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2024 Winter Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

I don’t have to tell you how quickly 2023 passed us by. It seems like we just ushered in the New Year and now we’re about to get to know 2024, just like that. Over the past year, we’ve seen incredible rises in interest rates, a stock market that’s finding its footing once again, and a news year that continues …

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2023 Fall Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

If we had to choose the 2023 word of the year, I think we might need to make it two words: interest rates. How many conversations have each of us had this year that included a reference to interest rates in one form or another? How we got here is a fun discussion that often involves comments like, “Back when …

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2023 Summer Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

No matter what you seek to do in life, there’s likely a path available to you to make it happen. Whether it’s completing a 5K or restoring a classic car, there’s a process that can help you get from here to there. So, with summer upon us, what better time is there to lace up your shoes or begin disassembling …

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2023 Spring Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

We did it; we made it to another spring! We should congratulate ourselves. I recently heard someone say, “If you survived February, you’re probably going to live another year.” Boy, that sure feels true when winter just doesn’t seem to want to end. As is always the case, the world remains a wild and ever-changing place. The financial consequences of …

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2023 Winter Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

With 2023 upon us, I find myself wondering where 2022 went. Didn’t we just finish cleaning up from the last New Year’s party? And now we’re here again? Then I consider all that happened in 2022 and it starts rushing back in a flurry of memories that feels a bit like driving through a hailstorm. Oh, yeah…all of that. So, …

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2022 Fall Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

A recent article in The Guardian put the spotlight on a man – a lawyer – who was overcharged for a train ticket in India. He chose to fight it.  After 100 court hearings and 22 YEARS, he won. He was awarded the outstanding amount, a $188 fine plus interest, and the satisfaction of having been proven right. He said …

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2022 Summer Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

I wonder if you’ve ever experienced this. You’re sitting at your computer looking at some not great news; maybe it’s your 401(k) account that’s taken a dive, or an email that just seems to miss the mark on every possible level and drives you to near your breaking point. You stand up, walk outside, and realize the sun is still …

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2022 Winter Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

I think we don’t spend enough time and energy discussing compounding. Sure, we feel its effects when we look at our account statements from the last couple of years (especially when compared to statements from a decade ago!), but what about other areas of our lives? Is there a compounding effect that’s possible in our careers, relationships, and families that …

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2022 Winter Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

If there’s one thing that we can all agree upon, it’s the uncertainly of the future. As we near the end of 2021 and look ahead to a new year, we have to shake our heads at the mystery of it all.  Who would have predicted the events of this past year, from politics to pandemic to prosperity in the …

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2021 Fall Newsletter: Kansas City

In Newsletters, Newsletters: Kansas City Office, Newsletters: Kansas City Office by Scott Dougan

Have you ever wondered how the world would be different if there were no mirrors? If we couldn’t see ourselves, how would our self-esteem and interactions with others change? Taken even further, it seems that we view the larger world through a reflective lens too. “I see what’s happening out there but how does that make me look or make …