Blog
A 529 Plan Contribution Might Be the Perfect Gift
Gifts to a 529 account can help you reach your savings goals faster. And it gives those close to your family a chance to contribute to your child’s future in a meaningful way — and to meet their own estate-planning needs.
Read MoreHow I Strengthened My Family Bond Through Pilates
As we wrap up 2023, it's a perfect time to reflect on the values that matter most in our lives. The "F" in FORM stands for Family, and I'm excited to introduce you to a transformative activity that has brought my family closer together.
Read More9 Ways to Use Your Extra ‘Daylight Saving Time’ Hour
What will you do with the extra hour you’re getting back in your schedule since we lost an hour back in March? If you prefer to do something other than get an extra hour of sleep, here are several productive ways to use your extra hour.
Read MoreWhat is a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)?
Are you at least 70.5, have a Traditional IRA and charitably inclined? If so, you may want to consider a QCD. Learn what it is, how it works, and when it may make sense to utilize this powerful tax planning and charitable giving strategy.
Read More4 Important Year-End Planning Points For 2023
As we near the end of 2023, there are year-end items to review: long-term capital loss, short-term loss, QCDs, and retirement accounts. Please reach out you'd like to discuss year-end funding that helps your specific situation.
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Understanding Cyber Threats: A Beginner’s Guide
It is more important than ever to keep your identity, data and other personal information safe from cyber criminals. Here are some tips that can help you avoid falling victim to these constant and increasingly sophisticated attacks.
Read More10 Tips to Help Improve Your Financial Wellness
October has arrived, marking the beginning of National Financial Planning Month — a time when individuals and families are encouraged to take a closer look at their financial health and make informed decisions to secure their...
Read MoreBuy and Hold: A Passive, High-Risk Strategy
In the world of investments, the concept of “buy and hold” is a risky proposition. You buy an investment, whether stocks, bonds or real estate, and hold onto it for the long term, ignoring fluctuations in the market.
Read More6 Ways to Add Beneficiaries to Your Accounts Right Now
Adding beneficiaries to your financial accounts is an important step in estate planning! Doing so helps streamline the probate process and guarantees that your assets are distributed precisely per your intentions. Here are six ways to add..
Read MoreCashing Out 401(k)s: The New Financial Crisis
The 401(k) plan for retirement savings came along at a time when the traditional employer-provided pension was on its way out. But recent shifts in the economy have put Americans’ retirement savings in crisis.
Read MoreAvoiding Bias
The brain is truly a miracle and capable of so much, it is also the reason many of us struggle with investing. Studies would prove that left to our own devices, we are always and everywhere a failed investor.
Read MoreDelayed Gratification Is the Key to Saving
In just about every area of life, we are constantly faced with a choice: give in to the impulse to enjoy something we want right now or exercise restraint and wait for something even better in the future.
Read MoreLife Is About The Journeys, Not The Destination
Life isn’t as much about the destinations as it is in the journeys. The longer I get to live, work and play in this life, I find those words not only incredibly impactful, but I also note the intentional plurality of the phrase.
Read MorePotential 2025 Tax Changes
The current tax rates are set to expire at the end of 2025 unless Congress intervenes. It is important to address these changes now, as they may impact most, if not all, of our clients.
Read MoreRetire To Something, Not From Something
After 25 years of working and coaching clients through the big decision of retirement, the truth is indisputable; you must retire to something, rather than from something.
Read MoreHow Golf & Retirement Planning Are Alike
The advice I often impart to my clients about their retirements mirrors the advice one would receive to improve their golf game: Focus on your target, be ready to navigate hazards, manage your emotions, and trust your coach.
Read MoreKeep Your Imagination Alive, Even Though Superman Isn’t Real
In my 25-year career, I have come across many people who think investing is a fool’s errand. They think that owning equities and investing in the markets is impossible for them. They figure it’s just make-believe, like Superman.
Read MoreOh, to Be O-Positive…And to Donate Blood
Giving blood is a valuable and much-needed service we all can do for our communities (unless we have medical restrictions). Blood saves lives. About every 2 seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. But many people don’t realize...
Read MorePlanes, Trains & Automobiles
You’ve worked hard, built a life, raised a family and now it’s time for you. While we recommend and/or put into action financial strategies to set aside these travel dollars in advance of your plan, these goals aren’t about a return on...
Read MoreFrom Financial Planning to Wedding Planning
I never thought that creating financial plans would help me plan my wedding! I’ve been working on my wedding plans for the past nine months and knew planning a wedding would be a lot of work, but I was surprised by how much truly...
Read MoreWould You Rather Be Rich or Wealthy?
We often use the words “rich” and “wealthy” interchangeably. Although both refer to people who have more assets than the average person, there are actually some important differences. Here are six ways in which wealth differs from riches.
Read MoreThe Equation
Time, health and money. Those are the pieces of this equation. We all use money as a conduit between our time and our health. Are you striving for net worth or net fulfillment? I believe it’s time to add this important perspective to...
Read MoreCaring for Elderly Parents Is Easier with Planning
As elderly parents approach their end-of-life years, important decisions about their care fall onto the shoulders of their adult children. This life stage can be stressful and upsetting, but we cannot hide from it or put it off.
Read MoreStart Asking the $1,000 Questions
Keep spending on some of those smaller favorites you love, but also live in the space of something bigger. Stop asking the $10 questions and start asking the $1,000 questions.
