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Joe Ward, CFP® | Refined Wealth

We help investors build lasting wealth by pairing today's opportunities with time-tested principles from market history.

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RW Memo - The Price of Admission

Refined Wealth Newsletter by Joe Ward Read Time: 3 Minutes The Price of Admission Hello Friends! Last weekend I volunteered at the Houston Open. Inevitably a couple of people asked me what I do, and after my response most said: "Oh, you must be getting a lot of calls right now." Nope. You all know volatility is the price of admission for long-term returns. It's a core tenet given the way we invest, and something I dive deeper into during onboarding, because you cannot start doing lifeboat...

Refined Wealth Newsletter by Joe Ward Read Time: 3 Minutes Target Date Funds & Pensions Don't Mix One of the most common mistakes I've seen after reviewing over 300 portfolios is the overuse of Target Date Funds. It's not the worst mistake by any means, but I've met a lot of DIY investors using TDFs without understanding the full ramifications. Here's a quick video detailing why I think they're wrong for most people, particularly if you've accumulated assets outside of your 401(k)....

Refined Wealth Newsletter by Joe Ward Read Time: 3 Minutes March Madness Every year, my family fills out March Madness brackets for bragging rights. But my 18-year-old brother's goal is a perfect 63-0 bracket. It's a lofty goal, but most of us know betterHis odds? Roughly 1 in 9.2 quintillion if each game was a coin flip. But he knows ball, so maybe it's closer to 1 in 120 billion. Nobody has ever done it. Warren Buffett once offered a billion dollars to anyone who could. The issue with this...

Refined Wealth Newsletter by Joe Ward Cash is Trash.. in 2026 (Video) Thanks for all of the great feedback from last week's post: 2026 Market Predictions. In response I received a fantastic subscriber question regarding when and how much of your allocation should be in fixed income (bonds). My views on this are unconventional, which I'll cover next week. However, the video below is the precursor to that very topic.If you feel like this post was made directed at your situation, be assured that...

Refined Wealth Newsletter by Joe Ward Read Time: 5 Minutes Happy New Year everyone! If I can do anything for you, please let me know. A quick word: I draw ideas for these newsletters from client conversations and questions, but I'm always open to feedback and new topics! As always, feel free to pass this along if you think others would find it helpful. Today's post is a bit longer than usual, but I think it sets the tone for the year. TLDR: We don't publish market predictions, mostly because...