AFG Town Hall May 6th 2026

The next installment of our Town Hall series is now ready to view. This video series keeps our team informed and keeps you up to date on current news and planning topics that may affect you. We value providing ongoing financial education to our clients and the public, and we appreciate you taking the time to view our Town Hall series. 

• Tracey Richardson: A closer look at the current inflation environment, including why inflation ticked back up in March, and what that means for your overall financial plan. She covers where the Federal Reserve stands today, why they’re holding rates steady at 3.5–3.75%, and how that impacts everything from borrowing costs to savings yields. Finally, Tracey shares key steps we focus on when reviewing client portfolios in an inflationary environment, including investment diversification, cash flow planning, and the importance of staying in regular contact with your adviser.
• Steve Aul:An important reminder for those eligible: the annual Senior Personal Property Tax Freeze renewal application is due by the end of June. He also walks through current market conditions, including the fact that we’re still in the longest bull market in history, and shares a strategy he’s been using to help clients lock in gains through a fixed index annuity while dollar-cost averaging back into the market over time. Finally, Steve introduces a sector fund portfolio option that rotates among the top-performing market sectors every two weeks, which he sees as more advantageous in Roth and traditional IRA accounts.

Click Here to watch the May 6th Recording on YouTube

If you have questions or topics you would like to see the team cover on the next Town Hall, please email info@aulfg.com.

Previous Town Halls and more can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel to be notified when a new video has been added.

The next installment of our Town Hall series is now ready to view. This video series keeps our team informed and keeps you up to date on current news and planning topics that may affect you. We value providing ongoing financial education to our clients and the public, and we appreciate you taking the time to view our Town Hall series. 

• Tracey Richardson: Planning for the final five years before retirement. There are some very impactful and sometimes permanent choices that can be made during this period. Tracey sums it up beautifully, “Retirement is not an event to race towards, but a transition to the next phase of life.” 
• Steve Aul: Recap of the market for April. There has been plenty of volatility due to international events, but maybe not as much as expected. Next up for Steve is a question we hear fairly often, “Do I need a million dollars to retire?” Steve takes us through some of the math and decision-making it takes to find your number. 

Click Here to watch the April 22nd Recording on YouTube

If you have questions or topics you would like to see the team cover on the next Town Hall, please email info@aulfg.com.

Previous Town Halls and more can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel to be notified when a new video has been added.

The next installment of our Town Hall series is now ready to view. This video series keeps our team informed and keeps you up to date on current news and planning topics that may affect you. We value providing ongoing financial education to our clients and the public, and we appreciate you taking the time to view our Town Hall series. This episode of the series takes us back to the basics. 

• Tracey Richardson: The pillars of what we do for our clients, Income Planning. She walks us through what has changed in the last 20 years and what has remained the same.
• Steve Aul: The basics of investment philosophies. It is easy to allow emotion to override our decision-making. There can be many benefits to sticking to the basics, helping you avoid rash or emotional decisions that could affect your planning.

Click Here to watch the April 8th Recording on YouTube

If you have questions or topics you would like to see the team cover on the next Town Hall, please email info@aulfg.com.

Previous Town Halls and more can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel to be notified when a new video has been added.

Our next installment of the 2026 Town Hall series is now ready to view. This video series keeps our team informed and keeps you up to date on current news and planning topics that may affect you. We value providing ongoing financial education to our clients and the public, and we appreciate you taking the time to view our Town Hall series.

• Will Meneses: It’s a common saying in the retirement planning field that the most expensive years in retirement are the first three and the last three. When you first retire, every day is “Saturday”.  We take that trip we have been putting off, start projects that we had no time for, or deal with health issues we have ignored. This, on top of the regular unplanned events we encounter, can affect our savings. In our final years, health costs tend to be higher, which has the same effect. 
• Tracey Richardson:  Recent world events have impacted the energy sector. This has a ripple effect on broader markets, and market speculation can amplify that volatility. It’s times like these when we see the importance of a long-term plan. 
• Steve Aul:  Politics, world events, and the 24-hour news cycle can make it feel like we’re in a doomsday scenario with our finances and life in general. Many of these uncertainties have a shorter-term impact than we may expect, but we can still have very emotional reactions. Steve takes us through some of the tools we use to remove emotion from our investment choices and help us stick to our plan. 

Click Here to watch the March 11th Recording on YouTube

If you have questions or topics you would like to see the team cover on the next Town Hall, please email info@aulfg.com.

Previous Town Halls and more can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel to be notified when a new video has been added.

Our next installment of the Town Hall is now ready to view. This video series keeps our team informed and keeps you up to date on current news and planning topics that may affect you. We value providing ongoing financial education to our clients and the public, and we appreciate you taking the time to view our Town Hall series.

• Will Meneses:  The rules surrounding “catch-up contributions” can change with each tax year. Will walks us through some of those recent changes and what that may mean to you. Your financial adviser should help you stay on top of changes in rules and laws and how they may affect your planning goals. If you are not having those conversations, please feel free to reach out to our team.
• Tracey Richardson:  It is not uncommon to see old ideas being repacked into new terminology. Tracey covered one of those techniques, being referred to as the Protected Bucket Strategy. The general approach is to divide your investments into short-, medium-, and long-term categories. Each bucket would contain investments appropriate to the investor’s time frame and goals. This could help to reduce the impact of volatility on your portfolio and help provide steady income. 

Click Here to watch the February 11th Recording on YouTube

If you have questions or topics you would like to see the team cover on the next Town Hall, please email info@aulfg.com.

Previous Town Halls and more can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel to be notified when a new video has been added.

