Tag Archives: Green Financial Group

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10 Things You Should Know When Estate Planning (Ep.49)

Finance, Financial, Investing, Retirement, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

There will eventually come a time when you pass away but that doesn’t mean you should wait until then to start building a comprehensive estate plan.

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith discuss 10 things you should know about estate planning and will be your guide to making confident decisions about your estate planning.

Jeff and Lauren discuss:

  • How an estate planning attorney can help you
  • The value of using an online cloud-based digital storage to store important documents
  • Why it is important to consider who you are assigning as your beneficiaries
  • And more

Connect With Green Financial Group:

Raymond James and its advisors do not offer legal advice. You should discuss any legal matters with the appropriate professional.

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College Planning Using a 529 Plan With Ryan White, CIMA® (Ep.47)

Finance, Financial, Investing, Retirement, , , , , , , , , ,

Most people can agree that they’re concerned about college education planning and ultimately paying for the cost of college.

A 529 plan is a great tool in helping you reach your education savings goal.

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith talk with Ryan White, CIMA® a director of product management at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, US. You will learn why a 529 plan is a simple way to save for all educational related expenses, and what your three options are if you still have money in your 529 account after college.

Ryan discusses:

  • The basics of 529 planning
  • How a FAFSA will calculate your eligibility for financial aid
  • The opportunities for tax benefits that set a 529 apart from other vehicles
  • And more

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Connect With Ryan White:

About Our Guest:

Ryan White, CIMA®, is an experienced financial services professional with a demonstrated history of success in distribution, product management, and relationship management in the asset management industry.

As with other investments, there are generally fees and expenses associated with participation in a 529 plan. There is also a risk that these plans may lose money or not perform well enough to cover college costs as anticipated. Most states offer their own 529 programs, which may provide advantages and benefits exclusively for their residents. Investors should consider, before investing, whether the investor’s or the designated beneficiary’s home state offers any tax or other benefits that are only available for investment in such state’s 529 college savings plan. Such benefits include financial aid, scholarship funds, and protection from creditors. The tax implications can vary significantly from state to state.

 

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Creating the Pre-Retirement Checklist (Ep.46)

Finance, Financial, Investing, Retirement, , , , , , , , , ,

It might feel good to just up and retire from your job without any plan. But that may not be the smartest choice.

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith talk about the ‘pre-retirement checklist’ they have created for their clients and how it can change their entire experience of the retirement lifestyle. They also go into detail about the difference between clients that have used this plan far in advance and clients who have used this a little later in the game.

Jeff and Lauren discuss:

  • Their personally constructed retirement checklist
  • How to establish your values in retirement to help you stay fulfilled after your working years are over
  • Why it is important to be discussing your retirement plans, aspirations, and wants early-on with your spouse
  • The strategy of picking a specific date to have your goals established for retirement
  • And more

Connect With Green Financial Group:

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Starting Your Career in Financial Services with Melanie Knight (Ep.45)

Finance, Financial, Investing, Retirement, , , , , , , , ,

Everybody has their own personal experiences which helped them kick start their career in the financial industry.

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith talk with Melanie Knight, director of operations and client services at Green Financial Group, to discuss her experience going directly from college to starting her career at Green Financial Group. 

Melanie discusses:

  • The responsibilities of client service within Green Financial Group
  • The typical day working as a financial professional
  • The environment of graduating college during Covid and how different it is compared to pre-pandemic years
  • How she finds balance between work and everyday life
  • And more!

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Connect with Melanie Knight:

About Our Guest:

Melanie Knight is one of those people who just like to get things done. As the Director of Operations and Client Services at Green Financial Group, she does just that while supporting clients and their families with important administrative and clerical tasks, directing the team’s internal operations, and serving as a friendly liaison for clients. She finds an immense amount of satisfaction in helping a client with any issue, small or large, from opening new accounts to facilitating money transfers to helping generate annual reports.

 

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Critical Financial Discussions To Have With Your Aging Parents & Kids (Ep.44)

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Having conversations about family wills can be tough. How do you start that conversation from one family to another?

In this episode, Jeff and Lauren share some advice surrounding the later stages of life and what they entail in terms of finances. They also highlight how discussing these things, despite how morbid they may sound, is so important and will benefit everyone in the long run.

