MINISODE: Hurricane Hiatus - An Update on the Wealth by Design Podcast
Wealth by Design
Hello, loyal listeners! We wanted to let you know that we have a quick update on the podcast and a few things that are happening over at Toujours Planning right now. As you may know, we are a Lake Charles-based business and family, and our community, homes, and offices were devastated by Hurricane Laura in August.
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MINISODE: Do You Need a Financial Advisor or a Certified Financial Planner™?
Wealth by Design
Do you need a financial planner? A financial advisor? An investment professional? A money coach? And what are those initials after their names?!
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MINISODE: Are You Falling into This Stock Market Trap?
Wealth by Design
In this minisode, Dustin breaks down the Sir Templeton’s quote: “Bull markets are born on pessimism, grown on skepticism, mature on optimism, and die on euphoria.”. He also discusses timing the stock market, why it’s a bad idea, and what you should do instead.
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MINISODE: Should You Have a Joint Account with Your Partner?
Wealth by Design
We’ll keep the intrigue to a minimum. In our opinion, the answer to this question is a resounding yes. Sharing your finances with your partner builds trust. Keeping them separate can breed suspicion and worry.
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MINISODE: When Stock Markets Dip and Bounce Back
Wealth by Design
In this minisode, Dustin recaps what a stock actually is and how stocks are bought and sold. He discusses how people’s emotions cause those peaks and valleys in the stock market, and how you can avoid that dangerous herd mentality when it comes to your own investing.
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112: Growing a Business & Wealth with Katell and Jon of Reverielane
Wealth by Design
Katell and Jon, a husband and wife design team, are founders of Reverielane, a purpose-driven brand and web design firm.
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[Summer Remix] 102: Net Worth is King
Wealth by Design
We talk about fear a lot on our podcast. Fear is natural and, TBH, necessary. But fear can also make you focus on the wrong thing when it comes to your net worth. Paying down debt rather than building up your assets, to be specific. And that’s what we discuss in this week’s episode: where our fear of the “debt boogeyman” comes from, our three-step strategy on how to overcome it, and what part of your finances you should be focusing on instead.
info_outline![[Summer Remix] 101: Robo-advisors: Your New Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy? show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/content/78672425?height=50&width=50)
[Summer Remix] 101: Robo-advisors: Your New Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy?
Wealth by Design
The robots have taken over. Just kidding. But, they have taken over a major chunk of the financial industry in the form of robo-advisors. But the truth is, we think robo-advisors are actually pretty useful. Of course, there’s a time and a place to use them, which is exactly what we cover in this episode of Wealth by Design.
info_outline![[Summer Remix] 100: High Yield Savings vs. Stocks: Who Wins? show art](https://assets.libsyn.com/content/78184535?height=50&width=50)
[Summer Remix] 100: High Yield Savings vs. Stocks: Who Wins?
Wealth by Design
There are a lot of misconceptions about investing in the stock market, thanks to fear-mongering in the news, horror stories from family and friends, and a lack of education about the stock market in general. Your fears may also be why high yield savings seems like the better option for your money. In this episode, we talked about the differences between high yield savings and stocks. We know you’re probably a big fan of saving because it’s “safe,” right? Well, we’re about to rock your world.
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[Summer Remix] 98: Leaving Behind the “Punch Clock” Mindset
Wealth by Design
The concept of a punch clock — punching in to start a shift and punching out when it ends — is ingrained in many of us, even as business owners who write our own checks and make our own schedules. But it doesn’t have to stay that way! On this episode of Wealth By Design, we talk about how you can start changing your mindset and your life right now.
info_outlineAnswer us this: which person needs estate planning the most?
A) Someone with two kids
B) Someone with a small business of their own
C) Someone who has property and possessions to pass on
D) All of the above
If you answered D, ding ding ding! You win.
Say the term “estate planning” and people assume it’s only meant for people with kids, or that it’s used to pass on wealth and possessions. But it’s much more than that, and we know that everyone benefits from an estate plan. We talk about why in our latest podcast episode.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
- What estate planning usually includes
- Why most people avoid estate planning
- What happens when you don’t have an estate plan
- Basic estate planning documents you need
- A few things you may not have considered for your will
- The future of your business
- Think about life insurance
- Details to remember in your estate plan
Where does your stuff go?
Your estate is made up of all your possessions. Your home, your car, bank accounts, investments you’ve made, that yacht you use once in a while, the fabulous jewelry you inherited from your stylish grandmother, your prized collection of Air Jordans in your closet. All of that makes up your estate. So… what happens to it when you’re gone?
An estate plan dictates who gets your property when you pass on. Your kids, your close family members and friends, nonprofit organizations you passionately supported, you get the idea. If you don’t have an estate plan to dictate where your stuff goes, a court usually decides. Can you imagine? As Danielle put it, “You don’t want someone else — a stranger — deciding who gets what.”
Other parts of estate planning
Estate planning involves more than your possessions. Your will, which is a basic estate planning document, takes care of those decisions. There are other estate planning documents you need, too.
Your power of attorney is one. A power of attorney is a document that gives another person the legal authority to make decisions on your behalf if you can’t. This person is called your power of attorney agent. A power of attorney agent might make decisions about your medical treatment, finances, assets, and more.
Many people choose their spouse or partner as their power of attorney agent, but consider the worst case scenario: you and your partner both pass away or become incapacitated at the same time. You may want to consider someone else just in case. That brings up another component of estate planning and why we need it: it protects your loved ones. You can appoint a guardian to care for your kids (or fur kids) should that worst case scenario play out.
Plus, you can explain what you want to happen when you pass away. If you want a funeral or memorial service, where it should be held, if you want to be cremated or buried, if you have money set aside to pay for funeral arrangements, etc. These are all important decisions that can be really difficult for your loved ones to make in the wake of your death.
“You don’t want your loved ones panicking, scrambling, stressing, paying… making all of these decisions when they should just be focused on grieving,” Danielle pointed out.
When you make those decisions ahead of time, you’re easing the emotional burden for your family members and friends.
Why people avoid estate planning
If we all know why estate planning is good for us, then what’s the deal? Why do we all avoid it? Well, estate planning involves something that most of us are uncomfortable talking about: our deaths. What would happen if we were incapacitated, unable to think clearly, or couldn’t make our own decisions anymore?
It’s obviously not the most fun topic of conversation at parties. After you pluck up the courage to talk about this stuff and get your estate plan in order, though, we promise you’ll feel hugely relieved. Take the first step to feeling better about estate planning and check out our full episode on the topic!
Then, you might want to check out our Wealth by Design DIY program… just FYI 😉
This material is for general information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.
RESOURCES & PEOPLE MENTIONED
- Yep, Prince’s estate is still being settled
- Check out estate planning on LegalZoom
- Episode 94: Do You Really Need Insurance?
- Schedule a free call with us — Are we a good fit for your financial planning needs?
- Check out our DIY Financial Planning Course