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Messett Financial It’s why clients refer family members and friends to us all the time. Please check FINRA’s BrokerCheck for a list of current registrations.

With 50 years of practice among our skilled team members, & more than 20 years as a financial advisory firm, we offer sound recommendations based on research, knowledge, & experience. Securities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network®, Member https://www.FINRA.org/https://www.SIPC.org, a Registered Investment Adviser. Fixed insurance products and services are separate from and not offered through Commonwealth. The Financial Advisor(s) associated with this profile may only discuss or transact business with residents of states in which they are properly registered. Review our Terms of Use: https://www.commonwealth.com/termsofuse.html.

Over the next few weeks, you may see references to “earnings” or “earnings season” in the financial media.  But you may ...
10/15/2026

Over the next few weeks, you may see references to “earnings” or “earnings season” in the financial media. But you may not know exactly what this means or why it matters.

Publicly traded companies report their earnings several times throughout the year, along with forward guidance of what they expect the near future to look like.

This can have a major impact on the markets, at least in the short term, so it’s important to understand exactly what the media is talking about when they report on earnings.

To help, we’ve created a quick primer on earnings season, how it works, what gets reported, and why it matters.

Click through the images to learn more, and let us know if you have any questions!

Recently, we were asked by a young man exactly how a credit score works.  While we don’t normally deal with this side of...
10/12/2026

Recently, we were asked by a young man exactly how a credit score works.

While we don’t normally deal with this side of finance in my line of work, the question made us realize just how opaque so many aspects of finance can be. All of us have or will have to worry about things like our credit score at some point in life, but few people actually get taught exactly how it works or what goes into it.

A lot of things are like that: They make a major impact on our lives, but we don’t actually know much about them.

We enjoy bringing clarity to what can seem to be confusing, so we created this “Anatomy of a Credit Score” graphic.

As you can see, a credit score — more specifically, a FICO score — is broken down into different components. This enables your credit score to reflect both positive and negative information, although the different components are weighted differently. These weightings are different for everyone depending on their history and habits, so the numbers you see on the graphic are averages rather than absolutes.

PAYMENT HISTORY
How well you have paid back your loans in the past. Late payments, foreclosures, and bankruptcy can all negatively affect your score.

AMOUNTS OWED
While owing more money isn’t necessarily a flag, it can be a sign that you are overextended and thus less likely to make payments on time or in full.

LENGTH OF CREDIT HISTORY
The longer your credit history, the better — it’s a track record of your ability to be creditworthy.

TYPES OF CREDIT
The types of credit you have — credit cards, mortgage loans, other personal loans, etc. — play a small role in determining your credit score.

NEW CREDIT
This represents how many new credit accounts you’ve opened recently. It’s a small percentage of your overall score, but when combined with the length of your credit history, it can be an indicator of whether you are overextended or not.

Bonds have been in the news a lot recently.  But while just about everyone has heard of bonds, most people — sometimes e...
10/08/2026

Bonds have been in the news a lot recently.

But while just about everyone has heard of bonds, most people — sometimes even experienced investors — don’t actually know much about them, how they work, or what the differences are between the various types of bonds.

When you buy a bond, you are lending money to the bond’s issuer. In return, the issuer promises to pay you a specified rate of interest on a regular basis, and then repay the principal (the initial amount you loaned) when the bond matures after a set period of time.

Bonds are one of the most popular types of investments, partly because they are often (but not always) less volatile than stocks.

However, there are many types of bonds, each with different advantages and disadvantages.
Click through the images below to learn a little bit more about each!

“To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge.” — ConfuciusEvery quarter, we like to provide o...
10/06/2026

“To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge.” — Confucius

Every quarter, we like to provide our clients with a “financial checklist” of things they can do to increase their financial knowledge, organization, or empowerment.

This quarter’s checklist is all about increasing your knowledge…by examining what it is you know to find out what you do not know.

Figuring out what it is you do not know about (and then taking steps to correct those gaps in your knowledge) is one of the best ways to feel clarity regarding your financial present, and confidence in your financial future.

So, this quarter’s checklist is designed to help you bridge those gaps, if and where they exist. Some items may not apply to you; others you may be able to check off instantly. But for any that you cannot check off, our advice is to prioritize them as soon as possible. Let me know if we can help!

