How should you prepare for success in 2018?

Well, how would you prepare for a big vacation trip?

The first step would be to determine your destination. I mean, how do you know what path to take if you don't know where you're going? Then you must determine what you're going to do when you get there. And, who's coming with you? How much will it cost?

Then you have to book the trip, get your stuff together, pack, prepare—and then go and return home safely.

In this "final episode" of the Doug Fabian podcast, I tell you how to approach your 2018 financial goals the way you would approach preparing for a big vacation trip.

That means you have to review your destination and figure out the path forward. First, though, we you must determine where you are, who is coming with you, and what you are going "pack" in 2018.

And yes, you read that right. This is the "final episode" of the Doug Fabian podcast, and the reason why is because the new year is going to ring in with our new show… the Science of Economic Freedom.

The Science of Economic Freedom, or SOEF, is a podcast dedicated to helping you accomplishment your financial goals. I am extremely excited about this new show, and along with my team of experts at Mercer Advisors, we are committed to providing you the best information out there to help you make great financial decisions, and to help you cultivate the requisite motivation to act in your own best interest.

There's now only three weeks left in 2017, but that's still plenty of time to make some smart financial planning moves before the year is over.

In our last episode of the Doug Fabian Podcast, we told you about some of the things you can do now to prepare yourself for the year ahead. Some of those things were maximizing retirement plan contributions, charitable deductions and funding a Roth IRA.

This week's episode includes a deeper dive into taxes, and how you can take steps now to manage your tax liability in 2018. Tactics such as quarterly meetings with your CPA and/or tax advisor are covered in detail in this episode.

Then we turn to what I call the "Bucket System" of looking at your finances and investment strategy. This is a way of looking at your money that helps you organize properly, and allows you to identify where your money might need attention.  

Plus, why now is a great time to "reboot" your investment thinking, and the right questions to ask yourself as we head into 2018.

There's only four weeks left in 2017, but that's plenty of time to make some smart financial planning moves before the year is over.

Yes, I know everyone is in the thick of the holiday season, and you've got a host of things to check off your to-do list. But remember, once the year closes, you can't go back.

That means time is of the essence if you want to take a few steps to minimize your tax liability, and maximize your balance sheet.

Let's face it, even if tax reform legislation passes, it's most likely not going to help you. In fact, depending on the state you live in and the income you earn, I suspect many listeners may end up paying more in taxes than they did before tax reform.

In this episode of the Doug Fabian Podcast, I tell you about several ways, and several last-minute moves, you can make to help minimize your tax profile this year.

Have you maximized your retirement plan contributions? Have you maximized your charitable deductions? What about funding a Roth IRA? What about a Roth IRA conversion?

These are just some of the helpful financial planning moves you can make before year end.

What does your balance sheet say about you?

Are you saving enough money? Have you accumulated enough assets? How much debt do you have? Are you spending too much money? What was the return on your investments this year?  

The process of building a better balance sheet doesn't have to be complicated, but you do have to be disciplined, you do have to ask the right questions… and you do have to understand a few key principles.

In this week's podcast, we talk all about how to build a better balance sheet, including ways to increase savings, reduce spending, manage your taxes and increase your income.

Plus, what is the one thing you can do to improve your financial life in 2018?

After this week's show, you'll have a very good idea of what that one thing could be, and how to go about getting that thing done!

One of my favorite holidays is just a few days away, and if you're like most American families, you'll probably gather around the kitchen, prepare a big meal and feast on turkey.

Well, this year, in addition to eating turkey, why not also talk turkey when it comes to your money?

In this pre-Thanksgiving edition of the Doug Fabian Podcast, I challenge listeners to make a special effort to have money discussions with their spouses, children, grandchildren, and other family members.

My goal in this podcast is to help you ask the right questions, and bring up the right topics, so that you can begin formulating and improving your money plans for 2018.

Topics in this show include:

• How to organize your personal balance sheet
• How to begin legacy planning
• How to best deal with legacy assets
• Plus, my favorite investment idea for a young person

If you want to break the mold at this year's Thanksgiving dinner by talking about something that actually matters to everyone, this podcast is a great way to start.

In our last podcast, I told you that contrary to what many pundits believe, the market is not at all-time highs based on valuations. Sure, overall market valuations matter, but what matters more is individual company valuations.

