Walkner Condon Financial Advisors

Christmas music is on the radio, which means we're somewhere between Halloween and New Year’s Eve. But before we get to the end of the year and start thinking about some New Year's resolutions, there's still some time left to make sure your 2021 to-do items are checked off, and that includes your financial to-do list. After a long absence on the podcast – somehow almost two months! – Mitch is back on the airwaves with Nate to cover the top items to have on your financial radar as we wrap up 2021. From Required Minimum Distributions – spoiler: they're back in 2021 after a year hiatus – to Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to realizing losses on investments, we cover a lot of ground to make sure there's a little something for everyone. 'Tis the giving season, after all. Questions on what we covered? Or wondering about something else we didn't go over? Drop us a voice message below or send us an email: info@walknercondon.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

In a moment, the real reason you came here for this episode: Cryptocurrency. For now, a brief aside (in the style of a choose-your-own-adventure novel, you may skip past the next paragraph if you wish to get to the meat of the podcast).  For those who recall our conversation – this podcast – on holiday lighting from last year (and the lengths one should or should not go to decorate their home), you may remember Clint saying he was dead set against paying a company to do it for him. Even if you don't remember, we dredged up the audio files to serve Clint the words he uttered not so long ago, as he prepares to use a company to decorate his house for the holidays this year. But in the true spirit of Walkner Condon's commitment to transparency (and the fact that he was called out by a loyal listener), Clint owns up to his misguided judgement and presents the apology track within the podcast.  And now, for the regularly scheduled programming – cryptocurrency. With Bitcoin trading more than four time

There is a preponderance of Baby Boomers who have turned 65 over the last decade. About 10,000 Baby Boomers have hit the traditional retirement age milestone every day since 2011, and everyone in that generation will be 65 by 2030. And while many may be retiring, what about those who own their businesses and can't simply just ride into the sunset?  That's a difficult question and one that applies to more than just the business owners in the Baby Boomer generation. Selling or leaving a business can be a complex situation, often years in the making. In this episode, Walkner Condon's Jonathon Jordan, who recently earned the Certified Exit Planning Advisor designation and is also a CFP®, chats with fellow advisor Keith Poniewaz about everything business succession planning. Jonathon details why he decided to pursue the CEPA designation, how there's much more to selling or leaving than having the face value of your business, and what components are part of a succession plan.  --- Send in a voice messa

When we last saw the Madison real estate market from a realtor's perspective – this episode with Matt Winzenried in June – things were looking red hot, what we dubbed the 'Mad' real estate market. So, as the weather begins to cool and we head toward winter, we thought it'd be a good time to check back in on how things are going in Madison. Charlie Wills from Charlie Wills Team Real Estate Partners and Ryan Smith from Guild Mortgage join Nate to discuss the trends of late from both a buying/selling and lending perspective. Unlike last winter, this one is shaping up to be a bit more of the usual seasonal slowdown, according to Charlie and Ryan, as things trend back toward normal for the first time in what feels like forever. They explain the importance of being prepared, regardless of when you're trying to buy or sell; why waiting could cost you; and that there really are homes that have been on the market for more than 10 days.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/me

For the second time in the last month, Nate and Keith are together in the booth to draw parallels between the game of golf and investing. With the Ryder Cup in Wisconsin, and after a year of waiting because of the pandemic, golf was certainly top of mind for many across the state, and the country, in the last week. And while Europe has dominated the U.S. as of late in the Ryder Cup, it was the Americans that came out on top this time through.  For Nate and Keith, this was almost too easy of an analogy tied to the old adage of investing: Past performance is not indicative of future results. Not only does that comparison hold up on the surface, but it also goes deeper to how each of the respective teams was structured – with Europe electing for the tried and tested players and the U.S. going for selections that could be considered more of emerging market-type picks. Nate and Keith launch into the subject and cover lots of the course when it comes to investing, guarding against risk, and avoiding the l

