Sam Tenney and Lorie Jones have been honored as 5 Star Wealth Managers for the year 2023.

Created by: Fidelis Wealth Advisors

Notably, Sam, the founder of Fidelis Wealth Advisors, has earned the esteemed title of Five Star Wealth Manager for the 9th year, further exemplifying his unwavering commitment to excellence in the field.

This recognition emphasizes their dedication to delivering high-quality services to their clients. The award, which spans across over 45 markets in North America, is granted exclusively upon individuals who meet a rigorous set of 10 criteria elements following comprehensive research conducted by Five Star Professional.

Sam Tenney, CFP®, AIF®

Lorie Jones, MBA, CFP®

Eligibility Criteria – Required

Credentialed as an investment adviser representative or a registered investment adviser.
Actively employed as a registered investment adviser representative or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of five years.
Favorable regulatory and complaint history review.
Fulfilled their firm review based on internal firm standards.
Accepting new clients

Evaluation Criteria – Considered

One-year client retention rate.
Five-year client retention rate.
Non-institutional discretionary and/or nondiscretionary client assets administered.
Number of client households served.
Education and professional designations.

Join us in congratulating Sam and Lorie as they demonstrate Fidelis Wealth Advisors’ unwavering commitment to excellence while reinforcing their leading position in the wealth management industry.

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This blog is general communication being provided for informational purposes only. This information is in no way a solicitation or offer to sell securities or investment advisory services. It is educational in nature and not to be taken as advice or a recommendation for any specific investment product or investment strategy. This does not contain sufficient information to support an investment decision. Any investment or investment strategy mentioned may not be suitable for all investors or in their best interest. Statistical information, quotes, charts, references to articles or any other quoted statement or statements regarding market or other financial information is obtained from sources which we believe reliable, but we do not warrant or guarantee the timeliness or accuracy of this information. All rights are reserved. No part of this blog including text, graphics, et al, may be reproduced or copied in any format, electronic, print, et al, without written consent from Fidelis Wealth Advisors, LLC. Fidelis Wealth Advisors does not provide legal or tax advice. Please be advised to consult with your investment advisor, attorney or tax professional before making any investment decisions.

Find more ways Fidelis is investing in the community:

Beyond Profits: Fidelis Invests in Communities – Crankers

Beyond Profits: Fidelis Invests in Communities – Hattitude

Stepping outside the world of stocks and investments, Fidelis Wealth Advisors turned its attention towards fostering the potential of our community’s youth.

Created by: Fidelis Wealth Advisors

Fidelis is investing in the Castle Rock Crankers, a high school mountain biking team, with a three-year sponsorship that will assist the team financially but more importantly build team members’ financial literacy and teach healthy financial habits. The partnership aims to foster confidence, skills, and personal growth on and off the trails in the participants of this organization.

Empowering Partnership:

When a Cranker opens a savings or investment account (or use an existing account), Fidelis will commit to matching every dollar contributed up to $2,000 each year for the next three years. These matching funds will be used to cover the cost of a new trailer to transport all necessary equipment to race venues across Colorado. Each youth Cranker can earn money and contribute to their own account. Instead of fundraising for the team, participants are investing in themselves, saving for their future.

Beyond offering monetary support, Fidelis will provide the team with financial education covering topics such as savings, investing, debt management, and wealth building strategies.

Building Confidence on the Trails:

With nearly 30 members dedicating themselves to the challenging world of mountain biking, the Castle Rock Crankers program serves as a platform for the teens to explore their potential and build self-assurance. Through rigorous training and competitions, the team members learn the value of hard work, fostering the belief that dedication leads to success, one rider at a time!

Drawing Parallels between Finance and Mountain Biking:

The Crankers understand the importance of safety, while Fidelis stresses the significance of financial education for a sense of security. Just as proper bike maintenance supports peak performance, we believe regular financial check-ups and wise investment choices can lead to a harmonious financial journey. Fidelis guides clients to make informed decisions about their finances, akin to selecting appropriate biking trails that match their skill level.

Fidelis Wealth Advisors’ commitment to the Castle Rock Crankers exemplifies our dedication to empowering the community’s youth. By providing financial support, education, and mentoring, Fidelis seeks to equip young mountain bikers with essential skills and knowledge for success. Through this initiative, Fidelis desires to nurture the passion for mountain biking while empowering the young riders to navigate their financial journey with confidence, hoping to set them on a path toward a prosperous future.