Our last Town Hall of 2025 is now ready to view. This video series keeps our team informed and keeps you up to date on current news and planning topics that may affect you. We value providing ongoing financial education to our clients and the public, and we appreciate you taking the time to view our Town Hall series. In this episode, each team member shares a special holiday memory to help wrap up 2025.

• Tracey Richardson:  There is a common misunderstanding that we see when people think about Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). Tracey helps to set the record straight on what these are and how they may be a useful tool in the planning process.
• Will Meneses:  The landscape has changed with employer benefits over the past couple of decades. This can change how you think about and prepare for retirement. Will discusses the challenges of retiring today and the need to remain adaptable to future changes.
• Steve Aul:  Confirmation Bias is something to watch out for when making financial planning decisions. In today’s information environment, it is easy to find sources that support your beliefs. This can lead you to make decisions that overlook different perspectives. One of our roles is to help cut through the “noise” and make well-informed decisions. 

Click Here to watch the December 17th Recording on YouTube

If you have questions or topics you would like to see the team cover on the next Town Hall, please email info@aulfg.com.

Previous Town Halls and more can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel to be notified when a new video has been added.

Our latest edition of the Town Hall series is now available to view. This video series keeps our team informed and keeps you up to date on current news and planning topics that may affect you. We value providing ongoing financial education to our clients and the public, and we appreciate you taking the time to view our Town Hall series.

• Tracey Richardson:  The end of the year can make for the best time to assess your financial goals. How did you fare during the current year? Have your goals or situation changed? What might need to be adjusted to better meet your needs in the year to come? These are all great questions to address with an end-of-year review with your adviser.
• Will Meneses:  Are you prepared for the potential impact of AI? New technologies can have a positive effect on our lives, but they can also create unexpected disruptions. Does your financial plan include a Plan B, or even a Plan C? If your employment is cut short for any reason, what is the impact on your financial plan? What if our health forces a change, or how do we financially deal with the loss of a spouse unexpectedly? Be sure you’re speaking with your adviser about the “What Ifs”.
• Steve Aul:  Politics and your pocketbook is a topic we cover quite often at presentations. Steve talks a bit about the Federal Reserve and the possible changes we could see in the near future. He also discusses why it’s important to ask questions about what is new in the investment world. 

Click Here to watch the December 3rd Recording on YouTube

If you have questions or topics you would like to see the team cover on the next Town Hall, please email info@aulfg.com.

Previous Town Halls and more can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel to be notified when a new video has been added.

Our latest edition of the Town Hall series is now available to view. This video series keeps our team informed and keeps you up to date on current news and planning topics that may affect you. We value providing ongoing financial education to our clients and the public, and we appreciate you taking the time to view our Town Hall series.

• Will Meneses: How do we help our children without negatively affecting our future retirement plans? With some children returning to the nest or requiring an extra financial boost, it is important to review how this can impact your needs. 
   
• Tracey Richardson: We often speak about Asset Allocation, but Tracey covered another important planning topic, Asset Location. The type of account you use to hold some assets can impact your planning. Tracey helps illustrate this important element of financial planning.
   
• Steve Aul:  He wraps up this session by discussing some of the volatility we have been seeing in the market. 

Click Here to watch the November 19th Recording on YouTube

If you have questions or topics you would like to see the team cover on the next Town Hall, please email info@aulfg.com.

Previous Town Halls and more can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel to be notified when a new video has been added.

Our latest edition of the Town Hall series is now available to view. This video series keeps our team informed and keeps you up to date on current news and planning topics that may affect you. We value providing ongoing financial education to our clients and the public, and we appreciate you taking the time to view our Town Hall series.

In This Edition:

• Will Meneses: What are the possible effects on your planning when interest rates drop?
• Tracey Richardson: Investments alone don’t guarantee a solid retirement. This is why a well-thought-out and often updated plan can be so important. 
• Steve Aul: What you don’t know could hurt you. Steve shares his experience from running the New York Marathon last weekend. While the experience was great, he could have benefited from the knowledge of someone who had been there before. The same could be said for retirement planning.

Click Here to watch the November 5th Recording on YouTube

If you have questions or topics you would like to see the team cover on the next Town Hall, please email info@aulfg.com.

Previous Town Halls and more can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel to be notified when a new video has been added.

Our latest edition of the Town Hall series is now available to view. This video series keeps our team informed and keeps you up to date on current news and planning topics that may affect you. We value providing ongoing financial education to our clients and the public, and we appreciate you taking the time to view our Town Hall series. The team had taxes on the brain for this session.

Will Meneses starts us off, helping everyone take full advantage of changes that could affect you in 2025. Knowing what questions to ask is half the battle when you sit down with your tax professional.

Tracey Richardson covered a variety of end-of-the-year items to watch out for. This can include taking advantage of Qualified Charitable Donations, Roth Conversions, Tax Loss Harvesting, and more. If you’re not sure you have taken full advantage of tax planning for 2025, be sure to reach out soon. Some of this takes time to execute correctly.

Steve Aul wraps up this Town Hall with an overview of the question. “How much do I need for Retirement?”. It’s an obvious question people will have as they approach retirement. The “magic number” you may need is highly specific to your needs. It is important not to get caught up in generic retirement numbers you may hear in the media. Finding the number that keeps you comfortable is very specific to your needs. This is why we recommend working with a financial planning professional to help you find your number.

Click Here to watch the October 22nd Recording on YouTube

If you have questions or topics you would like to see the team cover on the next Town Hall, please email info@aulfg.com.

Previous Town Halls and more can be viewed on our YouTube channel. Remember to subscribe to our channel to be notified when a new video has been added.