Carson Capital

You can be in the 1%. Here's the simple secret. 99% want the results. 1% do the work. Nothing worth doing is easy. It's not a matter of what you want. What are you willing to suffer for? Are you willing to do the work? If not, I'd argue you don't want it. We change when the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. Is your current financial situation painful enough to start making some changes?

I was recently speaking with a prospect who has spent decades working with an advisor to grow his multi-million dollar retirement portfolio. Now, as he approaches retirement, he’s considering managing it himself—moving to low-cost index investing, rebalancing on his own, and handling tax efficiency without professional guidance. It’s a common thought: “Why should I pay an advisor when I can just invest in index funds and dollar-cost average?” But here’s the thing—there’s a huge gap between knowing what to do and actually doing it well. ?? Reality Check: ? In 2024, the S&P 500 returned +25%, yet the average retail investor saw just +3.7%. (Source: JPMorgan) ? Just seven stocks drove 53% of the market’s total returns. ? The CAPE ratio is 38, historically exceeded only during the dot-com bubble and 2021. And yet, many DIY investors believe markets will keep delivering easy gains forever. That’s Recency Bias at work. ?? What DIY Investors Often Overlook: ?? Risk Management – Sequence of returns risk is real, especially in retirement. A bad year early on can derail decades of careful planning. ?? Behavioral Mistakes – It’s easy to say you’ll stay the course until the market drops 30% and fear takes over. ?? Portfolio Construction – High-net-worth investors, pensions, and endowments don’t just buy the S&P 500—they allocate 20-40% to alternatives for stability and risk-adjusted returns. ?? Execution Discipline – Rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting, and adjusting allocations aren’t just check-the-box tasks—they drive long-term results. Look, I’m not against passive investing. But execution is what separates those who get market-like returns from those who think they’re getting them. If you’re managing your own investments, do you actually track your real returns against the market? If not, it might be worth a conversation. If you’re curious how my clients performed compared to the average retail investor, let’s talk—I think you’ll be blown away. #Investing #WealthManagement #RetirementPlanning #FinancialFreedom #IndexInvesting #BehavioralFinance

An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today. My focus remains on finding and investing in the best companies in the world that will thrive regardless of the economy. Have a solid plan to thrive through challenging times. "If you spend 13 minutes a year on economics, you've wasted 10 minutes." - Peter Lynch #money #investing #finance

You know that feeling of knowing you are forgetting something. It creates so much stress and anxiety. ?? This is what most people do with their money all the time. They have questions and doubts that float around in their minds, such as: -Am I saving enough? -Do I have the right investment strategy? -How much do I need to make work optional? -Where does my money go every month, and how can I accurately and easily track it? -Is my family at risk because I don't have the proper levels of insurance? -How can I invest for growth but sleep well at night without worrying about volatility? -How can I pay less in taxes? -Can I lower the cost of my debt? Eliminating the stress is simple but challenging for most to do. It starts with writing. Write down every single one of your questions or thoughts about money in one place. Create your personal balance sheet to understand your current reality (net worth). Then, write down your: Vision (where you want to be in 10 years) Values (what's most important to you on your journey. The character and principles that will guide your decisions and focus) Goals (the critical milestones you want to accomplish on the path to your 10-year vision) Write a prioritized list of the most important things that you have control over. Create a simple and repeatable system to execute and track your progress CONSISTENTLY. _____ If you don't know where to start, I do. I've built a multi-million dollar portfolio on my wife's and my modest salaries. I now work with growth-minded people to build and execute their shortest path to financial freedom using my proven strategies and systems. I believe everyone should have access to ultra-high-net-worth services regardless of how much money they have. I've created a free 89-point checklist to assess gaps in your financial plan across cash flow, investments, insurance, estate, etc. It's simple, yes-and-no questions and takes 10-15 minutes to complete. I'll then personally follow up with personal recommendations and an initial prioritized plan. Identifying, prioritizing, and closing these gaps is critical to getting on the shortest path to your financial goals. Maybe we'll work together, maybe not - but either way, you'll have the start you need. The link to get started is in the comments. ??????

Hiring an advisor costs a lot. Doing it yourself poorly costs more. Doing nothing costs the most. You can do it well if you’ve got lots of spare time. Most people don't have much spare time, so they either do it poorly or do nothing. Look at the big picture of the costs and the overall benefit (results) and choose the best one.

Is Warren Buffett an investor or philosopher? I believe he is one of the greatest investors ever because of his ability to strategically connect capital to the larger picture and understand and work with his emotions. He is calm, confident, and strategic when the world is burning around him. If you want to be a great investor, you have to "know thyself" and be able to sit back and observe things with logic, even when things seem turbulent. Your ability to control your emotions and avoid irrational behavior during market ups and downs is more crucial than technical brilliance. The best thing you can do is to make strategic data-driven decisions that can be systematized before experiencing the emotions of the market's highs and lows. Get your plan in place now.

Too little cash costs you unnecessary stress. Too much cash costs wealth and freedom. Finding the sweet spot is key. To find it: 1. Find the "True" cost of your life by adding up your Monthly Budget (rent, utilities, gas, groceries) combined with your Non-Monthly Expenses (home maintenance, auto maintenance, health costs, travel, etc.) 2. Set up reserve cash accounts (emergency funds, travel, home, auto) and any other big planned expenses in the next 5 years (education, major trip, new house, new car) in high-yield savings accounts. Contribute to each account monthly to fill them when you need the cash. The emergency fund should be 6-12 months of your true cost of living. It should be lower if you are dual-income and have no kids. It should be higher if you have a solo income with variability (e.g., commissions) and children. 3. Given your true cost of living, are you saving/investing enough to be financially free by the time you want to be? Now, you must make strategic decisions about what you want more—your current lifestyle or freedom. Most of the time, the answer lies in a mix of both—e.g., freedom in 10 years while living a good lifestyle. 4. Write down the plan, execute it, and track your progress consistently. If you want help doing all of this and way more from someone who's learned all the lessons, made all the mistakes, and obsessively improved my strategy and systems, reach out. Let's get started today. I can put you on the shortest path to your financial goals.

The most undervalued growth strategy: Patience.

"I'll invest when I have more money.” False. If you don't invest $100 when you have $1k. You won't invest $1k when you have $10k. And you won't invest $10k when you have $100k. Money isn't the problem. Holding onto bad habits is. Upgrade your mindset before it's too late.

"One of the great ironies of getting wealthy is realizing that many of life's greatest pleasures are free." Nick Maggiulli