Peter Finn - Private Wealth Advisor

Washington regulations prohibit the use of direct client testimonials, so I have to make this success story anonymous:

Today, I'm thrilled to share the inspiring journey of one of my clients who recently achieved his goal of early retirement at the age of 62.

This dedicated family man, the sole breadwinner for his wife and children, worked an ordinary blue-collar job, never exceeding 100k in any year of his career.

Through regular savings (started early!), diligent budgeting, and paying off all debts, he steadily built a nest egg that enabled him to retire with confidence and comfort at an early age. The cornerstone of his success was having a solid plan to follow.

Their first retirement adventure will be a road trip (probably via motorcycle) from the east coast to the west coast.

Their story is a testament to what can be achieved with commitment, planning, and expert guidance. I'm honored to have been part of their journey and look forward to helping more families reach their financial goals.

I have yet to meet my own father, but I am so happy to be a father to my children. The joy and love they show whenever I'm around reminds me that even though I am forever deficient in the shadow of perfection, it's great that I'm there for them!

To all the father's out there, God bless you and your family!

Why not make your charity impactful to those around you?

Charity has become synonymous with tax write-offs for gifts to bureaucratic organizations meeting the nebulous and hypothetical needs of anonymous masses far outside the donor's sphere of understanding, influence, and interest. This has robbed both the generous of the satisfaction which comes from impactful charity as well as the success they create in the lives of others when the giver's charity is put to a wholesome and proper use.

Dave Ramsey often uses the example of a man who hears of a single mother who is behind on her electric bills due to high prices in the winter, or who has a car that breaks down, and who seizes the opportunity to make a difference in her life by fully covering her electric bill for a year, or paying the mechanic for the repairs. That's a good example, but there are still better ways to think about charity.

You can approach charity from the point of view of an investment: you should put your money wherever you will generate the greatest return, and rejoice that the return on investment will be going to someone else. Ideally, it should be someone you know well. Try looking for opportunities to give gifts that will do more than alleviate suffering, but instead will give a rapid acceleration to someone else who is already on the right track, but needs a push to get going. Do you know a brilliant young person who has just gotten through college and is going to put their talents to a sub-par use in order to pay off their student debt faster? Consider paying it for them, or even just covering the payments for a couple of years. Do you know a young couple that is growing a family and they just bought a house, but will struggle to furnish it? Consider gifting them your furniture to check an item off their list that may have taken them years to complete (Brittney and I were recipients of exactly this gift!).. and then you can do some redecorating!

Be mindful of the lives of the people around you, and look for opportunities to make an impact. Your reward and theirs will be truly great.

https://www.advisorhub.com/blackrock-paid-merrill-lynch-over-60-million-in-revenue-sharing-fees-last-year/

In light of recent revelations about the substantial revenue-sharing fees paid by BlackRock to Merrill Lynch last year, I believe it’s crucial to highlight the distinction between such business arrangements and my pure fiduciary approach.

The article reveals that Merrill Lynch received over $60 million in revenue-sharing fees from BlackRock. While this may be standard practice for some large financial institutions, it raises questions about potential conflicts of interest and the true nature of client-first service.

As a pure fiduciary, my clients’ best interests are always at the forefront of every decision. I don't get revenue-sharing arrangements, product commissions, or any third-party incentives. My compensation is straightforward and transparent, ensuring that my advice remains unbiased and solely focused on helping you achieve your financial goals.

Choosing a financial advisor is one of the most important decisions you can make. Ensure that your advisor is working for you, not for their own financial gain. At Finn Wealth Management, we pride ourselves on being your trusted partner, dedicated to guiding you towards financial success with integrity and transparency.

For those seeking a financial advisor who truly puts their clients first, don't hesitate to reach out. Let’s work together to build a secure and prosperous future for you and your family.

BlackRock Paid Merrill Lynch Over $60 Million in Revenue-Sharing Fees Last Year BlackRock’s contribution jumped from 2022, when it paid more than $40 million in fees.

Today marks the 80th anniversary of the allied invasion of mainland Europe, known colloquially as D-Day. Rather than sharing one of those photos of American soldiers disembarking landing craft or wading to shore or the lines of men and vehicles streaming up the beach after it was taken, I thought you might enjoy this one of the soldiers taking communion on the beach with a truck serving as an altar. It's a good reminder that big events in history are populated by ordinary people with needs and feelings that are situationally identical to our own.

