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Insights from Griffin Black

Market wisdom and financial perspective for those who seek clarity. Read our latest analysis on wealth building, investment strategy, and planning for what matters most.
Five colorful piggy banks face an orange, five-way arrow on a white background, suggesting different financial choices or savings paths.
  • Young Investors
5 min read

Decoding Retirement Saving: Learning the Lingo of Retirement Planning

Picture this scenario: You have finished a grueling interview process. After days of studying and fielding questions in front of the mirror, you finally get the offer. The job is a perfect fit for you, the salary looks great, and you even get some nice benefits! On your first day, your HR representative asks if you want to take advantage of the company’s 401(k) plan.
Gold-plated seal of the United States Department of the Treasury on a stone wall, featuring scales, a key, and stars with the year 1789 inscribed.
  • Current & Economic Events
5 min read

How the Highest Real Yields Since 2009 Affect Investors

Interest rates have swung wildly over the past two years in response to inflation, economic concerns, and market volatility. After falling as low as 3.3% earlier this year, the 10-year U.S. Treasury is now yielding around 4.2%, back to where it was roughly a year ago. However, while today's long-term yields look similar to last year's on paper, they are quite different from an economic and market perspective. What are interest rates telling us today and how does this impact long-term investors?
A smiling family of four, including two children, are sitting at a table placing coins into a gray piggy bank.
  • My Money & Me
8 min read

Do You Know What Your “Money Culture” Is?

Yes, investment returns matter. But your basic assumptions about and behavior toward money will probably impact your finances – and your eventual wealth – more than you currently imagine.
A child with glasses sits cross-legged on the floor, raising both arms in excitement, with a laptop in front and a sofa in the background.
  • Financial Planning
5 min read

Why Investing Early Is the Key to Achieving Financial Goals

For long-term investors, knowing the difference between what can and cannot be controlled is the key to both financial success and peace of mind. While all investors would like to believe they can predict the direction of the market, experience teaches us that this is difficult to do.
Two adults and two children run joyfully together on a sunny beach with waves in the background. The adults appear older, possibly grandparents, and the children are a boy and a girl.
  • College Planning, Financial Planning
6 min read

6 Rules Grandparents Should Follow When Helping With Grandchildren’s College Savings

Contributing to your grandchildren’s college savings is a wonderful idea. You can reduce worry and financial stress for your own children during their peak career years, enabling them to save more effectively for their own retirement. You can lower the likelihood that student debt will be a burden on the family. And your gifts may even be part of a smart estate plan.
An elderly man and a humanoid robot sit on a couch; the robot is holding a book while the man looks at it thoughtfully. The setting appears to be a modern living room.
  • Recent Events
5 min read

ChatWHAT?

I’ve recently begun receiving several emails per day trying to sell me on the idea of using AI technology to relieve me of work that I do for my clients. I admit that I wouldn’t mind help getting certain things done, but in general I’m not so sure it would be a good idea.
An elderly couple with glasses smiles at a toddler wearing a graduation cap. The child is near a jar of coins and a rolled-up diploma tied with a red ribbon.
  • College Planning, Financial Planning, Saving & Budgeting
5 min read

Why College Planning Is a Core Part of Any Financial Plan 

Celebrating as a family member graduates from high school and attends college is the culmination of years of hard work and a joyous event. Paying for college, however, remains a significant source of stress for many households.
Three wicker baskets filled with brown eggs are arranged on a wooden surface, alongside a rolled-up paper and scattered coins.
  • Young Investors
3 min read

Different Baskets: How Diversification Helps You Grow Wealth

It’s not an uncommon scenario for a young professional: you go to work for a company that is growing rapidly – maybe a high-tech startup or some other enterprise that is expanding aggressively into a well-defined business niche. The company does well, and the profits start rolling in. Before too long,
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  • Investing
3 min read

Down, but Not Out: The Case for Future Growth

The year 2022 is one that most investors might wish to forget. In addition to the bear market in equities caused largely by rising inflation and related economic uncertainties, we saw steep losses in bonds due to similar factors. In related news, though the 60/40 portfolio (60% stocks/equities, 40% bonds/fixed income) has been the mainstay of moderate-growth investors for decades, the poor recent returns in both asset classes may be causing some to wonder if it can be expected to deliver in the future as it has in the past.
A diverse group of eight smiling professionals, both men and women, standing indoors in a well-lit office environment.
  • Financial Planning, Saving & Budgeting
9 min read

5 Reasons Your “Middle Years” Are Different, and What That Means for Your Finances

If you’re just starting out, financial advice is easy to find. Fast forward to nearing 60 and thinking about wrapping up your career, and suddenly just about every financial pitch you’ll hear screams “retirement.”
A digital representation of artificial intelligence with a central "AI" symbol surrounded by interconnecting circuit-like lines and numbers, set on a dark background.
  • Current & Economic Events
6 min read

How Artificial Intelligence, Tech, and Productivity Impact Portfolios

The world has been abuzz over artificial intelligence and its possible benefits and threats. These range from the practical, such as better tools for knowledge workers and ways for students to avoid writing papers, to the philosophical, including what it means to be sentient and how such an emergent phenomenon could impact human civilization. In between, there are more mundane questions around the economy and markets, especially for technology-related sectors. Given the promises and hyperbole around AI, what makes sense for long-term investors?
A tortoise with a patterned shell is resting on dry grass in a sunlit natural setting.
  • Investing, My Money & Me
3 min read

Quick! Don’t Do Anything!

We’ve written recently about the relationship between personality and financial behavior. And it’s a well-known fact that wealth accumulation and investment management is affected as much, if not more, by non-financial factors as by financial ones. Because financial outcomes depend so heavily on behavior, how you manage your emotions in connection with your finances plays a huge role in the type of investing and financial management experiences you have. In particular, the emotional urge to “do something” in response to short-term changes in market conditions often delays or derails many investors’ progress toward their long-term financial goals.

Griffin Black, LLC is an SEC registered investment adviser; registration does not imply skill or training. Content is for informational purposes only and is not investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. No client relationship is created by viewing this site. Information is believed reliable but not guaranteed. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal; past performance does not guarantee future results. Any testimonials or ratings may not reflect all experiences and are not indicative of future outcomes. Additional information, including fees and services, is available in our Form ADV Part 2A.

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