Walden Financial

The first edition of our newsletter, Walden Insights is live!

Click on the link below to learn about changes to 529 plans that allow for unused funds to be converted to Roth IRA's, a Q3 market recap and Q4 outlook, as well as some thought provoking insights from Carl Richards and Ryan Holiday. Check it out!

a curation of thoughts, ideas and updates | October, 2023 A Few Words From Josh

A few months ago I shared an idea with someone that I deeply admire, and asked for her help in making it a reality.

The idea was simple, and also happens to be the mission of Walden Financial: to enrich our clients lives by inspiring them to live with intention and purpose.

What I found difficult was the ex*****on. It’s one thing to have meaningful conversations about living intentionally, but another to have a process that delivers actual results.

That’s where Kathy Patton, the newest addition to the Walden Financial team, and leader of the new Walden Roots process came in.

Over the past few months we’ve been working with Kathy to design Walden Roots, the first step of our financial planning process, that aims to discover, define, and document your financial purpose in a way that brings meaning to your life by uniquely informing financial decision-making, planning, and ex*****on.

As Kathy would say, it is some of the hardest “soft” work you will ever do.

As someone that has personally completed the process I can say without a doubt it is the most meaningful work I’ve ever done as a financial advisor and I cannot wait to share it with our current and future clients.

So, if you’ve ever found yourself contemplating...

What truly matters to you?

What are your core values?

Why are you working so hard?

What exactly are you saving for?

How much is enough?

Do I have a timeline for my dreams? .then this process is for you.

Announcing Walden Roots The objective of Walden Roots is to discover, define, and document your financial purpose in a way that brings meaning to your life.

I wrote this blog a few years ago but I believe it has aged well.

In fact, as each year passes and my children grow up and mature, it becomes even more relevant.

I’m reminded that we don’t get these days back. The mundane moments walking the kids to school, eating dinner as a family, playing catch in the yard… are everything.

Time is truly our most valuable non-renewable resource and we should strive to spend it doing what we love with those we love.

So, this weekend I plan to disconnect and focus on the idea of time well spent with my friends and family, and I hope you can to.

Cheers.

Time Well Spent “The reality is, time is our most precious non-renewable resource. Yet, many of us have become so desensitized to the value in our days...”

On October 31st, 2022, Walden Financial made a big transition.

For 8 years I operated as a "dually registered" financial advisor. As my practice grew and I got clearer on the type of business I envisioned Walden Financial to become, it became apparent that the only way I would realize the vision is to become fully independent and act as a fee-only fiduciary for my clients.

No products, no commissions, just planning and advice.

So, on October 31st, 2022, our application to establish a Registered Investment Advisor with the State of Ohio was approved, and our time as “dually registered” came to an end.

Since then, we have transitioned all our clients to our new custodian, Charles Schwab, and begin 2023 with a fresh start.

As part of this transition, we found clarity on the type of clients that we tend to work with best - mid-career families.

As such, we have designed a planning process to address the unique challenges and opportunities that arise as our clients find their footing in their careers, start a family, and try to plan for it all.

Our first blog post of 2023 touches on my personal process for approaching the start of a New Year and offers some helpful insights on how you can ensure you're not leaving any opportunities on the table as you do your own planning.

So, if you've ever found yourself wanting more from your financial services experience, give me a call – I’d love to chat.

https://www.walden-financial.com/post/new-year-fresh-start

With the ongoing pandemic, unpredictable markets, and the economy - how do we even plan when we don’t know what the future holds? By focusing on what we CAN control - our mindset and behaviors. Learn how you can become a smarter investor by harnessing the power of behavior - check out this month’s Visual Insights Newsletter.

financeinsights.net

For those investors in [LOCATION], it’s more important than ever to remember how much power we have over our financial future - even with an unpredictable market. This month’s Visual Insights Newsletter is all about how you can become a smarter investor by controlling your emotions and behavior. Check it out!

How Shrewd Investors Make Decisions Under Stress These tips can help you make smarter financial choices

Uncertainty, emotions, personal biases, overconfidence - these are all things that can lead to bad financial decisions. You can learn how to recognize when these emotions get in the way of your financial planning. Learn more in this Visual Insights Newsletter.

6 Open Secrets Of Smart Investors You can make better financial choices in a crisis

We can’t control what the markets or the economies do - but we CAN control ourselves. When market turbulence lets fear creep in, people tend to make decisions driven by uncertainty. Learn how you can avoid these mistakes in this Visual Insights Newsletter.

Mental Secrets To Make Better Financial Decisions Avoid the mistakes most investors make in a crisis

Be in the know about Q2 2022. Check out this quick 5-minute read to find out what savvy investors took away from another rough quarter, and what we think could happen in the next few months.

Q2 markets? Brutal Here's what you need to know

Hey folks! The second quarter of 2022 was rocky, to say the least. Despite a rough market, what did savvy investors take away from Q2? We break it down in a 5-minute update.

Be in the know about last quarter (and next) Here's what savvy investors took away

Are you smarter than the average bear when there’s a bull market? Do you know how to sift through the noise, and separate fact from fiction when the markets go crazy? Take this quick 2-minute quiz to find out how prepared you are to deal with these crazy market cycles. Check it out!

Can You Get 100% on a Simple Bear vs. Bull Market Quiz? If not, you could learn a new fact about the markets

When the markets get crazy, people get emotional. Even the smartest investors can get impulsive and make short-sighted decisions. How well do you know the market? Test your knowledge on market basics with this quick 2-minute quiz.

How much do you know about bear vs. bull markets? Test your knowledge with a 7-question quiz!

How much do you know about bull vs. bear markets? People who know more about market behavior are less likely to make hasty decisions based on emotion and misinformation. Click here to take a quick, 2-minute quiz and find out

Do You Know the Basics About Bear & Bull Markets? Take a 2-min. quiz & see if you really know the basics

When markets get volatile, it can be easy to let emotions take over your judgment and decision-making. Even the smartest investors can get impulsive and make rash decisions when dramatic market changes happen. Do you know enough about bear and bull markets to make a sound decision - no matter how the market is behaving? Test your knowledge with this quick 2-minute quiz.

Bear vs. Bull Quiz: How Much Do You Know? Test your brain on the fundamentals with a fun quiz

BIG NEWS | Walden Financial has a new team member, Meredith Carrington!

In her own words, MEET MEREDITH…

I started my professional career as an Army Officer and Civil Engineer. After 8.5 years, 2 major deployments, and 6 moves with the Army, I met my husband Dwayne and we decided to pursue a more “stable” life in the civilian world. He retired from the Army and started his own consulting business, and I went on to work as a Civil Engineer and Green Building Consultant before deciding, in 2007, to stay home fulltime to care for our family. My husband and I have spent the past 17 years together striving for a balance between “seize the day” and “simplify.” We constantly try new things, craft new experiences, and then try to make time to assess. We attempt to approach the inevitable struggles life presents as opportunities for growth. We are grateful to have 5 wonderful girls (Caitlin, Paige, Nora, Sadie, and Maggie) who provide ample opportunity for us to challenge our assumptions about life and reevaluate what we hold as truth. In my free time I love to spend active time outside with my family. I enjoy hiking, running, swimming, bicycling, skiing, gardening, and camping. I’m also passionate about good food and good health and find solace working in my garden with my friendly chickens foraging close by. After travelling and homeschooling through the “pandemic year” of 2020, we decided to send our 3 youngest girls back to school in 2021-2022. Now that I have a bit more time to commit to pursuits outside our home, I look forward to supporting Walden Financial’s mission to help clients approach financial decisions from a place of intention and purpose.