You may have heard about the horrors of probate, but truthfully, probate’s recent bad reputation is undeserved. If you bypass probate, your estate will go to your beneficiaries without any court proceeding, which may save a certain amount of time and expenses. Today...
The foundation of a successful plan for wealth management rests upon four pillars–build, manage, protect, and transition wealth. A concept, which is clearly illustrated in the fictional life of John Jones. Investment: Build Mr. Jones has successfully started his...
The COVID-19 economic crisis tested the mettle of all Americans, particularly working mothers. Research shows that the pandemic’s impacts on women have been far-reaching and potentially long-lasting. Now that the U.S. economy is picking up steam, it may be more...
Wealth management is not only about dollars and cents. Sound wealth management requires conscious, informed control of resources so as to meet family obligations and enable satisfying family experiences. We all have moments that we look forward to, savor, and...
For most types of insurance, we are thinking about protecting others and removing ourselves from the liability of other’s harm. It’s not about a big payout for us, it’s about preventing a big payout from us. Insurance is often viewed as protection for us and our...
There are many great reasons to consider life insurance. They all have to do with ensuring that the lives of those left behind can be less disrupted financially so they can focus on continuing their lives through their grief. Life insurance is not only an inheritance,...
September is Life Insurance Awareness month. According to the insurance industry research arm LIMRA, new insurance policy sales are up sharply, and total premium growth from new and existing whole life insurance policies in 2021 in particular is projected at a...
Estate planning is for everyone, not just the rich and famous, but the rich and famous are more fun to read about. Here are two recent examples that illustrate just how complicated estate settlement can be. The Queen of Soul – Aretha Franklin In order to keep...
As a program to help everyone save for retirement, Social Security ought to be simple, but it is surprisingly complicated in the number of choices it provides. The appropriate actions for maximizing benefits are by no means obvious, and can become even more complex...
In June, the Federal Reserve confirmed that only some of the inflationary price pressures we’ve been witnessing are transitory, and it may need to move up interest rate increases, though likely not until 2023. As investors, we will need to look even harder for ways to...
The “topic of the day” in the financial press lately has been inflation. As the economy has started back up, coming out of the lockdowns, there have been a variety of supply chain disruptions, leading to spot shortages and price increases. Are these indications for...
Although we look forward to retirement throughout our careers, entering it is an unfamiliar experience, one that will be especially challenging for anyone not fully prepared for it. Our primary focus when deciding if we’re ready to retire is typically financial...
It starts with trust and ends with a multitude of questions and qualifications. You would never delegate substantial wealth management to someone you do not trust, yet those family members you trust most may not have the experience needed to take over in the case of...
Successful businesses are built on many key ingredients, and one of the most important are its employees. Everyone is relieved that the economy is getting back on track, and unemployment has been steadily going down. As the job market tightens, employers need to stay...
If it seems as though college is getting more expensive every day, that’s because it is. College tuition costs have been going up for the last 100 years, and though it seems as though they couldn’t possibly find a way to go higher, it keeps on happening. Does going to...
Arvest Wealth Management is working alongside our bank partners to ensure we are actively implementing best practices as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local government authorities. Investing options For investment account...
People don’t always act rationally, and they don’t always invest rationally either. Stock prices may not follow expectations, and emotions may cause impulse decisions. New acronyms have shown up on Reddit in the last few months that have become associated with...
The recent volatility of GameStop stock and limitation of purchasing some stocks in January by some brokerage firms has sown confusion and mistrust in the way that the stock market functions. The rise of “free” trading mobile apps and fractional share investing have...
Arvest Wealth Management is pleased to announce Alain Monkam has been named as a member of this year’s Arkansas Business 40 Under 40 class. According to its website, the Arkansas Business annual feature “highlights 40 people under the age of 40 who are making a...
According to the Pew Research Group, the number of retired Baby Boomers had been growing annually since 2011 at a rate of about 2 million on average, but in 2020 that number jumped to 3.2 million. These retirements may have been long planned, or the pandemic-related...