Six Minutes of Wisdom

Each new phase of life comes with a new mindset, new goals, and adjustments to your financial plan. Tune in to this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom where Ross and Cynthia discuss the psychological factors and preparation involved in managing important life events. 

On this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom, Ross and Cynthia explore the psychology of money and how our emotions and way of thinking can influence our financial decisions.

We've seen a lot of volatility in the market this year and the headlines in the news are only inflating concerns. Ross and Cynthia take this opportunity to touch on navigating the negativity and maintaining composure in uncertain market conditions.

It's been one year since Randy's retirement. On this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom, Randy joins Ross to look back on his process of succession planning and retirement.

With the new year upon us, Ross and Cynthia discuss the process of reflection on the past and forming new habits to generate positive change for the future.

As Christmas quickly approaches, Ross and Cynthia reflect on some of the conversations that may arise while gathering with family and friends during the Holiday season. While these conversations can sometimes be difficult, they are crucial to ensuring our loved ones get the care they need.

The season of Thanksgiving is upon us once again! On this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom, Ross, Cynthia, Kristi and Preston discuss what they're most thankful for this year. 

On this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom, Ross and Cynthia are joined by a special guest that discusses his considerations and experiences on becoming a “snowbird”.

On this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom, Ross and Cynthia are joined by Senior Estate Planner Jim Guckenberg to discuss some of the essentials to the estate planning process.

With the recent volatility in the market, Ross and Cynthia take this opportunity to discuss some of the reasons behind this volatility and how to appropriately handle it. 

Let's play a game! In this month's installment of Six Minutes of Wisdom, Ross and Cynthia discuss some common rules of thumb on managing finances and they both weigh in on whether or not these rules should be broken.

In this month's installment of Six Minutes of Wisdom, Ross and Cynthia discuss the delicate balance between delayed gratification and spending your savings to reap the benefits.

May 29th is 529 day! Tune in to this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom where Ross and Cynthia discuss 529s, financial aid, and some of the recent regulation changes.

How much money do you need to retire? How long will it take to get there? Tune in to this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom where Ross and Cynthia discuss the topic of the “Magic Number”. Click the picture below to listen!

With tax season in full swing, this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom features Ross and Cynthia who discuss a few topics to consider when it comes to taxes.

On this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom, special guest Randy Stary joins Ross and Cynthia to discuss his transition into retirement.

Tune in to this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom. This time, Ross and Cynthia discuss some of the highlights and lowlights of last year and some things to look forward to in the year ahead.

As Randy's time at Baird nears its end, he thinks back to some of the harder times and the lessons learned over the years.

It's that time of year again! Tune in to this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom where the team discusses some of the things on their minds that they are grateful for this year.

You know what they say.. Hindsight is 20/20. Tune in to this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom where Cynthia, Ross and Randy discuss some of the things they know now that they wish they knew then.

 Join Ross, Cynthia and Randy for a special episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom! This time, the group joins guest speaker Michael Antonelli as they discuss pickleball, investing and more! 

It's almost time to send our kids back to school! With that in mind, Cynthia, Ross and Randy discuss a few different tax-advantaged strategies that can be used to save for college expenses.

On this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom, someone on the team is hitting an important milestone! Cynthia, Ross and Randy also touch on saving over time and the power of compounding.

This month on Six Minutes of Wisdom, Ross, Cynthia and Randy are joined by Preston to discuss the process of buying a home! The team discusses mortgage rates, house pricing and much more.   *Disclosure: Baird does not provide tax, legal or real estate advice and does not provide or service mortgages.*

This time on Six Minutes of Wisdom, Cynthia, Ross and Randy discuss the strategy of laddering bonds and CDs and how effective this can be in an environment with high interest rates.

Tune-in to this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom. This time, Ross and Cynthia are on to discuss the topic of Spring Cleaning as it pertains to our finances and a particular tool that Baird provides to help with this.

Are you getting a tax refund this year? What will you do with it? Tune-in to this month's episode of Six Minutes of Wisdom where Ross, Cynthia and Randy discuss taxes and what to do with your refund. 

