Andrew Balettie, Financial Advisor

09/25/2026

Estate planning is not only about what happens someday - It is also about making things clearer for the people you care about.

Who knows where important documents are or understands your wishes? Who would step in if decisions needed to be made? Have your financial, tax, and legal professionals had the right conversations together?

I do not provide tax or legal advice, but I do believe coordination matters. The people you choose to guide your family should not be working from separate playbooks.

09/23/2026

For business owners, retirement can be complicated because the business is often more than an asset.

It may be your income, but it's also your identity, your family’s livelihood, your employees’ stability, and your legacy in the community.

That is why transition planning deserves thoughtful attention well before the day you want to step back.
A helpful starting point is this question:

If I could not run the business for 90 days, what would need to be true for the business to keep operating?

That question can reveal a lot.

09/21/2026

Retirement planning often starts with a number, but in my experience, the better conversation starts with a life.

What do you want your days to look like? What work, if any, do you still want to do? Who might depend on you financially? What responsibilities do you want to carry into retirement, and which ones do you hope to release?

The financial side matters, but so does the human side.For many pre retirees, clarity comes from connecting both.

09/11/2026

Twenty five years later, September 11 remains a day that asks us to remember the lives lost, the families forever changed, and the extraordinary courage shown by first responders and everyday people.

Today, I’m simply taking a moment to remember those we lost and honor all those who were forever changed.

May we never forget.

08/31/2026

Did you know that the majority of Americans have dictated what happenes to their stuff when they die? According to Pew Research Center, only 32% of American adults say they have a will.

We spend decades building careers, buying homes, saving money, and raising families. Yet deciding what happens to everything when we die somehow keeps getting pushed to “later.”

Estate planning is not just for wealthy people. If you have children, own property, or have savings, having a plan matters.

If you don't have one, send me a message and I can show you where to get one at little or no cost to you, depending on your needs. In some cases, it can be generated in less than 15 mins from the comfort of your home!

Source: Pew Research Center

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science r...

08/20/2026

What's the fastest way to bore followers on social media? Start with "According to the Federal Reserve..."
..so, according to the Federal Reserve, 67% of non-retired households have qualified retirement savings (https://bit.ly/4qrlPcL?). When breaking this data down by age, there is a DRASTIC drop-off for people aged 18-24 (29%).

Any contribution compounding at 8% starting in your 20's will yield a substanitally greater amount in retirement than the same contribution starting in your 30's. All of this is to say, that if you take simple compounding into consideration, time is the most important variable when planning for your future.

Let's do better to reach this age demographic so they can utilize the power of compounding to the fullest!

The Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington DC.

08/13/2026

I think most advisors are marketing the wrong kind of value.

When we lead with investment selection, we implicitly ask clients to judge us by whether we can outperform the market. Yet "S&P’s SPIVA Persistence Scorecard" (https://bit.ly/45lgPwB) shows how difficult persistent active outperformance can be.

More importantly, that may not be where an advisor creates the most value.

"Vanguard’s Advisor’s Alpha" (https://vgi.vg/4wWDpaK) says trust isn’t built on security selection or perfect timing, emphasizing instead portfolio construction, planning, tax efficiency, and understanding client goals. "Morningstar’s “Gamma” research" (https://bit.ly/4gul3Ir) similarly focuses on the potential value created through better financial planning decisions.

Maybe our value proposition should change:

Less emphasis on predicting which investments will win. More emphasis on building the strategy and financial structure that helps clients win. The portfolio matters. But it should serve the plan—not be the plan.

Our SPIVA® Scorecards show that most active managers underperform most of the time, especially over the long term. But on the rare occasions when active managers do outperform, how do we know whether the outperformance was driven by skill or luck?

08/11/2026

Hey Facebook - it's been a minute. I took a little break to enjoy the summer with family after wrapping up an incredible year, but I'm back and I've got THOUGHTS.

I came across a statistic the other day that I can’t get out of my head: Americans spend more than $100 billion a year on lottery tickets—more than we spend on books, movies, music, video games, and sports tickets combined.

I mean, I kinda get it... buying a lottery ticket is a lot more exciting than buying a book or putting another $20 into your brokerage account, but it makes me wonder how different things might look if we spent a little less hoping our number gets called and a little more increasing our own odds.

Anyway... It's good to be back!

Source:

Wharton’s Benjamin Lockwood explains why lotteries are so compelling to consumers, even when they know the odds are stacked against them.

06/12/2026

Always a good time networking at the chamber! join us in Rowlett at 8am Thursday mornings at Bowl-A-Rama to grow your business!

It was a packed house again this morning at Make a Connection. Join us to build your business every Thursday morning at 8 AM at Bowl-a-Rama!

06/04/2026

Watching the rain roll across the city today reminds me of a simple truth:
Life won't always be sunny.

Unexpected expenses, market volatility, career changes, and family needs can appear as quickly as a summer storm. The goal of financial planning isn't to avoid every storm—it's to make sure you're prepared when one arrives.

Because peace of mind isn't built during the rain. It's built before it starts.