In the meantime, we wish you a great fourth quarter and a happy holiday season!

Everyone knows that Oktoberfest is a time for lederhosen and big steins full of cold beverages.  But its real legacy is ...
10/02/2026

Everyone knows that Oktoberfest is a time for lederhosen and big steins full of cold beverages.

But its real legacy is that it’s an occasion for neighborhoods, towns, and communities to come together.

It all began with a royal wedding. Over two hundred years ago, a woman named Therese arrived in Bavaria, specifically the town of Munich. Her arrival was heralded by lights lining the streets and general celebration as she prepared to marry the crown Prince, Ludwig.

However, something about their wedding was different. No one is really sure where the actual idea for the horse race came from. But whether it be a guard, a mother-in-law, or the happy couple themselves, the race was rushed to be organized in 8 days. The idea was that they would invite the entire kingdom, regardless of social standing, religion, or age.

The entire day was spent at food stands and, of course, consuming b**r. The horse race began at about midday and the festivities were so beloved, people clamored to bring it back the next year.

Now, over 200 years later, we still celebrate Oktoberfest every year for two weeks, ironically in September. One of the largest festivals in the world, it is also the time when the most b**r is consumed in a two week period internationally!

But though we no longer associate the event with horse races or royal weddings, the tradition of coming together as a community endures.

Happy Oktoberfest!

We're always on the lookout for little things we can all do to keep costs down. According to the Energy Department the t...
09/30/2026

We're always on the lookout for little things we can all do to keep costs down. According to the Energy Department the typical family spends more than $1,400 per year on utilities. As we march forward into the autumn weather, it's almost time to turn up the furnace and shut the windows. Here are some useful tips to keep the drafts out and the power bills down this fall.

1. Conduct a home energy audit before it gets cold. Many utility companies offer a free or low-cost assessment of your home to find areas where your house is wasting energy, including poor insulation, an inefficient HVAC system, appliances drawing too much power, and more.

2. Seal air leaks and check your insulation. Much of a home's energy can get wasted through air leaks in windows, attics, and ducts.

3. Lower your thermostat when you leave the house. According to the Department of Energy, adjusting the thermostat when you leave and return home can save you money and energy.

4. Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to temperature! When adjusting the temperature, set the temperature only for the temperature you want to heat to instead of turning it up hotter to get it to heat faster. The Department of Energy recommends setting it for 68F in the winter.

5. Only run the dishwasher when enough dishes have accumulated for a full load to run through.

6. When drying clothes, dry them with groups of similar clothes to prevent over drying. Normal clothes dried with normal clothes, sheets dried with other sheets, and big winter jackets with other winter jackets.

Source:
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-save-money-heating-and-cooling-your-home
https://www.saveonenergy.com/resources/save-energy-this-fall/
https://www.energy.gov/cmei/femp/home-energy-checklist
https://www.energystar.gov/products/recent_program_updates/low-no-cost-tips
https://www.coolray.com/help-guides/three-thermostat-myths-that-cost-you-money-each-month

Direct indexing. Maybe you've heard about it in the news, or from a colleague, or while scrolling on social media. (Or m...
09/25/2026

Direct indexing. Maybe you've heard about it in the news, or from a colleague, or while scrolling on social media. (Or maybe you've never heard about it and have no idea what I'm talking about.) Either way, it's a strategy that has surged in popularity in recent years.

But what is it, exactly? And who is it right (or wrong) for? What are the pros and cons?

We've put together a quick slideshow that explains the basics of this strategy. Click THE images below to learn more!

Business owners face all sorts of challenges that most people never think about. But that list of challenges doesn't usu...
09/22/2026

Business owners face all sorts of challenges that most people never think about. But that list of challenges doesn't usually shrink as they get closer to retirement. If anything, it gets even larger. That's because business owners have to start thinking about:

-How to determine the value of their business
-How to find a buyer or family member to transition to
-Choosing the right time to sell
-Determining whether selling your business will bring in enough proceeds to fund your retirement and other financial goals.

According to Gallup, 74% of employer-business owners plan to sell or transfer ownership one day.

But 65% of those business owners don't have a succession plan in place.

