Faith Investment Services

09/02/2026

If you know that dying today would leave confusion or stress for your family members, you might be wondering who can help you. Do you need an attorney to write a will, do you go to the estate planning seminar you saw an ad for recently, do you talk to your financial adviser? Who understands your situation and can help?

We specialize in coming alongside to help. It is what we do. If you want to begin estate planning to avoid some of the things that can and do go wrong, here is how we help:

1) We would have you complete a simple questionnaire, gathering basic information together in place. This often brings a lot of clarity.

2) We would meet with you, review your situation, hear your story and family dynamics (really anything that pertains to your estate plan), and then make some suggestions. We focus on education at this point. What a will does (and doesn’t do), setting up beneficiaries for various accounts, how to avoid unnecessary probate, etc. Sometimes, people have accounts “all over the place” and we can help clean up your overall situation by consolidating and simplifying.

3) We then refer the legal aspects and tax aspects of your situation to either your trusted advisers or to trusted professionals that we recommend.

Give us the opportunity to help you get your affairs in order.

08/31/2026

You’re the conductor of your 401k, IRA and taxable savings.

Getting the instruments of your retirement to work in concert may go far in realizing the retirement you imagine.

08/27/2026

Your insurance needs don’t stay the same when the nest empties, but what changes?

Do your insurance needs stay the same when the nest empties?

08/26/2026

Have you ever considered finances as something that is too confusing and stressful to deal with? Many people can become overwhelmed even thinking about investing. There are a lot of variables to consider and many of those variables are unknown. Most people know that they should do something to save for retirement but feel like they don’t know enough to jump into investing quite yet. It is normal to want to understand what you are doing before making a decision, but the fear of not understanding everything can become a barrier to taking that first step.

Here at Faith Investment Services, we meet you where you are. We take time to understand your goals and desires for your money and strive to help you reach those goals. We also take time to educate and help explain financial concepts in a way that is simple to understand. Taking the first step toward investing doesn’t have to be a big one. We encourage new investors to jump in, ask questions, and be empowered by taking control of your finances!

08/24/2026

Have you used a junk-drawer approach to manage your investments?

It's easy to let investments accumulate like old receipts in a junk drawer.

08/21/2026

Transition:

Consider for a moment driving down the interstate, focused on your destination. You begin to see signs indicating that the highway is narrowing: “Right lane closed ahead,” red barrels, flashing arrows. Change is coming, but thankfully you’ve seen warning signs and have been able to adapt.

You begin to merge left and find yourself reacting to everything around you. There are brake lights you weren’t expecting, and the lanes are uneven and narrow. You are on “high alert”, but you know that there is a better stretch of road ahead.

The signs could just as easily say “Transition ahead!” Most of us have experienced something like this in our personal or financial life. Approaching retirement, experiencing the death of a spouse, facing job changes— these are all triggers that create transition in our lives.

One of our roles as financial advisers to our valuable clients is to set up “road signs” that help them see the transition they are experiencing. Knowing that you are going through a time of transition can be very helpful so that you are aware and alert.

Tips for going through transition:

1) Our first piece of advice for folks going through transition is “Cut yourself some slack!” ;-) This can also be stated as “Extend some grace to yourself.” We have found that it is tempting to be dogmatic or rigid at times such as this, perhaps because we are trying to gain control, but it can better to relax a little and lighten up. You will get through the cones and on a straight stretch of road again!

2) We also recommend that folks in transition seek counsel. We believe that there is power in speaking about your situation with those you trust. Sometimes just saying things aloud gives clarity!

3) Understand that you may only be going through this particular transition once in your life, but we’ve had the privilege of walking alongside hundreds of people in transition of one kind or another. We have probably seen something like your situation. :)

08/20/2026

A Roth IRA lets you save for retirement by paying your tax bill now rather than putting it off until later.

Roth IRAs are tax-advantaged differently from traditional IRAs. Do you know how?

08/19/2026

For many people, ‘tax season’ is over and tax details are no longer front of mind. Perhaps you’ll start thinking about taxes toward the end of this year, or, at the beginning of April next year. I hope for your sake - or for your CPAs - that you don’t wait until April to start thinking ‘taxes.’

In fact, it could be beneficial to have a conversation with a trusted adviser about taxes well before the end of this year. Every citizen who earns an income or who has recognized any gains could have a tax liability. There is a multitude of strategies to help reduce one’s tax liability now or in the future. Navigating those options on your own can be overwhelming. When it comes to investing, and the ups or downs of the market, it pays to look at your portfolio through the lens of tax efficiency and long-term planning. In some situations, increasing your tax bill now can be beneficial for your future. This is especially the case when it comes to Roth conversions when done within reason.

Ultimately, each person’s situation, age, goals, timeline, and expectations influence their decisions for tax planning purposes. We can help with these details, and it all starts with a simple conversation. Let us know if you would like guidance in navigating these complex details.

08/17/2026

What do you know about net unrealized appreciation (NUA) and how it can affect your tax responsibility? When selling company stocks in your retirement account, it could prove essential.

Net Unrealized Appreciation and how it affects tax responsibilities.