Sunday, December 13, 2020

The First Meeting with a Financial Adviser



Based in Park Ridge, Illinois, Leslie ”Les” Goldstein leads Arete Wealth Management, LLC, and provides client-driven strategies that held build and preserve family legacies. The author of Big Picture Retirement Planning, Les Goldstein addresses a variety of topics, including the importance of drafting a “retirement wish list” with one’s financial adviser.

When taking on a new client, financial professionals want to see items such as retirement account and Social Security benefit statements, as well as tax returns. They also want to know about personal goals and objectives, as well as timeframes and lifestyle parameters.

For that first meeting, the list of items to be discussed should include how someone envisions spending their time in retirement and whether they plan to move or remain locally based. If the aim is to maintain a similar level of spending as when working full time, the conversation will be centered around keeping pace with increased health care costs, inflation, and taxes.

As part of this process, drawing up scenarios such as one spouse requiring long-term care will involve working with the adviser on ways to afford health care in worst-case situations. At the same time, the adviser will talk about steps that can be taken to ensure that someone’s wishes are carried out in situations involving disability or death. This may entail strategic steps such as setting up a will, living trust, or durable powers of attorney. 

Wednesday, June 24, 2020

Tips for Fishing Safely During Coronavirus Pandemic


An Arete Wealth Management-licensed advisor, Leslie “Les” Goldstein serves as CEO of Personal Financial Strategies, Inc., in Park Ridge, Illinois. In addition to applying his Arete Wealth Management, LLC licensure skills to build client relationships that span three generations, Leslie Goldstein enjoys fishing in his leisure time.

Some recreational anglers are wondering if it’s safe to go fishing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most states are not placing restrictions on fishermen spending time out on the water, but they are encouraged to follow safety recommendations as well as any applicable local regulations. Of course, stay home if you are sick, especially if you have COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever, coughing, and/or difficulty breathing.

Make the trip to your favorite fishing spots only with members of your household who are feeling well. Make sure to avoid sharing fishing gear with anyone outside of your household. Exchanging rods and reels, bait, lures, towels, pliers, or other items with people can spread the virus. Practice social distancing to decrease the chance of spreading the virus. A good way to measure a safe distance is to use your fishing pole as a guide. If you can turn all the way around without hitting anyone, you have achieved a safe distance. Of course, keep your hands away from your face and bring along an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to clean your hands when soap and water are not available.

Wednesday, June 17, 2020

How the COVID-19 Pandemic is Impacting Professional Sports


The CEO of Personal Financial Strategies, Inc., Leslie “Les” Goldstein is an Arete Wealth Management-licensed advisor. Responsible for overseeing financial planning and investment advisory decisions, Arete Wealth Management-licensed advisor Leslie Goldstein enjoys watching basketball in his spare time.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and other professional sports leagues are looking for new ways to engage fans. One way fans can get their sports fix is by viewing classic games, archived content, documentaries, niche competitions, and more on ESPN and Fox Sports. Basketball fans may be happy to know that the NBA and Turner Sports are not charging for the League Pass streaming subscription service right now.

Looking to the future, some leagues are looking at alternative plans to play games without live audiences to avoid losing all TV revenue. Options for future professional sports games may include relocating training facilities and playing matches in areas with low COVID-19 prevalence rates and even isolating entire teams and their management staff to a single area during the season.

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Family First Program from the AGB Foundation Supports Minority Youth


Dedicated financial planner and Arete Wealth Management, LLC licensed investment advisor Leslie Goldstein leads Personal Financial Strategies, Inc., in Illinois as its CEO. Dedicated to supporting his community, Leslie “Les” Goldstein of Arete Wealth Management, LLC, serves on the Board of Directors of the Always Giving Back Foundation (AGB Foundation).

Dedicated to inspiring minority youth, rewarding motivated students, and supporting families in need, the AGB Foundation prepares the next generation of the workforce. This is accomplished through the organization’s many programs, including Family First.

Family First works on closing the racial wealth gap that was noted by the Federal Reserve in 2017. According to the 2017 report, white households across the United States have roughly 10 times the wealth of black households. Toward this end, the program hosts quarterly seminars for young minority professionals. These seminars focus on various financial and business topics and include CEO panels, financial literacy basics instruction, a love and business workshop, and a young professional panel.

In addition to these panels, Family First provides direct assistance to families of color. These families are often going through a crisis and are unable to provide essential items to their children for school or during the holidays. Family First fills this gap and provides gifts and other supplies to children that their family would otherwise be unable to afford.

Friday, March 27, 2020

Tax Breaks Renewed for 2020 Tax Year

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

AARP Trends Report Reveals Baby Boomers’ Travel Plans in 2019

Suitcase on the floor
Suitcase
Photo by Brandless on Unsplash

With investment licenses through Securities America Corporation, Leslie Goldstein leverages over three decades of experience in the financial services industry to inform his role as the president and chief investment officer of Personal Financial Strategies, Inc., an advisory firm he founded in 1996. An avid traveler, Leslie “Les” Goldstein has written and published articles for Kiplinger magazine, one of which focuses on how to determine specific goals in retirement. A frequent retirement goal for many of Les' clients is travel.

Baby Boomers who are either retired or nearing retirement at the age of 55 to 75 years old are making traveling plans earlier than in previous years. According to the 2019 Boomer Travel Trends, the most recent report published by AARP Travel Research, 31 percent of Baby Boomers had booked their international flights in 2019 compared to 23 percent in 2018 and 17 percent in 2017. Baby Boomers planned to go on trip destinations four to five times before the end of the year. They were projected to spend $6,621 for all their trips.

When asked about the general destination for their trips, 48 percent of the respondents chose to travel both domestically and internationally. Forty-seven percent of the respondents had domestic travel plans, only while six percent will stick with international trips. The top reason for the Baby Boomers’ travel plans is to visit and spend quality time with family and friends (57 percent), followed by the motivation to relax (48 percent), and finally, to escape from their daily lives (47 percent).