And 98% of small business owners don't know the value of their own companies.

If you are a business owner, there are few things you can do that are more important than creating a formal, WRITTEN transition plan.

But what does a business transition plan actually cover?

First, an effective plan should include a thorough analysis of your business, including its:

-Finances and management structure
-Team roles and responsibilities
-Competitive environment
-Unique value proposition, plus branding strengths and weaknesses
-Ideal customer profile
-Basic policies and procedures for ensuring smooth day-to-day operations.

Basically, it should show what your business needs in order to be successful. Think of it as an inventory of what you have to work with.

Next, it should address the most important needs you'll have when it comes to selling or transitioning your business:

-How to ensure the orderly payment and transition of ownership/management to your successor/heir.
-How to minimize the taxes that come from selling your business, for all parties involved.
-How to ensure you have sufficient assets to pay estate taxes or to provide necessary liquidity to the business during the transition period.

Business owners often don't have much time to think too far ahead, and this is just scratching the surface. But if you are a business owner who does not yet have a transition plan, we cannot recommend this strongly enough: Get started on one before the year is out.

It is such an incredible secret weapon for ensuring that your company remains viable in the long run, that you can always take care of your customers and employees, and that you can personally derive the maximum value from your business one day.

Sources:
- https://news.gallup.com/poll/657362/small-business-owners-lack-succession-plan.aspx
- https://www.investmentnews.com/retirement-planning/most-potential-business-successors-think-theres-a-plan-but-owners-say-otherwise/267296
- https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/17/most-business-owners-dont-do-the-math-on-their-most-valuable-asset.html

September is "Life Insurance Awareness" month!Here's a comment I often hear:"There are too many options for life insuran...
09/16/2026

September is "Life Insurance Awareness" month!

Here's a comment I often hear:

"There are too many options for life insurance! It's impossible to know which one to choose."😭

Trust me... You're not alone. 👇

More than half of Millennials haven't gotten coverage because they don't know which type or how much insurance to buy, according to one study. (https://www.limra.com/en/research/research-abstracts-public/2018/2018-insurance-barometer/)

Yes, there are a variety of options, but that should be viewed as a way to tailor coverage to meet your individual needs — not as a deterrent to working toward securing your financial future.

In general, there are two major categories of life insurance — term and permanent.

🤔So which one makes sense?

It all depends on your needs.

You can think of the difference as: renting (term) vs. buying (permanent).

Term: If your primary goal is to provide for your family in case of an unexpected death, and you want to cover this risk for a fixed number of years (such as until your children are grown), then term insurance is likely the most appropriate option.

Permanent: On the other hand, if your goal is to provide for a lifetime need, or you have other potential goals, such as wealth transfer or potentially covering a long-term care need, permanent insurance may be more appropriate.

On August 3rd, 1978, President Jimmy Carter declared that the first official National Grandparents Day would be celebrat...
09/14/2026

On August 3rd, 1978, President Jimmy Carter declared that the first official National Grandparents Day would be celebrated on September 13th. In the proclamation, he stated:

"Our nation was shaped by the wisdom and courage of our founding fathers, and by the steadfastness of succeeding generations who have sustained their vision through two turbulent centuries of challenge and growth.

Each American family is similarly shaped and guided by its forbears. Just as a nation learns and is strengthened by its history, so a family learns and is strengthened by its understanding of preceding generations. As Americans live longer, more and more families are enriched by their shared experiences with grandparents and great-grandparents.

The elders of each family have the responsibility for setting the moral tone for the family and for passing on the traditional values of our Nation to their children and grandchildren. They bore the hardships and made the sacrifices that produced much of the progress and comfort we enjoy today. It is appropriate, therefore, that as individuals and as a nation, that we salute our grandparents for their contribution to our lives."

In honor of Grandparents Day, we asked a few people we know who are grandparents what words of wisdom they would share with the next generation. Here's what they said:

"Never quit trying."

"Embrace a set of standards and a philosophy for life that you can live by and stand fast by it throughout the rest of your life."

"Stay positive and life will be happier."

And my personal favorite:

"Listen to your elders, 'cuz they been there and done that."

Happy Grandparents Day!

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1013 Long Prairie Road
Flower Mound, TX
75028

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