The best definition of being financially independent is the ability to work because you want to. That's the ideal. Most of our clients want to plan for retirement. They want to know when they can retire, or how much they will have when they retire and how their current lifestyle affects their ability to achieve financial independence. Our goal is arriving at the most conservative portfolio allocation the client can have, and still achieve and maintain financial independence.
Portfolio allocations have their own evolution as contributions are made, or tax rates change.
We continue to monitor lifestyle and portfolio balances and allocations, managing all of this to maintain the client's financial independence goals, all the while balancing cash flow and income and estate taxes. We're always checking ourselves to make sure we're doing the right thing. Today's Foolish Four stock selections are marked with an asterisk. Dividends have been added to the total return of the index. Stocks are chosen once per year using a formula based on dividend yield and price.