When we think about the American Dream, visions of prosperity and social mobility through hard work, smarts, and determination are often wrapped by a picket fence. For many, owning a home is the ultimate symbol of success. This makes sense because home ownership implies self-determination, a bedrock principle of American idealism.

But is owning a home right for everyone? And, more specifically to the financial planning world, is a home an investment like stocks and bonds, or something else entirely? Is it just shelter? Is it a safe asset or is it risky? What role does it play in your personal balance sheet as times goes by and debt turns into equity? How do you access the equity once it's there? How does owning rental real estate factor in? The list of planning questions is long.

You have likely heard many times about how important it is to be well diversified with your investments. Sayings like, "Never put all your eggs in one basket", make good intuitive sense and are easy to superficially apply to investing. And scary stories abound regarding companies that have gone bust while taking many a retirement fund with them. So, spread your eggs around in different baskets, don't chase "hot" stocks, strength in numbers... sounds simple, right?

With all the political news over the past few months it's natural that topics like the Fed and interest rates were pushed to the back burner for a while. There's only so much time in the day for financial news, right? But this has changed in the past couple of weeks and markets are reacting. As our economy continues to improve, and the Fed is meeting again today and tomorrow, investors are focused on what increasingly looks like another short term interest rate increase.

It is said that change is the only constant, and I think this is absolutely true in life and in business. I have made several changes to my business lately and wanted to bring you up to date.

First, each year at about this time I need to offer you an updated version (as of March 15th) of my regulatory disclosure brochure, or ADV Part 2. I'll summarize the material changes below. Let me know if you'd like me to email you a copy of the document. Or, if you prefer you can download it from my website on the homepage, up at the top. Look for "ADV" and you'll find the link.

Trivia time... How many stocks make up the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index (a widely used benchmark for the US equity market)?

While the logical guess might be 5,000, as of December 31, 2016, the index actually contained around 3,600 names. In fact, the last time this index contained 5,000 or more companies was at the end of 2005. This mirrors the overall trend in the US stock market. In the past two decades there has been a decline in the number of US-listed, publicly traded companies. Should investors in public markets be worried about this change? Does this mean there is a material risk of being unable to achieve an adequate level of diversification for stock investors? I believe the answer to both is no. When viewed through a global lens, a different story begins to emerge—one with important implications for how to structure a well-diversified investment portfolio.

For a growing number of Americans, the question isn't exactly when they can afford to retire, but where. So, it makes sense that I've been getting questions lately about how to retire abroad. As people look ahead it can be daunting to consider rising costs like food, energy, housing, property taxes, and, oh yes, healthcare. All of this and more leads many to look beyond our shores as they consider how, and where, to spend their time in retirement.