Many people who give financial advice have business models that make it hard for them to work solely for you and in your best interests. We believe you’re better off—and will have a greater sense of financial control—if you do it yourself with the guidance of a flat-fee or hourly rate financial planner. Avoid those asset under management (AUM) fees, which many investors overlook because they are automatically deducted from their account. If a 1% AUM fee seems like a tiny slice of your nest egg, think of it instead as a 20% chunk of your annual investment returns—now that’s meaningful.

Aptus partner Tim Quillin's guest post on the White Coat Investor blog discusses how to make changes if your employer offers a subpar 401(k) plan, with "high, hidden fees, poor investment choices, and conflicted or non-existent financial education." Tim suggests that with "a little self-education and a proactive, cooperative approach, you can help make your plan better."

We believe small business 401(k)s can be less expensive than feared, relatively simple to manage and provide significant long-term benefits to both owners and employees. For high-earning small business owners, the ability to defer taxes on a significant chunk of income each year—more than is possible with a SIMPLE IRA—and avoid the pro rata rule on “backdoor” Roth IRA contributions make 401(k) plans attractive, especially over the long run.

At Aptus, we believe simple beats complex almost every darn time. Find a job you love [or at least don’t hate], spend less than you make, save for rainy days and retirement, and invest simply and wisely. Easy, peasy, lemon squeezy. When we present this concept to clients, we often caveat it by saying we can’t really help them find a job. There are limits to the scope of our work, right? Well, we’re not a staffing firm but we do have some thoughts on finding a job you love.

Arkansas Business published an interesting, well-written story on the FIRE (Financial Independence/Retire Early) movement. There are many great points in the article, but the most important notion is to spend less than we make, pay down debt and save for retirement. Building net worth can liberate us from dead-end jobs and lead to financial freedom.

Tim and Sarah Catherine debate the merits of the FIRE movement (Financial Independence/Retire Early). Is it sparking a generation to save more, or is it setting the bar unrealistically high? And what are ICE and WARM?

Aptus partner Tim Quillin’s op-ed highlights the ongoing regulatory efforts to force brokers to act in their clients’ best interests. “…this is probably not an issue that will be solved by government intervention. Folks, we need to assume that many of the people who give financial advice are not always looking out for us. In the financial world, we need a healthy level of cynicism. If you have the right personality and disposition, you're better off managing your own money.”

Our dream is to help create great employer retirement plans. It's how we can reach ordinary folks who would never otherwise get a financial advisor who is truly only interested in what’s best for them and getting them to save more money. We imagine a world where people get to retire. With dignity. On their own terms.

Whether you develop a financial plan on your own or work with Aptus, it’s important to consider the multitude of contingencies in your life and how to best address each. A coordinated approach to risk will not only provide peace of mind but should also help reduce your spending on expensive insurance and increase your ability to save for retirement.

Aptus founder Sarah-Catherine Phillips Gutierrez's op-ed highlights a critical issue in financial wellness. We think the biggest barrier to saving for retirement is buying too much house. The payments and repairs crowd out the ability to save. The problem is that current rules of thumb encourage people to aspire to unaffordable homes