Haze Matthews - Financial Advisor

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Haze Matthews - Financial Advisor

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Securities offered through Cetera Wealth Services, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity.

Advisory Services offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, a registered investment Advisor. Haze Matthews works with business owners, families, and professionals throughout the Southeast. He helps clients build long-term strategies across public markets, private alternative investments, insurance planning, and comprehensive wealth management, with a focus on clarity, tax efficiency, and lasting growth. Working alongside his team at Commonwealth, Haze takes time to understand what matters most to each client so that every part of their financial picture is accounted for. A graduate of Wofford College, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance, Haze brings a disciplined and relationship-driven approach to his work. He is a fiduciary and holds FINRA Series 7, Series 65, Series 63, and Series 6 registrations, along with his life and variable products licenses. He sees his role as a steady partner to his clients, helping them make sound decisions, navigate complexity, and align their finances with their long-term goals. A native of Aiken, South Carolina and now based in Charleston, Haze is active in his church community and enjoys tennis, travel, and time spent with family and friends. What he values most in this work is earning the trust of the people he serves and being someone they can rely on when it matters.

10/20/2026

This past week I talked with a few friends in med and vet school who asked me some questions about student loans. The most common question I heard was whether to save, invest, or pay down debt while still in school.

Here’s the one thing I thought they should know: the decisions that matter most don’t happen in school. They happen at graduation and the start of residency, when you choose a repayment plan and decide whether forgiveness is on the table. Get those right and the number on your loan statement becomes a lot less scary.

The rules also changed this July, so advice that worked for someone two years ahead of you might not apply to you.

Financial planning doesn’t have to be complicated, but it’s important to understand all of your options before making major decisions. If student loans are on your mind, please reach out. I’d love to be a resource.

10/14/2026

A positive return doesn’t always mean you’re getting ahead.

Inflation is one of the most overlooked parts of investing. What matters isn’t only how much your money grows, but what that growth can actually buy.

This chart shows returns after inflation for five major asset classes, decade by decade, back to the 1930s.

A few things stand out:
• Cash lost to inflation in 5 of the last 10 decades, averaging 0.2% a year
• Bonds fell behind inflation four decades in a row, from the 1940s through the 1970s
• Stocks had the highest average, but still lost ground in the 1970s and 2000s
• No single asset class led every decade

That’s why diversification, time horizon, and a plan built around your goals matter.

The number on your statement and what your money can buy are two different things.

Data calculated from Aswath Damodaran, NYU Stern School of Business, through 2025. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

10/12/2026

Open enrollment is here, and a lot of people will spend five minutes clicking “same as last year.”

Before you do, there are a few things worth taking another look at:

Your 401(k) match.
If your employer offers a match and you’re not contributing enough to get the full amount, you could be leaving money on the table every paycheck.

Your health plan.
If you’re relatively healthy and don’t use much medical care, a high-deductible plan paired with an HSA may be worth considering. If you have more consistent medical expenses, another option may make more sense.

Your HSA or FSA.
An HSA can roll over from year to year and may even be invested. An FSA generally has different rollover rules, so make sure you know what happens to any unused balance.

Life and disability insurance.
Got married, had a child, bought a house, or had a major income change this year? It may be a good time to revisit your coverage.

Your beneficiaries.
This one only takes a few minutes to check, but it can be incredibly important.

Your employee benefits are part of your financial plan, not just another HR task.

A few extra minutes during open enrollment can help make sure your benefits still fit your life.

10/07/2026

Every dollar needs a job.

Your checking account has a job.
Your emergency fund has a job.
Your retirement account has a job.
Your investments have a job.

The goal isn’t to put every dollar in the market.

It’s to know what each dollar is there to accomplish.

When you give your money a purpose, financial decisions get a lot simpler.

10/01/2026

Most people know their credit score matters, fewer people know what actually goes into it.

Your FICO score is generally based on five main factors:

1. Payment history (35%)
Paying on time is the biggest factor. Setting up autopay for at least the minimum payment can be a simple safety net.

2. Amounts owed (30%)
A big part of this is credit utilization, or how much of your available credit you're using. For example, a $1,500 balance on a $5,000 limit is 30% utilization. Generally, lower is better. Paying down your balance before it gets reported can also help keep utilization lower.

3. Length of credit history (15%)
Older accounts can help your score. Before closing your oldest credit card, it may be worth thinking twice, especially if there's no annual fee.

4. New credit (10%)
Applying for several cards or loans in a short period can temporarily hurt your score.

5. Credit mix (10%)
Having experience with different types of credit, like credit cards and installment loans, can help a little.

But that doesn't mean you should take on debt just to improve your credit mix.

The good news?

The two biggest factors are largely within your control.

1. Pay on time.
2. Keep your balances manageable.

Do those consistently, and you're taking care of a big part of the equation.

If you ever want to talk through how credit fits into your bigger financial picture, I'm happy to be a resource.

09/29/2026

Inflation is one of the most talked about numbers in the economy, and one of the most misunderstood.

