Author: Joe Day

When our clients or prospects consider our services, they often gravitate toward one aspect of what we do for them. In some cases, they may see us as portfolio managers, balancing their needs with uncertain markets and shifting economic times. Many will see us as adept financial planners who know how to make sense of their varying financial goals. Others will see us as trusted advisors who provide the necessary guidance to address their complex financial lives when it comes to tax needs or estate planning concerns.

At Bear Mountain Capital, we take pride in working closely with a network of trusted professional partners who help our clients navigate important life decisions with confidence and clarity. One of those invaluable partners is Kjersti Stroup, a thoughtful and highly experienced estate planning attorney based in Seattle.

If you are an investor and heard terms like “accredited investor” or “qualified investor” and aren’t sure how they pertain to you, you’re not alone. These terms refer to specific financial qualifications that allow investors to participate in certain types of investment opportunities that may not be available to the general public.

Accredited investors looking for stable, high-yield opportunities beyond traditional stocks and bonds are increasingly turning to direct lending and multi-family real estate investing. These alternative investment strategies offer strong risk-adjusted returns, diversification benefits, and long-term wealth-building potential.

If you haven’t been watching the headlines, thinking about the stock market, buying a house or applying for a line of credit, then you may have no idea that interest rates have recently gone down.

Investing will not make you financially secure. Investing will help you stay financially secure. Investing allows you to outpace inflation and optimize your assets. It’s not a secret path that lets you skip the line to financial freedom.

Recently, we had an opportunity to do a question and answer session with one of our valued tax partners, RAC CPA Group, PLLC. RAC CPA is run by Josef Dassler and Paul Saxton with offices located downtown, Seattle. We took the time to ask the questions that we thought would help our clients understand what is important when working with a tax partner and their outlook on the 2025 expiration of many of the tax cuts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

For many parents, when it comes to thinking about money and kids, there are so many questions to think about. How do I raise my kid without spoiling them? What is a fair allowance? Do I pay them for chores/grades? Do I pay for private school? Do I pay for their college? How do I give them the best chance at success in life? Should I leave them an inheritance?

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to hike Half Dome in Yosemite National Park for the second time in my life. The first time was over 23 years ago with two close friends. The three of us reunited, added one more long-time friend, and ventured out again to conquer the 8,800 granite peak, climbing 4,800 feet of elevation to reach the top. It was a one day, 16 mile round trip trek, that left us utterly exhausted and simultaneously exhilarated by day’s end.

Our national media cycle is a non-stop barrage of mostly gloomy headlines focused on topics that generate clicks and views. Unfortunately, we are biologically wired to focus and react more to negative news than to positive news.