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Meet Our Team
Blake C. Adams
Registered Representative
Blake moved from the Westbank to attend University of Louisiana at Lafayette in 1996 where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in English Education and later achieved a Masters of Business Administration.
Hanna Clark
Client Service Assistant
Hanna's goals are to ensure that all operational activities for client accounts run smoothly and that everyone receives the highest level of service possible.
Amber Idleman
Marketing Assistant
Amber transitioned from a career in Radio Broadcasting as a Marketing Specialist for National Advertisers to the Marketing Assistant at Financial Strategies Group.
Are You Retirement Ready?
Without a roadmap, the path toward and into retirement can be difficult. Having a comprehensive and up-to-date retirement strategy, with a knowledgeable team offering support, may help make the road ahead less strenuous.
At Financial Strategies Group, we understand the many concerns individuals and families face as they prepare for retirement, whether that is five or fifteen years away. Our goal is to help clients feel confident about their future and pursue their vision of a comfortable retirement. Through our comprehensive approach, we develop customized retirement strategies that address clients’ individual needs and goals, both short and long-term.
Retirement is a significant milestone in one’s life. Our mission is to help make that transition more manageable and less stressful by building a personalized retirement strategy and offering ongoing support, unbiased advice, and objective guidance. Start preparing for tomorrow’s retirement today by contacting us to learn more or to set up a commitment-free introductory meeting.
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Retirement
Most of us save money for our retirement days as there are fewer and fewer pension plans in place, particularly in the private sector. Which of course means that we will rely on Social Security and our accumulated savings to provide an income after we are no longer employed. So, I would like to share some thoughts on increasing the chances for a successful retirement. And by that, I mean a retirement where you can maintain your lifestyle without the fear of running out of money.
Warning Signals
If you have any money invested in the stock market, whether through individual stocks or mutual funds you are aware of the recent market volatility. This is quite a bit different from 2017 when most of the year was smooth sailing. Does that mean you pull out of the market completely? Or ride it out no matter what? Neither one may be the answer right now.
We look at a number of indicators to assess risk in the market and lately they have been flashing caution signals. So, what does that mean?
Interest Rates
After almost a year of calm in the markets, we recently witnessed a sharp pullback in stock values and a jump in volatility. A number of explanations have been put forth as to what caused them, but a common theme among a large number of analysts was the sharp climb in the yield of the Ten-Year U.S. Treasury Bond. From approximately 2.35% in mid-December of last year to almost 3.00% in mid-February. A level last seen in . . . December 2013!
Since then the stock market has calmed down and reclaimed much of the recent pullback. But the 10 year is still knocking on the door of 3.00%. I am not going to address the stock market at this time. Predicting that reminds me of a great saying I heard years ago; “He who lives by the crystal ball learns to eat broken glass”. Although I do think there are implications for the stock market when interest rates rise, right now I am more concerned about the implications for bonds.