Shawn D. Wall

August 29, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Does The 4% Rule Still Make Sense For Your Retirement?

You may have heard of the “4% rule” when it comes to retirement. The idea is simple: After you retire, you withdraw 4% of your investment portfolio each year. In theory, this helps ensure your savings last for your lifetime. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

August 15, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Why Rebalancing Your Portfolio Matters – And How To Do It

In life, balance is everything, whether it’s finding time between work and family or maintaining a healthy diet. The same goes for your investments. Keeping your financial portfolio balanced is a smart way to stay on track toward your long-term goals, . . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

August 1, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

You Have An Estate Plan,Whether You Know It Or Not

Think estate planning is only for the wealthy or elderly? Think again. If you own anything, a home, a car, a savings account, even a pet, you already have an estate plan. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

July 18, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Stress-Test Your Retirement Portfolio In Volatile Markets

If you’re planning to retire within the next few years — or you’ve recently retired — market volatility may feel especially unsettling. After years of saving and planning, you’re now entering a stage where your portfolio may shift from growth . . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

July 4, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Is Your Retirement At Risk?

It’s important to save for retirement, but only half of Americans have calculated how much money they’ll need, according to the 2024 Retirement Confidence Survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

June 20, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Steps To Take Following A Job Loss

Perhaps you’ve heard the expression: “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” It’s certainly true about an unexpected job loss. And it may cause stress over your financial situation. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

June 6, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Should You Pay Off Debts Or Invest?

Some financial decisions can be challenging — like whether to use your money to reduce your debt or to invest. If you already have a significant amount of debt and not a lot in savings or investments, it can be hard to figure out which issue should . . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

May 23, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Be Alert For Caregiver Financial Abuse

Do you have a parent or other elderly relative who may soon need a caregiver? If so, be diligent when selecting the right person for the job — because choosing the wrong one could lead to big financial problems. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

May 9, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

How Should You Respond To Tariffs?

With the recently announced tariffs on trade with other countries. While there has been a lot of uncertainty as to how these policies will evolve, it’s generally agreed that tariffs can be inflationary, and they have also sparked volatility in the . . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

April 25, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Three Stops On The Road To Financial Stability

Achieving financial stability doesn’t happen overnight — it takes a journey. And, as with every journey, you’ll need to make some stops along the way. These stops, or milestones, can tell you how far you’ve gone — and where you need to go . . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

April 11, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

How To Cope With Market Volatility

The financial markets always go through periods of instability. And we may see more of that now, given concerns about tariffs, inflation, and the economy. As an investor, how can you deal with this volatility? . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

March 28, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Find The Best Ways To Pay Down Debt

Are you concerned about debt? It’s important to recognize this, but, at the same time, you may have more ways of gaining control of your debt situation than you had realized. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

March 14, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Carefully Consider Social Security Decisions

Your Social Security benefits can be an important part of your retirement income, but when should you start collecting them? It’s a big decision, so you’ll want to consider your options carefully. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

February 28, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Key Decisions For Retired Couples

Once you and your spouse retire, you’ll have some decisions to make — decisions that could affect your quality of life in your retirement years. What are these choices? Here a few of the most important ones: How much should you withdraw from your retirement accounts? . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

February 14, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

What To Know Before “Reversing” Your Retirement

After working for decades, you may have been looking forward to retiring. But what if you decide to “reverse” your retirement? You could rejoin the workforce for any number of reasons. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

January 31, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Put Your Tax Refund To Work

Most of us probably don’t enjoy preparing our taxes, but there’s often a reward at the end — a tax refund. If you get a refund this year, how can you make the best use of it? . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

January 17, 2025 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

You Can Put More Into Your401(K) This Year

Once you retire, you’ll likely need to draw on a variety of financial sources — and one of the most important ones may be your 401(k). And for 2025, you can put even more money into your plan than ever. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

December 6, 2024 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Consider These Year-End Financial Moves

As we enter the holiday season, your life may well become busier. Still, you might want to take the time to consider some financial moves before we turn the calendar to 2025. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

November 22, 2024 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Consider Tax-Smart Charitable Gifts

As we enter the annual season of giving, you might be thinking of charities you wish to support. But you also might be wondering how to gain some tax benefits from your gifts. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

November 8, 2024 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Which IRA Is Right For You?

The individual retirement account (IRA) is celebrating its golden anniversary. Created in 1974, this savings vehicle has helped millions of people build resources for retirement. And in 1997, the Roth IRA was introduced. . . Read More

Writer Biographies

November 6, 2024 Shawn D. Wall 0 min read

Shawn D. Wall

Shawn graduated from Ball State University in 1991 with a degree in finance. He started building his practice with Edward Jones in Waynedale. He has been in the same location since 1992 continuing to build relationships on hard work and the desire to see people fulfill their retirement dreams. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

October 25, 2024 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

How Can You Plan For Incapacity?

We all hope to enjoy long, healthy lives, retaining the ability to think clearly and make our own decisions. But life doesn’t always work out that way — which is why you need to prepare for a potential incapacity that could affect your independence . . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

October 11, 2024 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Cutting Spending Can Help Boost Retirement Savings

Like most of us, you may someday want to enjoy a comfortable retirement. Your ability to achieve this goal will depend on how much you save — but it also matters how much you spend. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

September 27, 2024 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Know The Risks Of Investing & Not Investing

Investing involves risk — and so does not investing. You should know how both these types of risk can affect your ability to reach your financial goals. Let’s start with the risks associated with investing. . . Read More

Local Opinion Editorials

September 13, 2024 Shawn D. Wall 3 min read

Retirees Must Identify & Manage Income Sources

During your working years, you know where your income is coming from because you’re working. But once you retire, you’ll have to identify your income sources, know how much you can expect from them and know how to manage them to help support a . . . Read More