Here is the part that trips people up:
When inflation falls, prices do not fall with it. Prices are still going up, just at a slower pace.

Look at what consumer prices actually did:
2021: 4.7%
2022: 8.0%
2023: 4.1%
2024: 2.9%
2025: 2.6%

Going from 8% down to under 3% was real progress. But notice that not one of those years is a negative number. Every single one stacked on top of the year before it.

That compounds. Something that cost $100 at the start of 2021 runs about $125 today. The rate came down. The price never did.

Three terms worth knowing:

1. Inflation is how fast prices are rising.

2. Disinflation is prices still rising, but more slowly. That is what 2023 through 2025 looked like.

3. Deflation is prices actually falling. It is rare, and it usually shows up when spending has dried up and jobs are at risk. It sounds wonderful until you find out what it takes to get it.

And none of this moves in a straight line. Inflation has drifted back up this year, running 3.4% in August, mostly on energy.

So the headlines can sound calm while groceries, rent, insurance and eating out still feel heavy. The economy is not getting cheaper. It is getting more expensive more slowly.

Which means the goal was never for prices to return to 2020. The question worth sitting with is whether your income and your savings have kept pace with where prices are now.

Most people have never actually checked.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI.
Educational content only. Not financial advice.

09/22/2026

A raise feels big for about two paychecks.
After that, it just feels like your paycheck.

That’s why one of the best times to decide what to do with the extra income is before you get used to spending it.

Say you get a $3,000 annual raise.

You could increase your 401(k) contribution, put some toward savings or investments, and still keep some of the extra money to enjoy.

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

The easiest money to save is money you never got used to having.

If part of the raise starts going toward your future from day one, there’s a good chance you won’t miss it.

Enjoy the raise.

Just make sure your future gets one too.

If you recently got a raise and aren’t sure what to do with the extra income, I’m always happy to talk it through.

Educational content only. Not individualized financial advice.

09/17/2026

You've probably heard a lot about interest rates lately. But what are they, and why should you care?

An interest rate is simply the cost of borrowing money. If you borrow, you pay interest. If you save, the bank pays you interest.

The Federal Reserve sets a key rate that affects what banks charge each other. Banks then pass that on to you.

Here's how that shows up in everyday life:

Buying a home or car. When rates go up, your monthly payment on a new loan goes up too. When rates go down, borrowing gets cheaper.

Credit cards. Most credit cards have rates that move with the Fed. Higher rates mean carrying a balance costs you more.

Your savings. Higher rates usually mean your savings account earns more. Lower rates mean it earns less.

Prices in general. The Fed often raises rates to slow down rising prices and lowers them to help the economy grow.

You don't need to predict what happens next. Knowing how rates affect your money is a great first step toward making smarter decisions.

If you have questions about what this means for you, feel free to reach out.

09/14/2026

I sat down with a client recently to go through their employer retirement plan.

They knew they had a match, and they were already taking full advantage of it.

But when we opened the actual plan document, we found an important detail:

Every employer contribution has to sit for one year before it fully belongs to them. In this case, that employer match is 5%.

That changed the conversation.

They are not sure how long they want to stay with the company, and now they know that leaving at the wrong time could mean walking away from some of that employer match.

That is not a reason to stay at a job or leave one.

It is just something worth knowing before the decision is in front of you instead of finding out afterward.

Most employer plans have a few details like this:

• How the match actually works
• When employer contributions become fully vested
• Whether a Roth option is available
• What happens to the account when you leave

None of it is especially complicated once someone walks you through it, but most people never read the plan document on their own.

If you have never gone through yours, I’m happy to sit down with you and walk through what your plan actually offers.

Educational content only. Not individualized financial advice.

04/22/2026

Recently I've had some conversations with clients who are watching the news about Iran and oil prices and wondering what to do. Their accounts are down. They've been talking with friends and coworkers who are going through the same thing.

Here's what I share with them.

You are not investing alone.

162 million American adults have money in the stock market right now. Most of them through a 401k, an IRA, or a retirement plan they contribute to every paycheck. When the market drops, it's not just happening to you. It's happening to your neighbor, your coworker, the person standing behind you at the grocery store.

During the 2008 financial crisis, 80% of 401k participants kept contributing. Not because they were brave. Because their paycheck hit on Friday and their contribution went in automatically.

Today, 88% of eligible workers with a 401k are participating, the highest rate on record. And last year, 45% of participants increased their savings rate, according to Vanguard.

Being uneasy when the market drops is completely normal. It does not mean something is wrong with your plan. But there is a difference between feeling uncomfortable and making a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion.

If you are watching your portfolio right now and feeling uneasy, just know you are one of 162 million people experiencing the same thing. Historically, the vast majority of retirement plan participants have continued contributing through periods of volatility. That does not mean every situation is the same, but understanding how others have responded can help put your own experience in perspective.

Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. Educational purposes only. Every situation is different.

Address

225 Seven Farms Drive, Suite 106
Savannah, GA
29492

Telephone

+19123582455

Website

http://commonwealthfg.com/

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