Wars are largely fought over land and power, both of which are zero sum games, and tragically, they often involve fighting between people who have a great deal in common. Thankfully, wealth and productivity are not zero sum games, and regardless of why they fought, the men on the beaches of Normany cleared the way for the 80 years (minus a couple here and there) of prosperity we have enjoyed, and likely will continue to enjoy for many decades to come.

Now let's all get back to work to continue building the order on which our prosperity relies, and try to avoid the destruction offered by the alternative.

As of today, May 28, 2024 (known as Trade-Plus Day), the U.S. is transitioning to a T+1 settlement cycle for stock trades and other securities. This change ensures faster, more efficient transaction processing.

Swipe through the carousel for an overview of what this means for investors ➡️As always, if you have any questions or require assistance in adjusting your investment strategies, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Happy Mother's Day to my own mom (Sharon), my lovely wife Brittney who is the mother to all four of our children, Brittney's mom (Debbie Hunt), my grandmother (Mim), Brittney's grandmothers (Jeanne & Karen), and to all the mothers out there past and present.

Motherhood is the most important job a woman can have, and God bless all the women who do it!

Remember, if you have any questions, need assistance, or want to talk, you can call, text, or send a message. Help is here if you need it!

Are you on track for a comfortable retirement? It's time to rethink the old $1 million savings goal and adapt to today's economic realities. Here are three key points to consider:

🌍 Location Matters: Your retirement destination can greatly affect how long your savings last. For example, $1 million could last about 22.7 years in Mississippi, around 19.8 years in North Carolina, but just over a decade in Hawaii. With average retirement lengths of 18.6 years for men and 21.3 for women, choosing the right location is crucial.

🤔 Define “Comfortable”: What does a comfortable retirement mean to you? A serene life in a small town or an adventurous journey around the globe? Your vision of retirement significantly influences your financial needs.

💰 Stay Consistent: Whether retirement is just around the corner or years away, regular contributions to your savings, no matter how small, can make a big difference over time.

With proper planning and expert advice, you can tailor your investments to fit your retirement dreams. Unsure if your current plan is on track? Reach out for a chat – let's make your golden years truly golden!

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/30/treasury-series-i-bond-rate-is-4point28percent-through-october-2024.html

New treasury i-bonds are coming out at a rate of 4.28%, which is a full percentage point lower than many short term treasuries and FDIC insured CDs available today. If you are looking for good fixed income/portolio stabilizing options, i-bonds are probably not the best place to look unless you are betting that the CPI will shoot through the roof.

www.cnbc.com

Giving to causes you care about not only supports impactful organizations but also brings financial and estate benefits.

Swipe through to explore smart ways to enhance your charitable giving! From donating appreciated assets to strategic timing with donor-advised funds, there are many paths to impactful generosity.

Reach out with questions or to discuss more about charitable giving.

Just came across this inspiring story on Good News Network: The Collyweston Historical and Preservation Society (CHAPS), a group of passionate amateurs, has uncovered the remains of Collyweston Palace, linked to Henry VIII's grandmother, Margaret Beaufort.

With five years of perseverance and ground-penetrating radar, these enthusiasts, led by Chris Close, have revealed an important part of history, previously hidden for centuries. "We're just a bunch of amateurs with enthusiasm, and against all odds, we've unearthed this," says Close.

Raising £14,000, CHAPS not only found the palace's foundations but also garnered the interest of professional archaeologists. They're now in an advanced excavation stage, identifying building functions and preserving artifacts for an exhibit at Lady Margaret's Chapel.

If you want to read the full story, you can do so here:

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/history-enthusiasts-found-a-buried-15th-century-royal-palace-on-their-own/

I started my financial career as an admin assistant, and thank God I did. I would never have been able to start an independent investment company without that experience.

Thank you to all the people out there who do great administrative work to keep businesses and organizations running efficiently.

Good service can be hard to come by, so we should pay to reward it.

Warning: back office sausage-making is depicted below.