What this means for you, the investor, is that you need to discriminate based on valuation via tilting your portfolio towards value stocks—not only because they have higher expected returns, but also because they provide a measure of downside protection when broader market valuations become stretched.

But what, exactly, are value stocks?

Where and how do you find the right value stocks?

What are the best value-stock vehicles out there?

These are just a few of the questions we answer in this episode of the Doug Fabian podcast… and it's a topic that's a must for every investor.

If you want a broad, yet detailed, overview of value stock essentials—including their relative outperformance vs. growth stocks—this podcast is for you.

In this week's podcast, we look at the market action in October, and we provide details on how the Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite and other key indices performed for the month, and year to date. We also take a look at key bond market segments to see what the performance looked like there.

I know many people have asked me where I think this market is headed, particularly give the continuous march to new, all-time highs.

To further answer that question, I went straight to the best source I know, Mercer Advisors Chief Investment Officer Don Calcagni. Don recently shared his thoughts on the market with me and my Mercer colleagues, and those thoughts were so insightful I thought I would share them with you.

If you want to find out where the market stands, and more importantly, where the market likely goes from here, then this week's show is for you.

Finally, one great way to plan for 2018 is to contact me for a free, one-hour wealth coaching consultation. If you want me to work with you to help identify your biggest challenges to achieving and maintaining economic freedom, then wealth coaching is for you. 

We haven't even hit the holiday season yet, but before you know it, 2018 will be here.

And while it may seem a bit early to start planning for 2018, it's definitely not.

In this week's podcast, it's all about tips, tricks and techniques to help you get your 2018 journey toward greater economic freedom started off right.

Do you want to save more money in 2018?

Do you want to spend less money in 2018?

Do you want to increase your rate of return in 2018?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then this podcast is a must listen.

Finally, one great way to plan for 2018 is to contact me for a free, one-hour wealth coaching consultation. If you want me to work with you to help identify your biggest challenges to achieving and maintaining economic freedom, then wealth coaching is for you.  

One of the best things about having a podcast is I get to connect with, and help, all sorts of listeners, from all over the world. In fact, many of my recent podcasts have generated a lot of listener questions—and that's a sign that we are doing something right!

In this week's show, it's all about your questions, as the entire podcast is devoted to answering listener inquiries. 

Topics addressed here are diverse, and include how to handle investing in educational funds such as 529 accounts; what constitutes cash alternatives, the best tools for generating income from existing cash assets, why higher-yield bonds equal higher risks, the importance of diversification… and much more.

If you want to hear what's on the mind of your fellow listeners, or if you have questions on any of these topics, this week's podcast is for you.

Also, remember I continue to offer podcast listeners a free, one-hour wealth coaching consultation to help identify your biggest challenges to achieving and maintaining economic freedom.

What's out of sight is often out of mind, as the adage goes. Yet there is one "silent thief" that's starting to creep back into the market picture, and he's got the potential to start taking what's yours.

This "silent thief" is inflation, and the notorious culprit is really beginning to rear his ugly head after years in virtual hiding.

In this episode of the Doug Fabian podcast, I give you an update on inflation, including statistics over the past decade. Here you'll find out what why even the subtle inflation we've seen since 2007 is robbing you of your total returns.

Hey, let's face it: Our minds are pre-programed to not notice what's invisible, but that doesn't mean the invisible isn't there. This is particularly true of inflation.

Fortunately, we can correct our programming on this topic, and that correction begins with seeing inflation clearly… and that is the subject of this episode.

The fact is that inflation is very likely to be higher in the years to come than it's been in the past, and that means you need to prepare right now. This week's episode shows you how.

Markets just closed the books on the third quarter, and to say that the performance numbers have been stellar would be the height of understatement.

So, how did the major domestic market equity averages perform during Q3? How about international stocks? What about bonds and commodities, how did they fare in Q3?

In this special bonus episode of the podcast, it's "just markets."

The reason why I like to do a just markets episode each quarter is that I'm a firm believer that your investment portfolios deserve a close look each quarter. This includes a comparison of how the markets are performing, and how your accounts are responding to the current environment.

Do you need to make any adjustments to ensure you're on the path to achieving economic freedom?

You won't know until you know what has actually happened in markets over the past several months… and that's what this special bonus episode is all about.

And after listening, if you find yourself out of step with the markets and in need of to make some adjustments, or if you just want a second set of eyes on your portfolio to make sure you are doing things right, I'm here to help.