Redeem Financial Group

06/16/2026

Imagine you’ve just been told a major market drawdown is coming. You don’t know exactly when, just sometime in the next few years. You also don’t know how bad; it could be 20%, or 50%. You just know it’s coming.

Now imagine you have to design your portfolio with that information in hand. What would you do? You can’t very well sell out of the market, because the decline could be a few years off, which could cause you to miss out on some incredible gains in the meantime. But you can’t do nothing either.

A few questions you’d probably want an answer to: How much money will I need to live on during the drawdown? How long should we expect the bear market to last? If I had to sell something during that period, what would I be willing to sell?

These are the exact questions a thoughtful portfolio process is designed to answer before a drawdown ever arrives, and they deserve answers.

Because here’s the thing. We know a decline is coming. Bear markets are common. While we’ve been enjoying a long bull market for quite some time now, historically, we should expect a bear market about once every four years.

We just can never know the timing. This gets to the heart of why short-term assets matter.

They are our source of liquidity when the big, bad (but historically temporary) bear market shows up. They provide us with the confidence to ride out declines and uncertainty.

In other words, they “create the conditions for patience to exist” when patience is what is most needed.

06/11/2026

I’ve sat across from a lot of investors over the years who had a firm opinion about which funds to own.

They’d done their homework. Read the reports. Compared the track records.

And then I’d ask them: How much of your portfolio is in equities vs bonds?

Sometimes there was a long pause.

The truth is, most people put enormous energy into the small decisions and almost none into the one that actually drives their results.

Benjamin Graham called asset allocation — that is, how you divide your money between stocks and bonds — the most important decision of your investing lifetime.

That’s a big claim. But here’s what backs it up.

A 1986 academic study examined the returns of major pension funds and found that 94% of the difference in long-term performance came from asset allocation alone.

Not the managers. Not the funds. Not the timing. Just the mix.

When I share that number with clients, the reaction is usually the same.

Surprise, followed quickly by a kind of relief. Because it simplifies things.

You don’t have to find the best fund. You don’t have to predict what the Fed is going to do. You don’t have to be smarter than anyone.

You just have to get the big decision right — and then have the discipline to stick with it.

Your allocation should be built around your goals, your timeline, and your willingness to endure your portfolio moving up and down. Those things are personal. There’s no universal right answer.

But there is a universal wrong answer: ignoring the question entirely while obsessing over everything else.

The mix matters more than the minutiae.

Graham knew it. Bogle confirmed it. The data backs it up.

Start there.

06/09/2026

“The stock market is a giant distraction from the business of investing.” — John Bogle

The market is literally engineered to hijack your attention:

Prices update millisecond by millisecond.

Headlines panic-react to every single tick.

Pundit opinions scream at you 24/7.

It creates a toxic psychological trap: “Don’t just sit there, DO something!”

But here is the hard truth about wealth creation: Successful investing has never been about reacting to the market.

It’s about:

Buying fractional ownership in productive businesses that solve real problems.

Leaving them alone so they have the time to actually grow.

The market’s entire job is to make patience feel uncomfortable—and sometimes, downright foolish.

But if history has taught us anything, it’s that the loudest voices rarely make the most money. Patience pays dividends. Eventually.

06/06/2026

That question came up in a review this week. A couple who began investing early now sees their portfolio generate roughly the cost of a new car every time the market gains 10 %. Yet they hesitated to book the Alaskan cruise they’ve talked about for a decade or finish turning their drafty patio into a sunny family room.  

We mapped their next 12 months of cash needs, trimmed an over-stuffed emergency fund, and set a plan to fund big memories first—then used a Roth-conversion strategy to keep future taxes low. The result? A clear permission slip to enjoy life today while still projecting a healthy surplus decades from now.

05/07/2026

n a recent meeting, I sat with a family who moved from Canada to Arizona. Their savings lived inside a Canadian RRSP, their equity sat in a paid-off home here, and their “backup plan” was a prized baseball card collection. They weren’t sure if they were on track—or even where to look. We mapped out pensions on both sides of the border, set up a portal to see every account in one place, and showed how a future downsizing could unlock liquid cash without sacrificing lifestyle. The stress in the room lifted the moment the numbers finally lined up.

Clarity often starts with simply putting all the puzzle pieces on one table. When was the last time you reviewed where every dollar actually lives?

05/07/2026

Maximize your portfolio’s potential! 📈 Did you know that there are things you can control besides the actual funds you’re invested in?