Fidelis means loyal and faithful. We are loyal to people and loyal to following informed principles. We are passionate in our loyalty to our clients, listening to them, seeking to understand their agenda. We strive to remove as many conflicts of interest of our own as we can so we can align ourselves with our client’s agenda. Our company tagline is “Investing in You” or as it relates to the Castle Rock Crankers, we are “Investing in YouTH” and seeking to make a difference one rider at a time!

Find more ways Fidelis is investing in the community:

Beyond Profits: Fidelis Invests in Communities – Crankers

Beyond Profits: Fidelis Invests in Communities – Hattitude

Created by: Fidelis Wealth Advisors

If managing your finances was a machine, then it might look a lot like the inside of an old-fashioned clock. Lots of gears turning in opposite directions, each one seemingly doing a different job and perhaps giving the appearance they are working toward opposite goals. Yet through the midst of all the twisting and turning, a properly constructed clock will accurately do its job; i.e., tell time – despite all the moving parts.

Saving, spending, investing, budgeting, and making good decisions with your money can sometimes feel like the inside of an old clock. Your money is always being pulled in a variety of directions. Save for the future! Spend today and enjoy the moment! Invest in your kid’s education! Buy a new car! Buy this, spend that, save this, invest in that!

In our August 2022 Newsletter, titled, “A Bucket Approach for Your Money”, we discussed a framework of how to organize your money into ‘buckets.’ The idea behind this framework is to make sure each dollar you have is properly doing its job, whatever it might be. For example, you might be saving for a variety of goals at the same time, such as retirement, kid’s education, a family vacation, or a new car. Similar to our clock analogy, all of these goals may feel like gears pulling your money in different directions. When lots of money goals seem to be bumping into each other, the key is to take a step back and make sure your money buckets are properly organized.

The goal with any clock is to make sure the time is accurate. Likewise, the goal with any money decision is to make sure the gears are all working together in the most efficient way; be that efficiency with taxes, income, growth, etc. In the realm of your money, if you have ever had the thought, “What should I do?”, let us help you organize your money and get all of the gears working together.

Fidelis Wealth Advisors attended the highly anticipated Women with Hattitude benefit, making a stylish statement. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts event raises funds to support the contributions of women in the realm of American theatre.

Created by: Fidelis Wealth Advisors

Aligned with Fidelis’ own Lorie Jones’ Welcoming Women to
the Room series, the objective is to enhance women’s involvement in
workspaces they typically do not frequent.

In a delightful display of sartorial elegance and artistic
expression, Lorie and Skye, the dynamic duo, represented Fidelis by donning their favorite hats. Both ladies enjoyed the special performance by Sheryl McCallum, who is currently starring in Miss Rhythm – The Legend of Ruth Brown, as well as the parade of hats worn by all women in attendance.

“Meeting numerous intelligent and resourceful women who demonstrate the ability to achieve anything they set their minds to was truly wonderful,” Lorie expressed her enthusiasm, stating. “I am grateful for the incredible and inspiring women who have supported me throughout my journey, and I hope that these events can encourage and assist the next generation in succeeding beyond our wildest dreams.”

Lorie and Skye solidified Fidelis’ position as staunch advocates for the empowerment and recognition of women in the workforce including the performing arts community. At the post luncheon auction, Lorie presented her speaking series Welcoming Women to the Room and its efforts to inspire women to explore professional endeavors in finance and other fields normally dominated by men.

“Seeing and meeting so many successful and incredible women from all backgrounds supporting each other professionally and personally, inspires me to exceed my own expectations,” said Skye. “Lorie’s speech left a strong impression on me and others in the room. Her message ignited a sense of empowerment that women can accomplish anything.”

Their participation in this annual occasion not only showcased their innate sense of style and fashion sensibilities but also emphasized Fidelis’ steadfast commitment to supporting the arts and championing the impactful endeavors of women in this vibrant and vital sector of society.

Created by: Fidelis Wealth Advisors

As this topic continues to be our most read and popular topic, we’ll continue our series of “How to talk to your kids/teenagers about money”, by focusing on teenagers today.

Our previous newsletters focused on creating good habits with younger kids that will hopefully translate into better decision-making as they grow. The habits discussed in those newsletters still apply to teenagers, but we’ll take a slightly different approach with them.

Here are few actions your teens can do today, not only to instill good habits, but also to set them up for financial success:

Open a Roth IRA:

Teens can open a custodial Roth IRA with a parent, and as long as they earn money throughout the year, can contribute up to the annual limit. While there are some circumstances for which they could tap into this money without a penalty before retirement, ideally this becomes the foundation of their retirement savings. Remember, with Roth IRAs, money that is saved will grow AND be distributed in the future tax free. The power of compounding interest cannot be understated especially if they start as a teenager.

