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All About ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plan)
What is an ESOP? An ESOP, or Employee-Stock Ownership Plan, is a unique retirement plan allowing employees to own the company. Companies...

David Gearhart
Nov 16, 20233 min read


What Is A Brokerage Account?
A brokerage account is a “non-retirement” account with no contribution limits, no income limits, and no penalty for taking money out...

Stephen Armstrong
Nov 16, 20232 min read


How to Choose Your Financial Advisor
What should you be looking for when searching for a Financial Advisor? Dave recommends that you ask the following when getting to know a...

Drew Hodgson
Nov 9, 20234 min read


It’s the most wonderful time of year – Christmas and Holiday Prepping Season!
With Halloween over, the Holiday Season has now officially begun! And if you are anything like the stores, some of you may be getting...

Lindsey Curry
Nov 9, 20233 min read


The best cost-saving tips to experience an in-person sporting event
Seeing my favorite team play would be fun, but can I afford it? Sometimes, this is one of those discretionary spending categories we want...

Matthew Harris
Nov 2, 20237 min read


Commonly Used Investing Terms That All Investors Should Know
Investing Terminology Overview Getting started with investing can be intimidating for many people simply because they do not understand...

Kelly Kranstuber
Nov 2, 20235 min read


Israel War & My Portfolio: Pray, Give & Stay Disciplined
We truly are blessed in America. A phrase we often say but it's meaning takes on a crisper form when you can compare how easy our lives...

John-Mark Young
Oct 11, 20237 min read


The Market Based Argument for Dave Ramsey's Four Categories
For those of us with children, we've lived through the "why" phase. That period in our child's life where they need to have a rational or...

John-Mark Young
Sep 25, 20236 min read


What Ohio’s EdChoice program can mean for you, and what scholarship money could be available
Ohio recently expanded the EdChoice program to allow families of all income levels to apply for some scholarships to be used in grades...

Jake Buckwalter
Sep 20, 20232 min read


Personal Savings, Record Credit Card Debt & Their Effect on the Economy
About two weeks ago, we were all hit with the clickbait headline, "credit card balances hit $1 trillion". Immediately, people used this...

John-Mark Young
Sep 2, 20236 min read


What We Learned in the Markets This Week: August 11th 2023
1. The summer in parts of the country has been hot, hot, hot, while other parts of the country, like our home office in Ohio, have...

John-Mark Young
Aug 12, 20235 min read


What Fitch's U.S. Debt Downgrade Means for Investors
Am I getting old when I can boldly say, "Been there, done that!" That's what I felt like this week when on August 1st, Fitch, a credit...

John-Mark Young
Aug 4, 20236 min read


RISK ASSETS
Worrying can be okay “The market climbs a wall of worry” and “This time is different” are two of my favorite quotes regarding investing....

Jake Buckwalter
Aug 2, 20232 min read


HOW GLOBAL GROWTH AND HOME COUNTRY BIAS IMPACT INVESTORS TODAY
Something happened this year that hasn't happened (very often) since the start of my career in 2007. The international markets were...

John-Mark Young
Aug 2, 20237 min read


WHAT THE HOPE OF A SOFT LANDING MEANS FOR THE FED AND INVESTORS
Hopefully, you'll excuse my two-week hiatus from "What We Learned in the Markets." I'll be back next week and better than ever when I...

John-Mark Young
Jul 23, 20235 min read


7 MARKET & ECONOMIC INSIGHTS FOR THE SECOND HALF OF 2023
Major stock market indices made significant gains in the first half of the year due to improving inflation, slowing Fed rate hikes, the...

John-Mark Young
Jul 4, 20237 min read


What the Looming Debt Ceiling Deadline Means for Investors
Let me start out by saying if Dave Ramsey would do a solid for his country and run for President, we wouldn't be in this mess. With...

John-Mark Young
May 22, 20235 min read


HOW THE FAILURE OF FIRST REPUBLIC IMPACTS THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM
"This part of the crisis is over. Everyone should just take a deep breath." - JP Morgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon On the morning of...

John-Mark Young
May 5, 20236 min read


WHY THE U.S. DOLLAR IS STILL THE LEADING GLOBAL CURRENCY
On April 6th, 2023, Chris from Dallas, Texas (one of the SmartVestor Pro Markets Whitaker-Myers Wealth Managers serves) called Dave to...

John-Mark Young
Apr 21, 20237 min read


RECENT BANK FAILURES: BONDS, BAD RISK MANAGEMENT & BOOMTOWN INDUSTRIES
The recent failure of three U.S. banks has raised concerns over the economy and financial system.

John-Mark Young
Mar 19, 20237 min read
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