Formerly the UW Tax-Sheltered Annuity (TSA) 403(b) Program, the UW 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Program (SRP) has recently undergone a name change along with several other changes. With more than 24,000 faculty and staff, UW-Madison is easily one of the largest employers in Dane County – the largest non-government employer in Dane County is UW Health with 9,938 employers, according to In Business Magazine's September issue – so these changes stand to impact plenty of people. Clint and Mitch sit down to discuss the changes known so far, what impact they could have on UW System employees, and action steps that might be on the horizon. They set the stage by covering the basics of 403(b) plans, another way for employees to save for their retirement by investing a piece of their compensation. Are you employed outside of the UW System but have a 403(b) plan? This episode provides some helpful insight into the plans and how they function.  Are you a UW System employee with questions? Feel free to se

Even while watching golf, it's difficult for Nate's mind to not drift toward how the sport might have parallels with investing and financial planning. So it should come as no surprise that after watching this past weekend's 2021 BMW Championship, which saw Patrick Cantlay edge Bryson DeChambeau in a six-hole playoff, Nate had styles of investing on his mind, connected to the opposing styles of Cantlay and DeChambeau. Nate is joined in the booth by Keith Poniewaz – another golf fanatic and member of Walkner Condon's team of U.S. expat financial advisors – to break down the match, and, more importantly, discuss why taking a piece from each style is important as an investor.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

It seems like it'd be an obvious answer to the main question posed by the title of this podcast. But the truth is, we hear a number of different reasons when it comes to prospective clients describing why they're seeking out a financial advisor. For some, it's simply because a family member has one, and so it feels like the right path to follow. Some turn to an advisor after a large life event. And there are others who simply want the peace of mind of having a guiding hand when it comes to something as important as finances.  In this episode, Nate, one of the founding partners of Walkner Condon, and Mitch, a Certified Financial Planner, discuss three common overarching reasons for hiring a financial advisor. And while it's never an ideal situation to have to terminate your financial advisor, Nate and Mitch also cover the three thematic red flags that should alert you to a potential need for a new one.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

As we approach August and the start of college, many incoming freshmen are putting a lot of thought into what their major – or majors – might be. Some have known for years what they want their degree to be, while others may take several more years, and several declarations of majors, to settle on the one they feel is right. In this episode of Gimme Some Truth, we revisit a topic that we've covered previously on the podcast to view it from a different angle, the perspective of a parent with college-aged children. Walkner Condon's Jonathon Jordan, who graduated from James Madison University with a degree in biotechnology, compares his own experience with how he's experienced the big degree decision from a different vantage point.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

This week's guest on Gimme Some Truth is Eric Skjervem, who works in sales for MacDonald & Owen Lumber Company, a national lumber company with locations in Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. With the price of lumber soaring to hard-to-fathom heights over the last several months, many of us have heard accounts of how that skyrocketing price of lumber has impacted people building new homes or remodeling their current homes. Though the price of lumber has cooled off slightly over recent weeks, Eric provides some context, numbers, and stories from inside the industry. In a brief aside, he also tells us about the annual Lumber Convention, which is, to Nate's surprise, more than just a collection of people that look like Paul Bunyan. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

Anyone buying or selling a house in Madison – and likely even those who aren't – knows that the residential real estate market has been hot. But are we in the midst of a Madison housing bubble or is this trend here to stay? Nate, who has a strong background in real estate, and Mitch welcome Associate Broker Matt Winzenried from Matt Winzenried Real Estate Partners back onto the podcast to discuss the latest in Madison real estate. Together, they examine how things have unfolded over the last year, trends on both the buying and selling sides, and the difficult question of whether or not you should forgo that inspection.   --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

Tim Sugar, from Fiduciary Partners, joins Clint & Mitch in the booth to discuss corporate trustees. Many people (naturally) designate a family member as a trustee to administer a trust, not knowing that a corporate trustee was an option. Tim explains when it makes sense to entertain hiring a professional for trust administration and some of the pitfalls that can be avoided from doing so. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