In this video, I’m sharing two key strategies that can improve your long-term performance: asset location and withdrawal strategies. 💡

Asset location: Consider the types of accounts you hold your funds in. For example, tax-inefficient funds may be better suited for Roth or pre-tax retirement accounts to avoid yearly taxes.

Withdrawal strategies: As you retire, the way you withdraw money from your portfolio can significantly impact your tax liability. Depending on your situation, it might be more beneficial to withdraw from certain accounts first.

By focusing on these controllable factors, you can maximize your savings and overall portfolio performance. 💪

If you’re not already considering these strategies, let’s chat! We can run scenarios for you and show you how these small changes can make a big difference over time.

04/21/2026

What happens when five paid-off rental properties start to feel more like a burden than a blessing? We met with a couple who own a row of duplexes, a lakeside lot, a stack of silver bars, and an annuity they can’t quite decode. Their wish: simplify life today, minimize taxes, and pass wealth to family tomorrow.

Laying every asset onto one dashboard revealed two surprises: mutual funds were dumping six-figure capital gains each year, and a monthly draw on their net worth could already replace the rent checks—minus midnight plumbing calls.

Our next steps: swap hammers for a 1031 exchange, funnel future giving through a donor-advised fund, and begin steady Roth conversions so heirs inherit tax-free.

First, though, came relief: clarity beats complexity.

When was the last time you zoomed out on your entire balance sheet?

04/15/2026

“How do we keep enjoying life—and keep supporting our church—without triggering another surprise Medicare surcharge?” That was the heart of a conversation with a newly retired couple this week. A few years back, a large withdrawal for a lake-house down payment nudged their income over the IRMAA line; the significant Part B and D increase still stings. We laid out their pension, Social Security, and 401(k) and confirmed cash flow comfortably covers monthly life (and the occasional kitchen facelift). The breakthrough: channeling future gifts straight from their IRA as Qualified Charitable Distributions, then using the freed-up cash to pay taxes on steady Roth conversions. Result? Staying below the IRMAA cliff, growing tax-free assets for grandkids, and turning generosity into a planning advantage rather than a penalty. If your giving strategy isn’t synced with your tax picture, now’s the moment to recalibrate.

02/22/2026

“If Social Security dries up, I don’t want to miss the boat—should I file now?” That was the question from a 68-year-old client who still loves his job and is very effective working it. After mapping cash flow, tax brackets, and survivor benefits, we saw something powerful: waiting until 70 effectively locks in an 8% guaranteed raise for the next two years and delivers the full higher check to his wife if he passes first. Because their earnings cover today’s needs, taking benefits now would just push 85% of their social security to be taxable and effectively push them into a higher tax bracket. By deferring, we also create a two-year window to convert part of their 401(k) to a Roth—shrinking future RMDs and taxes. Sometimes the best “investment” is patience. Before you claim, ask: does the extra income help you today, or can it work harder for tomorrow?

09/22/2025

Indexing is super common these days... AND IT'S GREAT!!!!

BUT.... What if you could have flexibility in a way that the index doesn't, that gives you an investing advantage? Here is a great example of VTI (the total US market) vs. DFUS (another fund that benchmarks the total US market).

🌟 DFUS vs. VTI: Same market. Smarter approach.

Both funds give you broad U.S. stock exposure. The difference is how they get it.

Why DFUS can have an edge
• Smarter trading: Traditional index funds have to rebalance on set dates, often buying and selling at the same time as everyone else. That “crowded” trading can push prices the wrong way. Dimensional trades flexibly to seek better ex*****on and avoid unnecessary turnover.
• More than “just the market”: DFUS tilts toward smaller, more profitable, and value-oriented companies—areas research shows can boost expected returns over time.

By the numbers (annualized, as of 9/19/2025):
• 1-Year: DFUS 18.42% vs. VTI 17.95% 
• 3-Year: DFUS 21.22% vs. VTI 20.54% 
• 5-Year: DFUS 16.58% vs. VTI 15.87% 
• 10-Year: DFUS 14.70% vs. VTI 14.33% 

During the 2008 subprime crisis scenario, DFUS fell -40.25% vs. VTI -41.81% .

Bottom line: VTI gives you the market. DFUS gives you the market, plus Dimensional’s flexible trading and research-driven design.

For many institutional investors, indexing has become a default way to access the broad market, but the time has come to apply real scrutiny to this approach.For much of the past 50 years, index funds have been a net positive for investors, who moved from expensive and concentrated conventional acti...