JFJ Advisory Services LLC

09/24/2026

The traditional retirement path is becoming less and less attractive.

Get a good job, buy a house, start a family, climb the ladder and forty years later enjoy life.

Not to say we young people are reckless with our finances. On the contrary, many start investing at a younger age than our parents did.

Due to a culture shift or rising prices—maybe both—owning a home or starting a family is less important now. Travel and experiences have become major financial milestones.

Views of work-life balance are also evolving. I talk to people who are interested in working for themselves. They want to have more control of their time and maybe make more than they do at their current job

For many, financial success is becoming less about checking traditional boxes and more about having the freedom to enjoy life along the way.

08/10/2026

Chasing high yields can be fool's errand. When clients are looking to build (truly) passive income through dividends, I tend to look at dividend growth. Dividend yields will wax and wane, but if the actual dollar amount the company is paying grows year-over-year your Yield on Cost (YOC) will grow over time. What you paid for the stock will remain constant (assuming you hold indefinitely), but if the company is giving shareholders annual raises then YOUR yield is improving every year.

With the S&P 500 dividend yield near generational lows, chasing income in the stock market is getting tougher.

07/20/2026

A majority of borrowers said earlier this year they were unprepared for major changes to the federal student loan system that went into effect on July 1.

07/16/2026

Shifting work (and money) to fit around life instead of shifting life to fit around work is a large part of what motivates me. Whether that was taking the plunge myself and quitting my 9-5 to work for myself, or helping clients achieve the same. We are moving well past the career path of go to school, get a job, climb the ladder for 30-40 years and hope to enjoy the last 20 years of your life.

Career paths and work-life balance are evolving. Technology has allowed more people to live on their terms. Whether that's being WFH or working a side gig to supplement their digital business. Multiple income streams that maximize flexibility are becoming commonplace.

Enjoy the paywall free article

The future of work is giving people greater flexibility to choose where they live, how they earn, build careers and redefine success on their own terms.

04/30/2026

U.S. News & World Report featured us in an article discussing anticipated IPOs in 2026.

I’ve been neutral or even somewhat negative about the markets this year (little sneak peak for my commentary coming out tomorrow). I'm a bit skeptical about many IPOs launching this year with so many geopolitical and economic headwinds. However, I am more optimistic about the SpaceX IPO for reasons beyond traditional fundamentals.

I would not be surprised if the SpaceX IPO performs well in the short term, whether you attribute it to the 'meme stock' phenomenon or the attention Musk's name attracts. Even within my own client base I have received interest in that particular IPO, so I can imagine a vast number of investors are eager to invest in the stock.

Even if you don't plan on owning the stock directly, the market capitalization would put in the S&P 500 which would trigger billions in forced buying from index funds. So you are likely going to end up owning SpaceX stock regardless.

04/06/2026

We were featured in Forbes! April is financial literacy month. After your bills are paid, and your rainy day fund is established you can start investing extra cash. When making your first investments remember K.I.S.S. Keep it simple and stupid. Low cost index funds are your best friend.

When it comes to investment funds’ fee look for the "Expense Ratio". This tells you what % of your investment you are paying in fees.
Lets take a look at the two State Street S&P 500 index funds $SPY and $SPYM to highlight the difference

$SPY is older and has accumulated more assets. It has much more daily trading volume and is preferred by day traders and whales (people who can move millions of dollars in a single transaction.) It has an expense ratio of 0.0945%. That means almost a tenth of a percent of your investment a year is paid in fees, just for access to the S&P 500.

$SPYM is newer and is designed for retail investors (i.e everyday Americans). It has an expense ratio of 0.02%, almost a fifth of the price of $SPY. It is intended to be used as the “buy and hold” option.

Over the past 10 years $SPYM has outperformed $SPY by over 5%. They both track the S&P 500 index, the difference is fees. Its not much, but it adds up. No point in paying more for the same thing.

A quick reminder I am not just an internet finance guru. I am an actual financial advisor. If you have any questions regarding your finances please book some time to speak with us.

Disclaimer: This is provided for informational purposes only. Investments discussed here may not be suitable for all investors. Before making any investment decision, please do your own research or book some time to speak with us about your specific situation.

04/02/2026

April is financial literacy month! I want to bring some knowledge besides just skip the latte, work harder, make more money*, and other boomer financial advice.

*You can't budget your way out of a broken system. Income HAS to come first. If you do have some money left over at the end month this is for you.

You REALLY want to earn a good rate on your cash. I'll tell you how to know if the rate you earn is competitive.

Go look at the Federal Reserve Economic Data (aka FRED) and lookup the Federal Funds Effective Rate. (picture below) The banks take a cut of what they earn on your cash so you may not get all of that. However if your rate is lower than 1% less than the current Federal Funds rate there are certainly better options out there.

So using the current rate of 3.64% that means if you are earning less than 2.64% you might want to shop around for a better place to put your cash. Being loyal to your bank may be costing you money, especially if you're making 0.01-0.02% 🤢

There are many great online banks that offer cash account with competitive rates, FDIC insurance, and quick transfers.

I use Flourish for clients. Its "invite only" but I do offer it for free to anyone interested. (and no I don't earn a referral bonus)

There are other great options out there. I've seen positive reviews from Capital One's 360 Performance Savings and Marcus by Goldman Sachs
Hope you found that useful. Like I said I want to share some less common insights all month long so drop a follow if you're interested.

04/01/2026

If you recieved that SAVE Plan email, please take some time to read.

YOU STILL HAVE TIME to make decisions and take action. Once you've been contacted by your loan servicer you will have 90 days to take action.

The plan the Department of Education recommends doesn't even launch until July 1.

Just as a quick reminder I am an actual financial advice practice and not an internet finance guru. You can reach out an book a free meeting to see if we are a good fit to help you 🙂