Dentist appointments, physicals and the periodic oil change – there are many things in our lives that need our attention on a regular basis. One of those things that we should be checking in on is our 401k! In this episode, Ross, Cynthia and Randy discuss the importance of monitoring our 401k and what we can be doing to keep it running smoothly.

Randy's retirement is now less than a year away! With that in mind, the team discusses the market outlook for the coming year and how a potential recession could impact retirement preparation. 

With the recent news of the FTX debacle, Ross, Cynthia and Randy discuss cryptocurrencies and other speculative investments and stress the importance of sticking to the meat and potatoes.

Thanksgiving is nearly upon us! In the spirit of the season, the team discusses everything they have to be grateful for, the benefits of being grateful, and how they practice this virtue in the workplace. 

With the recent market volatility, it's easy to develop a negative attitude, but there are still things we can be doing to remain productive. Click the picture below to listen to Ross, Cynthia, and Randy discuss what we can be doing to make the most out of a bear market.

In this episode Ross, Cynthia and Randy discuss the common phenomena of a fidgety market in the month of September.  What might becausing this and how should we react?

Randy, Ross and Cynthia discuss how to name legacy contacts on various internet platforms.  What happens if you die?  Do your family members know how to access all of your passwords?  As our lives become more intertwined with the internet, we need to make preparations for our eventual passing.

Inflation seems to be tops on everyone's mind these days.  Ross, Cynthia and Randy discuss their inflation issues.  Whether it's buying groceries, clothes for the kids or rennovating a home, we are all feeling the impact on the family budget.

Ross, Cynthia and Randy converse with Mike Antonelli.  He is our resident blogger, futurist and psych coach.  Markets are tough.  What do we do?

The JS Group discusses Power of Attorney documents and their importance for young and old alike.

Ross, Cynthia and Randy discuss the Master Calendar.  This is not our original idea, but it makes sense to keep track of things that need to be done routinely.  When was the last time you cleaned behind your fridge?  That's what we thought!

Cynthia, Ross and Randy interview Brian Jagodinsky.  Brian is a property and casualty insurance agent.  He tells us how certain techologies in our home can help us save on our homeowners insurance.  A number of us have these technologies already and have not informed our agent to receive the requisite savings.

Cynthia, Ross and Randy discuss a fixed income investment that is available to everyone but you can't get from your financial advisor.  Better yet, it is the high rate, lower risk investment everyone asks for. 

Cynthia, Ross and Randy of The JS Group at Baird discuss how success with goals depends on good habits and discipline.  Randy learns what a "Vision Board" is.

Cynthia, Ross and Randy discuss some strategies to consider in December.  What should you do to shield income?  Getting a bonus?  Maybe there is something to consider to avoid additional taxes in April.

Ross, Cynthia and Randy of the JS Group discuss your benefit enrollment options and some things you should consider at this time of year when that enrollment email comes.

Ross was so worried about his greeting that he didn't introduce himself.  So, Ross Johnson, begins the podcast by talking about the time of year that is important to seniors.  Open enrollment.  Now is the time to check your premiums.

Cynthia, Ross and Randy of the JS Group discuss the tie-in between Social Security and your Long Term Care.

Cynthia, Randy and Ross discuss the issues you need to think about as you decide to start a business.

Ross, Cynthia and Randy discuss how they have uncovered opportunities for clients to reduce expenses and taxes.  They encourage you to ask your advisor for advice on many things you may not realize they can assist with.  If they can't assist from past experience, they may be able to refer you to a professional who can help.

Cynthia initiates a discussion with Ross and Randy regarding the  process Randy is using when assisting his father with the selection of assisted-living facilities.  We discussed the tone of the conversation as well as what steps needed to be taken so that the family member is in agreement with the ultimate transition.

Ross, Cynthia and Randy dissect a pay stub.  We review all of the pretax and after-tax withdrawals that occur before you finally see the final amount hit your bank account.  How can you maximize the benefits from some of these deductions?  We'll get into the weeds on that.

Ross, Cynthia and Randy of the JS Group at Baird discuss the advantages of participating in a HSA account.  Why should younger individuals be thinking about this as an important investment and tax avoidance tool?

While Ross tested his mental acuity by taking the CFP® exam, Cynthia and Randy discussed the recent hysteria over stock manipulation with social media posts.  Please don't try this at home!