Connell Financial Group, LLC

07/01/2026

Last Tuesday, we held a workshop for our clients, 7 Ways to Avoid Internet Scams & Fraud.

Today, I received a phone call that shocked me.

A client who gave me permission to share this anonymously, had been contacted by someone claiming to be from the Chase fraud department. The caller asked whether she had made a $1,700 purchase from a fi****ms-related company.

When she said no, they told her that because fi****ms were involved, they had to transfer her to the FBI.

Then the story escalated.

The supposed FBI agent told her she was under investigation for money laundering into a foreign country. They said she was guilty. They threatened detention. They swore her to secrecy because, according to them, bank officials and law enforcement officials could be involved.

They kept her on the hook for more than four weeks.

They eventually got her to provide account names, account numbers, and balances.

Then came the big ask.

They told her she needed to liquidate her investments and open a new account at Bank of America. They even told her to make up an excuse to give me so I would send her the money.

That was the breaking point.

She told them she couldn’t lie to me.

Thankfully, no money was lost.

I’m sharing this because this is what scams look like now.

They are not always obvious. They are not always rushed. Sometimes they are patient, detailed, frightening, and very convincing.

This one used:

A fake bank fraud alert
A fake FBI transfer
A fake money laundering investigation
A fake arrest threat
Secrecy
Fear
One piece of real information to make the story sound legitimate

This is why these conversations matter.

06/09/2026

Last week my son Matt and I had the opportunity to attend a luncheon in Rochester featuring former Navy SEAL Philip Koontz.

Phil served on SEAL Team 10 and participated in 78 combat missions during his military career. Today he spends much of his time speaking, coaching leaders, and helping organizations think differently about preparation, leadership, and performance.

One of the things that struck me was how much of their success came long before the mission ever started. Phil said his team spent roughly 97% of their time preparing and only 3% actually executing missions.

That number really stuck with me.

Whether it's military operations, running a business, planning for retirement, or simply raising a family, success often comes from the work nobody sees.

It was a great afternoon and even better getting to share it with Matt.

Thank you to Ted Malone, CFA for inviting us!!

05/13/2026

I opened my phone this morning and clicked on an article in Inc. about Jensen Huang speaking to the graduating class at Carnegie Mellon University.

He said:

“No generation has entered the world with more powerful tools or greater opportunities than you. We are all standing at the same starting line. This is your moment to help shape what comes next. So run, don’t walk.”

I think this is amazing advice, and honestly, I feel the same way.

But I also recognize that this is not the message most people are hearing from the media right now. There is so much negativity surrounding AI right now.

I know that there will absolutely be some negative consequences and disruptions from AI. Every major technological shift has created both opportunity and uncertainty.

But I also believe the positive impact could be transformational.

So why is there such a disconnect between the positive possibilities and the fear?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

02/02/2026

Research shows super-agers don’t share a similar diet or lifestyle, but they share one vital trait. You can copy it.

01/06/2026

What are Wall Street’s best and brightest looking for in 2026? If you toss out the highest and lowest, you can see that the other forecasts settle into a pretty tight range for the year. What the table doesn’t show is that there will be highs and lows during the year. There will be times when stock prices look invincible. And there will be times when you wonder why you invest in stocks at all.

11/19/2025

10 Money Tips for Newlyweds (and not so newlyweds)

Couples may be able to head off many of the problems in a marriage that money can cause.

11/18/2025

Are you ready to take the 1% challenge?

About 25 years ago, I learned one of the most important lessons of my entire career. I had just set up a new 401(k) plan for a business here in Syracuse. A representative from the investment company we used asked if he could help me enroll the employees. We ran eight meetings that first day, and he delivered the same message in every single one:

“Make sure you put in at least 6% to get the full match, but honestly, you should really be saving 15–20% of your pay.”

Great advice… in theory.

Three weeks later, I looked at the stack of paper enrollment forms (yes, back when everything was paper)… and I was stunned. Hardly anyone signed up.

So I went back to talk with the employees. And almost everyone told me the same thing:

“I can’t afford 6%. And I definitely can’t afford 15 or 20%.”

That’s when it hit me:
The biggest barrier isn’t the amount.
The barrier is getting started.

So I created something I still use today:

The 1% Challenge
Start with any amount.
$10 a paycheck.
$25 a paycheck.
1% of your income.

Then every six months, put a reminder on your calendar (cell phone today) and simply ask yourself:

“Can I increase this by 1%?”
Sometimes you can. Sometimes you can’t.

But the key is momentum.

And here’s the best part, last week, a woman sat in my office who took the 1% Challenge ten years ago. She now saves 19% of her income. Not because she made one huge leap, but because she took tiny steps that never felt overwhelming.

Her savings growth has been so strong that I was able to tell her:

“You don’t have to wait 4 more years to retire, you could retire comfortably today.”

But of course, she wants to keep working and keep saving. I love that!

11/17/2025

I forgot how incredible Manhattan is. I helped my daughter move into her new apartment, and the next day I was looking through the photos. When I zoomed in, I realized that way off to the right, there she was, the Statue of Liberty! I never even noticed it while we were there. Very cool!