On tax day, it's not uncommon for emergencies to arise. This year, the big one was a household that let me know the Tuesday before that they'd like to make a contribution before the Monday deadline. I called the Charles Schwab back office to ask if their bank link would get funds moved to their brokerage account in time to make the deadline. They said it should be fine. On Thursday, I could see the funds, but they were not released for transfer to the client Roth IRAs (this was expected, not a big deal). I called the back office again to confirm that the funds would be available by Monday, and they said the system shows the funds being released Monday. All was well!

Come Monday, the funds were still showing as tied up, so I called the back office again to investigate and was told "they'll be available tomorrow". I was quite adament that tomorrow was irrelevant, because the deadline is today. Problem!

After doing the "I'll talk to my manager" shuffle a few times, I was told we could get the funds released... if we did a three-way call with the client, Charles Schwab, and their bank. Not a good answer, especially on the day of the deadline.

Finally, after much insisting that someone at Charles Schwab must have the ability to just click a button and release the funds (the incoming transfer was a small % of the client's total assets already at Schwab), I found a service manager who was willing to walk to the office of higher management and plead the case for an exception, and he got it done! The funds were released, and no 3-way calls, emergency wires, or bad news to the client were needed. As far as the client was concerned, this was a frictionless operation.

Sometimes it seems like service is getting worse, so whenever we encounter exceptional service, we should consider sending a thank you card, or even a gift card. If enough of us do it, it can shift the work culture at a given company in a more positive direction, which is a win both for those doing the serving and receiving the service.

Thanks, Zander!

First!

As the season changes, it's the perfect opportunity to give your finances a thorough "spring clean." Here's how you can refresh and rejuvenate your financial health:

📊 Review and Refresh Your Budget: Take a moment to scrutinize your current budget. Have you had changes in your income or expenses recently? If so, you should ideally tweak your budget to mirror these changes

💳 Declutter Your Expenses: Dive into your monthly spending. Are there any non-essentials you can trim? Perhaps those subscriptions you no longer use or memberships you forgot you had? Even small habitual expenses can add up — let's cut them out!

🎯 Update Your Financial Goals: Reflect on your financial ambitions, both short-term and long-term. Are they still in line with your current aspirations? Adjust and set actionable steps to reach these refreshed goals.

📈 Check Your Credit Report: Ensure everything on your credit report is accurate and current. Any discrepancies? Report them straight away, as they can impact your credit score and future credit opportunities.

Remember, organizing your finances is not a one-time task; it's an ongoing journey. If you have questions about these tips or your investments, feel free to reach out.

Alex's first time playing Jenga with GI Joe in the background and the Enterprise D by his side.

First time playing Jenga

There are many things I find satisfying about my business, but one of the best has to be people who make a plan to become debt-free. I just met with a couple and rather than having them invest beyond the 15% of their income already going into retirement, I recommended they put their extra cash flow toward paying off their mortgage. The result is that they will be debt free nearly 6 years earlier (ages 56 & 53)! The snippet is from their financial plan I put together for them last week.

Important Announcement for Spokane Area Residents

Due to the devastating wildfires that occurred last year, the IRS has extended the tax filing deadline to June 17th, 2024 for people residing in Spokane County. This extension aims to provide some relief to individuals and businesses who have been impacted by the wildfires.

To learn more about this tax relief and the specific details, please refer to the official article from the IRS:
https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-announces-tax-relief-for-taxpayers-impacted-by-wildfires-in-spokane-washington-area

If you or someone you know has been impacted by the wildfires, please share this information and help spread the word.

Remember, it's crucial to stay informed and take advantage of the resources available to you. If you have any questions or need further assistance, don't hesitate to reach out to your tax advisor or, if you don't have one, let me know and I will connect you with an excellent CPA.

IRS announces tax relief for taxpayers impacted by wildfires in Spokane, Washington area | Internal Revenue Service WA-2024-01, Feb. 28, 2024 — The Internal Revenue Service announced today tax relief for individuals and businesses in parts of Washington state affected by wildfires that began on Aug. 18, 2023. These taxpayers now have until June 17, 2024, to file various federal individual and business tax retur...

As we celebrate Easter, we want to share our wishes that this sacred day brings joy, peace, and hope to you and your family.

Happy Easter, for Christ has risen!

Spring into celebration! 🐣🌷 In addition to the holidays around the corner, this is an important time for both businesses and individuals to review their plans for the year to see if adjustments are needed.

