VFA Blogs
Our Process is an important part of our culture and success. Several times a year, we write a BLOG to highlight a certain aspect of our process. All blogs are written by us. They are easy to read and nearly all of them have a long "shelf-life" So feel free to read any or all of them. And check back frequently to stay current on any new blog that we may post.
What Your Retirement Income Plan Should Tell You
August 2026: You can afford the trip. The math says so. You book it anyway with a knot in your stomach. That’s not a math problem. It’s a psychological and/or emotional problem. Most retirement plans can tell you whether your money will last. Almost none tell you what adjustments you’ll have to make along the way. And what would trigger those adjustments. That gap is where the knot in your stomach lives.
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Our Thoughts on Communication
May 6, 2026: We were recently considering what a commercial airline pilot knows about communication. Specifically, the difference between a pilot who goes silent from takeoff to landing; and one who talks to you. The communicative pilot welcomes you aboard. Tells you the route. Gives you a heads-up when turbulence is ahead. Explains why the seat belt sign just came on. You might not love flying, but you feel taken care of. You feel informed. You feel calm.
OUR PROCESS - The Value of Beforehand
April 2026:The account of Mary anoin􀆟ng Jesus Christ with oil is recorded in not one, not two, not three,
but all four of the Gospels. While there were a lot of opinions expressed by those who
witnessed this event, God explained that even more than the actual oil or more than the act of
being anointed, the real worth of what Mary did was in her timing.
What Baseball Can Teach You About Your money
February 2026: Ignore the noise, trust the process. I recently rewatched Moneyball, the 2011 film about Billy Beane and the Oakland A’s. If you haven’t seen it, here’s the setup.
Don't Live the Hollywood Version of Your Life
December 2025 Are Your Money Beliefs REAL? A friend of mine recently read Frankenstein- just before the Netflix version came out. He thought he knew the story. Everyone does, right? Turns out, he had it backwards. Maybe you do too…
Rebalance Your Portfolio Refocus your Life
September 2025
Small, scheduled moves to keep your plan (and days) on purpose. Most of us don’t wake up one day and decide to speed. We ease into it. A mile or two over the limit becomes five… then ten.
We easily fall into habits — until a flashing blue light in the rear-view mirror snaps us back to the rules of the road, like a 15-year-old with a brand-new learner’s permit. Money can drift the same way. Life too.
Live Now
Avoid Regrets Later
Don't be a cog in the machinery of your life
February 2025
According to palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware, the top 5 regrets of folks who are dying are: (1) I wish I'd lived a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me (2) I wish I hadn't worked so hard (3) I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings (4) I wish I'd stayed in touch with my friends (5) I wish I'd allowed myself to be happier
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