Insights
Bear Market: What is your Response?
We've hit our 3rd bear market in the last 43 months. A bear market is when the market drops 20% from it's high. What does this mean for you and your retirement plan? Is this...
What Should your Financial Planner be Doing?
What should a financial advisor be doing in a season of volatility? Ryan and Gabe discuss what you should expect when working with a Certified Financial Planner during a season...
How Did We End Up in A Bear Market, And What Comes Next?
Presented by Gabe Lapito, CFP® and Ryan Gomendi, CFP® As inflation has risen and stock prices have fallen, we’ve heard a lot of buzz about a bear market recently. And now we’re...
What Do We Do Now? A Strategic Response to the Stock Market Tumble
Many of the discussions around the market decline so far this year have revolved around two issues: why is it happening and how far will it go? Most people look at the market as...
Peabody Energy Employees: Retirement Considerations
Gabe Lapito and Ryan Gomendi go into a few key factors to consider when retiring as an employee with Peabody Energy. https://youtu.be/kmmTX4FCJXM SRP is not affiliated with nor...
Times are Turbulent, Markets are Volatile: What Should Investors Be Worried About?
This article was written by a colleague of ours, Christopher Rivers, and we felt was timely and helpful in these times. A Real Cool Hand My favorite movie for many years was the...
Inflation and Rising Interest Rates
Inflation is at a 40-year high which leads to a lot of uncertainty out there. What does this mean for stock markets and what does it mean for the economy? Listen in as Gabe and...
Ryan Earns New Kingdom Advisors Certification
We would like to congratulate Ryan on his new Kingdom Advisors Certification! Kingdom Advisors puts an emphasis on "a different perspective" that leads clients towards financial...
Reframing Volatility in the Markets
When you're losing money, it's hard to stay positive and optimistic. When the markets get volatile, you might hear the suggestion to “ignore the noise.” That advice is only...
NRECA Employees: Unique Retirement Opportunities
Employees working for the National Rural Electric Coop Association have some unique retirement options. These opportunities are important to know BEFORE retirement. Listen in as...
Gabe Lapito Honored in 2022 Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisor for the 6th Consecutive Year
Billings, MT (4/7/2022) Strategic Retirement Plans, a holistic financial planning firm in Billings, MT and Gillette, WY announced that Gabe Lapito has been named to Forbes...
Monthly Market Update- April 2022
"We saw a bounce in stock markets for March, but everything was down between 3 percent and 8 percent for the first quarter. The reasons for this were twofold. First, with...
Is Hiring a Financial Advisor Worth it? It Depends.
Hiring a financial advisor might be similar to consulting with a lawyer or hiring a personal trainer if we were to compare to other industries. Every lawyer or personal trainer...
The Effects of the Ukraine Invasion
The Ukraine Invasion—What Does It Mean for Investor Portfolios? Russia launched attacks on Ukraine, marking the start of the next phase in the Ukraine crisis. It makes sense that...
Market Update: March 2022
Commonwealth CIO, Brad McMillan, recaps February’s market and economic news. After a weak January, markets were down across the board in February. Although they were able to...
Withdrawal Rates: A Strong Case for Diversification
Is the 4% withdrawal rate still a good rule of thumb for retirement? The latest analysis of this popular strategy may say otherwise. The previous long-term consensus was that 4%...
7 Healthy Financial Steps for 2022
The New Year is not only a great time for establishing or re-establishing healthy fitness habits, but it's also a great time to check in on your financial health no matter your...
An End of Year Financial Checklist: 10 Things to Consider
The end of the year and the beginning of the year are great times to assess, review and apply changes to your financial plans and habits. With new rules this year related to the...
VIDEO SERIES: Arch Coal Employee Benefits Package + Retirement Considerations
***UPDATE: Pension plan options are changing for you! Contact us and we'll help you make the most of your options. In this 4 part video series, Certified Financial Planners and...
Mother Teresa’s Investment Advice
The events from the last couple of years make Thanksgiving and the days that follow extra poignant. The loss and chaos that has tattered our recent days certainly highlight just...
Diversification: Why is it Important?
What is Diversification? Diversification is all about risk and preparing for it! It is easy in times like now to want to put all of your marbles in one jar, especially if...
Gabe Lapito Named to Forbes’ list of Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors for 2021
Strategic Retirement Plans, a wealth management firm in Billings, Montana, today announces that its Owner/Financial Advisor Gabe E. Lapito, MBA, CPA/PFS, CFP®, AIF®, has been...
Welcome to the team, Kaelen Shay!
We are excited to announce that we've added a new team member, Kaelen Shay! "We are so excited to add Kaelen to the team! He has outstanding character and we are thrilled to add...
The Grit that gets the Gold: Lessons from an Olympic Gold Medalist
When you see someone standing at the top of a mountain, there was a climb that got them there. In today’s world where social media plays a continual highlight reel of all...
2021 Market Update: 2nd Quarter
Positive June Caps Off Strong Quarter for Markets Equity markets rallied in June, which capped off a positive month and quarter for all three major...
Leaving Legacy: 30 Years of Giving Time, Talent & Treasure
Humility. Humanity. There’s a reason why these two words look so much alike—they are intended to go together. Kelly Bruggeman, long-time Executive Director of the First...
When Loss Turns into Ladders
Where you sit determines what you see. What you see determines what you do. From the low rung of a ladder, her story may look like one of extreme loss, struggle and...
What is Inflation and Why is it Important?
If you're a retiree or you're looking to retire and you have concerns worry about inflation and how that affects you, listen in to Gabe and Ryan, financial advisors....
How Does Biden’s Tax Proposal Affect You? Part 2
President Biden has proposed some new tax changes. How does this proposal affect you? We are breaking it down into 2 videos. In this video, we cover Proposed changes to the...
How Does Biden’s Tax Proposal Affect You? Part 1
President Biden has proposed some new tax changes. How does this proposal affect you? We are breaking it down into 2 videos. In this video, we cover The "Stepped Up Basis"- the...