Jeff and Lauren discuss:

  • The important discussions about wills that should happen between parents and children in the parents’ later stages of life
  • The importance of uploading, saving, and giving access to financial wills to other family members
  • How medical directors can serve your best interest in the future
  • How they extend their relationships with clients and allow themselves to be a resource to many families
  • And more!

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The Financial Concerns of the Pandemic (Ep. 41)

Finance, Financial, Investing, Retirement, , , , , , , ,

There is no doubt that the pandemic made an impact on everyone’s lives in some way, shape, or form. This becomes increasingly clear when you look at the state of the market, inflation rates and national spending practices. 

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith evaluate the concerns that the people of America have been having regarding government spending throughout the pandemic, the effects of inflation, and how the stock market has been more unpredictable than ever.

Jeff and Lauren discuss: 

  • The trends of the stock market throughout the various stages of the pandemic
  • Whether or not the market is under or overvalued at this current moment in time
  • The effects of inflation on the everyday investor
  • And more!

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Insights on Researching Before You Give: Charitable Giving, Part Two With Kendall Monroe (Ep. 38)

Finance, Financial, Investing, Retirement, Uncategorized, , , , , , , ,

Giving comes in many forms—it can be time, talent, or treasure, but most importantly, giving should come from the heart. 

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith speak with Kendall Monroe, chief advancement officer at the Kidney Cancer Association and co-founder and director of development of The Way Home Adoption. Kendall discusses her role in each of the organizations, and how the organizations give back to help people in the global community.

Kendall discusses: 

  • How each of the organizations help the Houston community and around the world
  • How to evaluate your options for charitable gifting
  • Her job as a certified charitable financial planner
  • The most important things to look for when it comes to charitable giving
  • And more

Resources:

Connect With Kendall Monroe:

Connect With Green Financial Group:

 

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What to Think About To Live Your Dream Retirement (Ep. 36)

Finance, Financial, Investing, Retirement, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

“A goal without a plan is just a dream.”

You will not be able to live your dream retirement without a proper financial plan in place.

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith discuss the important things to think about as you plan for retirement. They recommend what actionable steps you could be taking now to plan for your dream retirement in the future.

Jeff and Lauren discuss: 

  • The value of using a bucket list to live out your dreams in retirement
  • The factors you need to consider when you decide when to start taking Social Security
  • The importance of planning when deciding on your retirement date
  • Why you should use your time before retirement to focus on your budget and cashflow
  • And more

Connect With Green Financial Group:

 

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Giving Direction for Your Children’s Financial Success (Ep. 29)

Finance, Financial, Investing, Retirement, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

Children are not getting the financial education in school that they need before they enter adulthood. But there are a few things you can do as a parent to help prepare your children for financial success before they are on their own.

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith share some tips to help parents get into the mindset of preparing their children before they enter the financial world.

Jeff and Lauren discuss: 

  • Why your children need to build a credit history
  • The importance of teaching your children to have a sense of savings
  • Why your children should be aware of good debt and bad debt
  • The idea of networking to make connections
  • And more!

Resources: 

Connect With Green Financial Group:

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Should I Pay Off My House Before I Retire? With Jim Chaplin (Ep. 28)

Finance, Financial, Investing, Retirement, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We all have those burning questions about planning for retirement. One of the most commonly asked questions that people want to know is, “Should I pay my house off before I retire?”

In this episode, Jeff Green and Lauren Smith talk with Jim Chaplin, vice president/senior mortgage loan originator at Elite Lending Group to get his perspective on the topic.

Jim Chaplin discusses: 

  • The items to take into consideration before deciding to pay off your mortgage before retirement
  • The backseat figures of making the decision
  • The state of the real estate market right now and how this may impact your decision
  • And more

Connect With Jim Chaplin:

Connect With Green Financial Group:

About Our Guest:

Jim Chaplin: Jim Chaplin has a total of 30 plus years of real estate related experience. Licensed Texas Real Estate Broker since 1974 which makes him very familiar with promulgated contract documents. Specialties include, lot loans, and construction loans as well as a wide range of mortgage products.

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