Articles | Willow Creek Wealth Management

Be Smart about Student Loans with an Eye on Future Wealth

September 30, 2022 Dave Homan

Originally published in North Bay Business Journal Last month President Biden announced a plan for student loan relief, which almost immediately erupted into a firestorm of differing opinions on the merit of this move. Some people applauded this as necessary and compassionate help for the millions of people struggling to make payments on loans which […]

Outsmart the Certainty of Death and Taxes: Make a Will

August 31, 2022 Willow Creek Wealth Management

Originally published in North Bay Business Journal Typically, I shy away from the “National this-or-that” Days that make the rounds on social media. Still, one of those recently captured my attention: August has apparently been named National Make-a-Will Month and given my work and experience as a Wealth Advisor, this is a cause I can […]

What’s the Big Deal about Diversification?

July 29, 2022 David Lawrence

Originally published in North Bay Business Journal Diversification. Financial Advisors use this word a lot when describing how the best portfolios are constructed, and it’s one of the keys to a successful investment strategy. The big idea here is that a properly diversified portfolio will mitigate losses because investments react to the same event in […]

Market Commentary: Summer 2022 – Thoughts on Diversification

July 21, 2022 Willow Creek Wealth Management

Diversification. We use this word a lot when we describe how the best portfolios are constructed, and it’s one of the keys to a successful investment strategy. The main idea is that a properly diversified portfolio will mitigate losses because different investments react to the same event in different ways. Our portfolios are comprised of […]

The Do’s and Don’ts of Handling Market Volatility

July 5, 2022 Mark Keating

Originally published in North Bay Business Journal My Willow Creek colleagues and I recently received some client feedback that every Wealth Advisor dreams of hearing: our client shared that rather than panic during this period of market volatility, she leaned into what she had learned from her advisor over the years, which is to imagine […]

Investor or Speculator? NFTs, FOMO, and One Bored Ape

June 10, 2022 David Lawrence

Originally published in North Bay Business Journal In early April, I was at a dinner party with friends and acquaintances. One of them was a guy I had not seen in over a year, and I asked him what he was up to. He dove into a long explanation of how he quit his job […]

Market Volatility: Six Reasons to Stay Calm

May 23, 2022 Willow Creek Wealth Management

As of market close on Friday, May 20, the benchmark S&P 500 index was down 18% from its highs on January 3, 2022, which is very close to “bear market” territory, meaning a 20% drop (which we actually touched briefly during the day’s volatile trading). The recent losses week after week and the drum beat […]

Seven Critical Questions to Ask a Financial Advisor

May 18, 2022 Jason Gittins

Originally published in North Bay Business Journal When working with a specialist — a doctor, lawyer, auto mechanic or anyone else — asking the right questions is critical in getting your needs met and the best service possible. However, we often don’t know what we don’t know, thus formulating smart questions can be difficult. Here […]

When the Market Drops, What’s Our Plan? Hang in There.

May 9, 2022 Willow Creek Wealth Management

It’s clear that we’re experiencing a period of market volatility. Hang in there, and take comfort in the knowledge that we are doing what we do best behind the scenes to protect what you’ve worked so hard to build. Below is a video explaining how rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting, and other strategies we implement in your portfolio during volatile times can create long-term rewards as markets […]

Market Commentary: Spring 2022 – Cash, Stocks, and Bonds

April 18, 2022 David Lawrence

Originally published in North Bay Business Journal The onset of inflation has been one of the dominant stories in the press and financial markets over the past few months. You can see it everywhere, from the increase in the price of gas at the pump to the cost of food at the grocery store. After […]

Category: Articles