Some holidays coming up in the next few months:

📅 Easter (Mar 31): He is Risen! Also, the stock market will be closed March 29th in celebration
📅 Admin Professionals Day (Apr 24): A day to celebrate your dedicated staff.
📅 Mother’s Day (May 12): A chance for special promotions and sales — and to honor all the mothers in our lives.
📅 Memorial Day (May 27): The chance to honor U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Stock market will be closed.

If you want help creating a plan or reviewing the one already in place, reach out and let's get it done!

One of the rich elements of religion that has been forgotten, especially within Christianity, is the numerous holidays with great symbolism and minimal commercial recognition.

Today is a good example as we commemorate the Annunciation of the Theotokos (Greek: the bearer of God). It marks the moment when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, announcing that she would conceive and give birth to Jesus.

Various customs and traditions are observed, depending on your church. Many churches hold special liturgies, where the Gospel account of the Annunciation is read, and hymns are sung in praise of Mary. Some communities organize processions or decorate icons and shrines with flowers, symbolizing the blossoming of new life. In the Orthodox church, a strict lent fasting schedule briefly yields to allow fish, wine, and olive oil.

The annunciation oil painting featured here was made by Paolo de Matteis in 1712.

On this St. Patrick's Day, let's take a moment to remember the legacy of Saint Patrick himself. 🍀💚

Today, we celebrate not just with good fortune and good cheer, but also with gratitude for the man who brought Christianity to Ireland. Let's honor his memory by celebrating responsibly, and reflecting on the true meaning of this holiday.

May this day be a reminder of the importance of faith, resilience, and the power of spreading glad tidings (i.e. The Good News).

Wishing you and your loved ones a day filled with blessings and a deeper appreciation for the history and traditions that make this day so special. Happy St. Patrick's Day! 🎉🍀

A great and terrible evil was vanquished 45 years ago, on March 16th, 1979.

The significance of that date is the victory of Vietnam in their war with China (yes, Vietnam and China really did go to war, and Vietnam really did win). A quick clarification is needed, however, as China was not the great evil that was vanquished (I mean, they were not the *great* evil, anyway). Rather, it was the Khmer Rouge communists that had killed nearly a quarter of Cambodia's population in persuit of that ever elusive Utopia who were finally defeated.

Several years earlier, the mass killing in Cambodia had spread into parts of Vietnam, and rather than just dealing with the incursion with a proportional response, Vietnam launched an all-in invasion of Cambodia to exterminate the Khmer Rouge. Because Cambodia was a Chinese puppet state, not at all dissimilar to a particular horror-house of a nation today, the Chinese launched a counter-invasion of Vietnam in order to force an end to their invasion of Cambodia.

Despite fighting both Cambodia and the much larger China, Vietnam refused to back down. China ultimately withdrew, and the Khmer Rouge would soon become nothing more than a boogey man for history books.

The reason we should commemorate this victory is that the Vietnamese didn't have to lose 75,000+ soldiers in a drawn out war with Cambodia and China. They could have used the initial invasion and protests from China to secure a peace for Vietnam that would have left the Khmer Rouge in power, but the Vietnamese leadership recognized this would have been a short term solution, and the Khmer Rouge would ultimately need to be dealt with in the only way that such problems can be solved.

Contrast this with the responses of the civilized world to North Korea, for example, and you can see just how bold the Vietnamese approach to this situation actually was. They deserve to be commended, and we should encourage our leadership to look to their actions for inspiration in the future.

Spring is here 🌸 and so are key business tax deadlines! To help you out, here's a list of important dates to keep on your radar:

⏰ March 15: S Corporations & Partnerships Returns Due
⏰ March 31: Q1 Ends
⏰ April 15: Individual Tax Returns & Payments Due

Spring into action by tackling your taxes nice and early! 🌟 Reach out to my office with any financial questions. I'm always ready and eager to help.

Just a quick reminder that Daylight Saving Time is almost here! ⏰ Don't forget to set your clocks forward by an hour!

While we'll lose an hour of sleep, we'll also be gaining an extra hour of sun in the evenings! Should you want to make use of that extra hour of daylight, remember that I'm here to help you tackle any to-do items within our wheelhouse.