Read MoreGive to Receive: Understanding How Charitable Giving Can Benefit Your Taxes
Throughout the years, I’ve had many questions arise regarding charitable gifting. Some individuals enjoy gifting throughout their lifetime, and there are some tax advantages to consider.
Read MoreSocial Security Is Not Going to Run Out of Money!
Social Security has been helping prepare Americans for retirement since 1935. Reports have been circulating that Social Security is going to run out of money. Please read on to discover why that is not going to happen.
Read MoreFaith Is Easy When the Returns Are Steady
Investing your money in companies, in the hopes that your money will be worth more in the future, requires faith. It can be hard to hold on to that faith. Yet research consistently shows that, during market downturns, your best bet is to
Read MoreSpring Shred Event & Safe Shred Checklist
Clean out those file cabinets...we’ll gladly do the shredding for you. Our shredding truck will be parked outside and ready to shred your unwanted papers for free. Here’s our checklist of what to keep and what you should safely discard.
Read MoreTyson Ray Named to Barron’s 2023 Top 1200 Financial Advisor List
FORM Wealth is pleased to announce that Tyson J. Ray, CFP®, CExP®, CIMA®, CEO and Founding Partner at FORM Wealth Advisors, was recently named to the 2023 Barron’s Top 1200 Financial Advisor list, ranking #6 in Wisconsin.
Read MoreU.S. Economy Continues to Defy Expectations with Impressive 2023 Start
The S&P 500 Index returned -2.5% in February, giving back a portion of its January gains and underperforming the Russell 2000 Index’s -1.7% return. Cyclical sectors marginally outperformed in February, with Tech, Industrials, and...
Read More25 Years and Just Getting Started...
1998. In some ways, it doesn’t seem that long ago. Tyson and I had just graduated from college, were starting our careers, and both had hair. Yet, in other respects, the last 25 years seem like a century ago when you look at...
Read MorePriceless Lessons from Grandma Ray, Age 103
Priceless financial lessons we can take away from Grandma Ray's story during her 103 years of life.
Read MoreImportant Tax Updates for 2023
Tax planning is unique to each client, but as we enter the new year, I want to discuss some important updates related to your taxes.
Read More2023, As Foretold
What would a new year be without some good, old-fashioned predictions about what is in store for all of us in 2023? So, without further ado, some speculations for this upcoming New Year.
Read MoreThe Investor, the Trader and the Speculator
In my opinion the markets are affected by three very different investment strategies which I have titled the Investor, the Trader and the Speculator. It is my desire to define the three different strategies.
Read MoreNobody Knows
In times like these, or the unknowns of the future, we have the perspective of history’s lessons and use that to lean into our principles with rational optimism.
Read MorePutting Context Around Recent Stock Market Volatility
Stock market volatility is rising this year after a relatively calm 2021. Financial markets are experiencing bigger moves up and down as investors navigate a long list of events.
Read MoreNow and Then
All of us fall victim to a phenomenon called Recency Effect. In investing, we call it a recency bias. With a similar line of thinking, recency bias is our tendency to take what has happened most recently, then project that into the future.
Read MoreWhy Market Timing Doesn't Work
As in the past, the market recovers from declines, the US economy recovers from recessions, and those who are patient are often rewarded.
Read MoreWhat’s Your Strategy for Surviving the Next Bear Market?
If we are best not to react and make changes or sell when the market is down, what can we all do to stick with our investment plan and be rewarded long term? Here is where it is important to have what I call a Bear Market survival guide.
Read MoreThe Benefits of Not Investing Some of your Money
One of the ways we add value at FORM Wealth is by not investing some of your money. We call it a cash reserve account and it’s designed for future funding, especially for those in retirement. Unlike your emergency fund that you...
Read MoreFocus on the Escalator, Rather than the Yo-Yo
Focusing on the year and decades will make you a better investor if you don’t land on any one day, month, quarter, or year. We want you to focus on an overall trend, the escalator, rather than the yo-yo.
Read MoreTyson Ray named to AdvisorHub's 2022 Advisor to Watch List under $1B
September 23, 2022FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE(LAKE GENEVA, WI.) - Tyson J. Ray, CFP®, CExP®, CIMA®, CEO and Founding Partner at FORM Wealth Advisors, located at 431 Geneva National Ave S, Lake Geneva, was recently named to...
Read MoreJuly 2022 Chart of the Month
Chart of the Month | July 2022Housing Market Cools as Interest Rate Increases Impact EconomyThe Covid-19 pandemic profoundly altered the U.S. housing market. Homeowners and renters reevaluated their housing needs and wants as they...
Read MoreMonthly Market Summary
Monthly Market SummaryThe S&P 500 Index produced a +0.2% total return during May, in line with the Russell 2000 Index’s +0.2% total return.Energy was the top performing S&P 500 sector during May, returning +16% as the price of...
Read MoreJune 2022 Chart of the Month
The S&P 500 is now in a bear market, which is defined as a -20% decline from recent highs, and interest rates are rising to multi-year highs.
Read MoreThe Weekly PerFORMance
The Weekly PerFORMance : June 17, 2022 Fed Regains Inflation Fighting Credibility by Hiking +0.75% Extra Large Hike Lowers Probability of Prolonged Tightening
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