a recent Grand Rapids Business Journal, Steve Starnes, MBA, CFP® describes a process for avoiding expensive money-management mistakes during the heightened medical, economic, and financial unknowns.

Most successful business owners build their company’s financial strength through strategic planning and adept execution. But as Jeff Williams, CFP®, CPA/PFS comments in a recent MiBiz article, far fewer business owners bring these skills to their personal financial planning. When it’s time to implement a business succession plan, “not soon enough” financial planning can interfere with their own and their company’s optimal outcomes.

It may go without saying that investors should avoid placing rash trades in volatile markets. But as Steve Starnes, MBA, CFP® points out in a Grand Rapids Business Journal piece, temptations abound when emotions are high. People working from home may watch their investment accounts and the market mood swings a little too closely, which could lead to ill-advised panic-trading. Steve offers several moves investors can consider taking instead.

In her March 18 Grand Rapids Business Journal Banking & Finance commentary, Anastasia Wiese, JD, CFP® helped readers put the current elevated levels of market volatility in proper context. “While the desire to pull money out of the U.S. markets and sit in cash is a natural emotional response, now is not the time to panic,” writes Anastasia. “Times like this reinforce the importance of having a well-diversified portfolio among global stock and bonds.”

During heightened market turbulence, many investors are tempted to abandon the markets and flee to cash and cash-like “safe harbor” holdings. While it usually makes sense to allocate some of your wealth in this manner, too much “safety” can actually put your wealth at risk. Jeff Williams, CFP®, CPA/CFS explains how.

How does the SECURE Act, passed at year-end 2019, help people better prepare for today’s retirement realities? In a February 2020 Grand Rapids Business Journal article, Anastasia Wiese, JD, CFP® weighed in on how the newly enacted legislation can enhance retirement planning for employers and employees alike.

We cannot know how long, or how severely current market volatility will impact our investment portfolios. Either way, there are a number of sensible steps you can take before, or even during a recession that can add real value to your financial well-being. In a March 3rd Grand Rapids Business Journal column, Anastasia Wiese, JD, CFP® offered 15 such timeless tips for preserving, protecting, preparing, simplifying and understanding your financial worth.