Your Life Simplified: A Financial & Wealth Management Podcast

The one constant in life is change, and the investment world is certainly no exception. As the world changes, more investors seek to invest in a socially responsible way. In this week's podcast episode, Valerie Escobar, senior wealth advisor, and Mike MacKelvie, wealth advisor, talk about how you can invest in a socially responsible way. This area of investing can seem overwhelming and complicated, but we break it down for you: SRI=Socially Responsible Investing – This is typically religious or moral principles. We'll screen for things people like to avoid and exclude them from investment. ESG=Environments, Social, Governance – This could be pollution, green energy initiatives, labor relations or customer satisfaction. SCI=Socially Conscious Investing is a combination of SRI and ESG.

Inflation is unavoidable right now. You see it every where you look and on the news, but what can we do to combat this inflation? Is there anything you can be doing differently in your portfolio? In this week's podcast episode, Valerie Escobar, senior wealth advisor, and Mike MacKelvie, wealth advisor, talk through several different variables affecting inflation.

An estate plan can play an important part in your overall wealth plan and can make a large impact on your spouse and children. Taking a few steps can help ensure that your estate doesn't end up in probate and your family isn't left with a headache. On today's episode, Mike MacKelvie is joined by special guest Drew McDowell, attorney and senior wealth advisor at Mariner Wealth Advisors, as they talk through 5 costly estate planning errors that celebrities like Prince, Whitney Houston and James Gandolfini made in their own estate plan and learn what you can do to help make sure you're not making these same mistakes.

When keeping up with the, sometimes sensational, media coverage of the markets, things can seem bleak without proper context. In this week's episode, Valerie Escobar and Mike MacKelvie talk us through how to assess the information we glean from these news story headlines, and how it might impact our investing plans.

Thinking of retiring early? Discover essential tips on Roth conversions and optimizing taxes to enhance your retirement income. Explore how to navigate social security choices for long-term benefits and understand the psychological shift in transitioning from work to retirement. Learn the importance of aligning your passions with your newfound freedom, and get insights on sustainable withdrawal strategies like the 4% rule to secure your financial future.

In this episode of Your Life Simplified, Mike Mackelvie, wealth advisor, and Valerie Escobar, senior wealth advisor, discuss bond alternatives and the pros and cons of bonds. Valerie and Michael talk about the basics of bonds, bond alternatives that you can invest in, rates of return and how impactful bonds can be in the market.

In this episode of Your Life Simplified, Mike MacKelvie, wealth advisor, and Valerie Escobar, senior wealth advisor, discuss volatility in the stock market and strategies to embrace the up and down rollercoaster that the stock market can be. Valerie and Michael talk about the history of markets, rates of return and impactful days in the market.

In part 2 of Your Life Simplified's real estate series, Mike MacKelvie, wealth advisor, and Valerie Escobar, senior wealth advisor, discuss how REITs, or real estate investment trust, and ETFs, or exchange trades funds, have performed in high interest rate environments and the advantages of investing in real estate assets.

Are you looking to invest in real estate? In this week's episode of Your Life Simplified, Mike MacKelvie, wealth advisor, and Valerie Escobar, senior wealth advisor, talk about the things you should take into consideration before investing in real estate. The topics discussed include interest rates, return on investment and the advantages and disadvantages of investing in real estate.

Often times, we only look at the short-term cost of owning a pet such as adoption fees, toys, food and vaccinations. However, other costs, such as pet insurance, additional vet bills and housing need to be considered before adopting a furry friend. In this week's podcast episode, Valerie Escobar, senior wealth advisor, and Mike MacKelvie, wealth advisor, are joined by very special guest Lucy as they talk about the real cost of owning a pet.