With a new addition to Walkner Condon's growing team, Nate and Clint provide a special bonus episode of Gimme Some Truth to get to know Polly Price. After spending most of her career in fundraising and development roles with non-profits, including an internship with Chicago's Field Museum – hence the cover art for the episode – Polly had a desire to move into the financial planning industry, which helped bring her to Walkner Condon Financial Advisors. She gives insight into her career thus far, pinpoints what she's looking forward to in her new role as Client Services Specialist, and reveals her obsession with DMB (Dave Matthews Band, for those uninitiated).  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

Clint and Mitch dig into a host of retirement strategies on the way to explaining and exploring the Mega Backdoor Roth strategy. Together, they define 401(k)s, IRAs, the role of a Roth, and where a backdoor Roth conversion might come in, building up to the Mega Backdoor Roth conversation. It is a strategy that allows high-income earners that can't directly contribute to a Roth IRA to get a sizeable amount of money into their Roth bucket, tax efficiently. But the Mega Backdoor Roth isn't available to everyone; tune in to learn the pieces that need to be in place for the strategy to be a viable option. For those looking to do some additional reading on retirement and the difference between a 401(k) and an IRA, here's a blog from Mitch on the subject.  --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

What do Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and NFL quarterback Tom Brady have in common? Outside of their celebrity status, Dorsey and Brady are two of the bigger names that have entered into the non-fungible token, or NFT, space in recent weeks. Dorsey sold his first-ever tweet for $2.9 million, while Brady announced his new NFT company, Autograph, at the start of April. Their moves are part of a burgeoning interest in NFTs, a topic that has, quite literally, skyrocketed from one to 100 in search interest since mid-February, according to Google Trends. In this episode, Clint, Mitch, and Dan dive headfirst into NFTs and Digital Collectibles, as Mitch unsuccessfully attempts to purchase an NBA Top Shot pack while recording. Clint and Mitch also frame the conversation from their perspective as financial advisors, discussing NFT's role as investments, where cryptocurrency fits in, and what could lie ahead. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

COVID-19 has presented seemingly endless challenges, as we all try to adapt to living in a pandemic. For small business owners, COVID-19 has not only magnified those challenges, it’s jeopardized their very livelihoods. As of the latest data in mid-March, nearly one-third of businesses remained closed nationally, while more than 40% of small businesses reported debt over $100,000 in 2020, up 25 percent from 2019. (source: https://tracktherecovery.org/) This week on Gimme Some Truth, we explore a local perspective of this struggle for small businesses over the last year. Nate Condon, one of the founding partners of Walkner Condon Financial Advisors, is joined by another of Madison’s Monroe St. business owners, Derek Lee of Pizza Brutta. We cover the trajectory of the last year, challenges faced, decisions made, and changes that might stick in the years to come. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

We take a spin down Electric Avenue to talk about everything EVs – from what electric vehicles are on (or will be on)the market to tax credits to factors shaping the production and overall trend. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

Framed by recent lessons in stock and market volatility from GameStop and the Wall St. Bets subreddit saga, Keith and Stan from Walkner Condon's international team walk through the concept of factor investing, its role in diversification and risk management, and how it can be applied. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

It's been just over a year since Wisconsin recorded its first case of the coronavirus. Clint and Mitch cover everything we've learned since then, including how the record-highs for the market we're currently seeing are far from what they expected at this time in 2020, when the impact and duration of COVID-19 were still unknown. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message

The question on everyone's lips is "What is going on with GameStop?" In this podcast, Keith, Clint, and Stan describe what "shorting" a stock is, what a short squeeze is, and why the concerted efforts of Redditors have put a short squeeze on GameStop and driven up the price an incredible amount in a short time. From there, they look back at the (not so) recent history of the market and discuss this in the context of the dot com boom of the late 90s—along with analyzing some of the more nefarious activities of traders and speculators in that era. Finally, the three explain why this trade should be avoided (both for financial and legal reasons) and explain the SEC's reputation and history on cracking down on some of these sorts of market manipulations... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/walkner-condon/message