Open a Bank Account/Checking Account:

While I’m a big believer in kids and teenagers handling physical cash because it teaches lessons that swiping a card can’t teach, all teenagers should have a bank account in their name. Teach them online banking and how to use money transfer tools like Zelle. Be pro-active in helping them send money back and forth using these different tools and learning how to deposit and withdraw funds. They might make mistakes with overdrafts or ATM charges or other missteps, that’s okay!

Read a Book:

Books on money and investing are endless. One book I would suggest that is easy to read but teaches timeless principles is: The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. The book reads in a conversational tone and it teaches lessons on wealth, greed, saving, and having perspective with money.

Instilling the right habits early is important. When your kids become teenagers, getting their financial setup correct is equally important. Enable them to not just learn, but also do. By learnings early, they’ll be able to build a foundation of good money behaviors that hopefully will translate to better decisions in the future.

Created by: Fidelis Wealth Advisors

Are you still sitting on a pile of cash at the bank?

Have you wondered why you still aren’t earning any interest in your checking or savings account even though interest rates are so high?! We all hear about interest rates being high EVERYWHERE, but for some reason that’s not the case in your bank account. Well, unfortunately, there’s a reason for that and the dynamic probably isn’t going to change anytime soon. Banks gladly take in your deposits and then lend out your money to others at a higher rate, using a fractional reserve system, meaning they can lend more out than they actually have in deposits. The difference between what they pay you in interest, and what they get paid on the loans, is their profit. Their goal is to keep the interest they pay to you as low as possible.

Is there anything you can do?

YES, absolutely.

Similar to our October 2022 Newsletter where we highlighted the U.S. Government Treasury market, these interest rates continue to outpace bank rates by a significant margin. For example, as of today, if you were to buy a treasury bond for 12 months, you would receive a 4.88% (as of 5/1/2023) interest rate. Additionally, an advantage to treasuries is they generally have tax advantages on the income that interest within a checking/savings account doesn’t have; i.e., generally federal treasury bonds are tax free at the state and local level.

Money market funds that are backed by U.S. Treasuries also accomplish the same goal.

How does one buy a Treasury bond or money market fund?

Treasuries are securities that need to be purchased in an investment account. What we generally do to help people take advantage of these interest rates, is open an investment account and create a direct link with their checking account. In this way, we can easily send money back and forth if you ever need to use the money for a purchase. With this setup, you get the best of both worlds: (1) Ability to take advantage of higher interest rates with your excess cash and (2) Ability to easily move the money back to your checking account as needed when they mature.

Break free from the near-zero interest you are earning in your bank account. There are other options that can make a difference whether it be with your rainy day fund or your excess savings.

Created by: Fidelis Wealth Advisors

My first article on How to talk to your kids about money was very well received and I want to expand deeper on some of these ideas.

Exposure to Money:

We give my 6-year-old daughter a very small allowance every week. It’s enough to go splurge at the Dollar Store every now and then, which she loves. Every time she receives her allowance, she counts the treasure and determines whether she has enough for a trip to the store that week. After a few fun adventures to the Dollar Store over a 6-month period, and then learning about this magical thing called Amazon Prime, she started getting smart with her money. She realized she could spend a few dollars at the Dollar Store and get a few random toys, or she could save for a couple months and order something even better on Amazon Prime. She now wants to buy something that I would deem much more useful through Amazon, and is willing to wait and save for it. The key though, is she needed to go through the learning process by spending right away on more frivolous things to learn the value of savings for more useful things. I’m glad she’s starting to understand this concept now.

Talk about Money:

My 4-year old son, who watches everything his older sister does, thinks that the Dollar Store is the bank because his only real exposure to money is seeing his sister spend it there. When he asked the question, “Is the Dollar Store the bank?”, it was a perfect opportunity to teach and talk about money. You might want to play hypothetical games with your kids using money as the primary topic. “What would you spend $5.00 on today?” “What do you want to save for?” “How are you going to pay for XYZ?” Let them answer, help them learn, and just talk about it.

Use Physical Money:

Eventually setting up online accounts for your kids is easier and more efficient, but nothing replaces physically touching the money, letting them hand it over to a cashier, and parting with it in exchange for something else. Get a piggy bank, get a lockbox, whatever works for whatever age they are at, but don’t discount the value of your kids physically handling money.

I’m on a mission to help people make better decisions with their money. If we can get the younger generation comfortable with it early, then concepts of saving, spending, and investing will come much easier. Talk to your kids about money. Be open with them about how it works, how you are saving, and what you are trying to accomplish.

Remember, if you don’t teach them, then they’ll probably turn some Tik Tok “influencer” to learn what to do.