Your Advisor's Thoughts

Simplify Your Life!

As your "One-Stop Investment Shop", the "Your Best Interest" Financial Services team brings together investment, insurance, and tax expertise along with outstanding customer service to provide a comprehensive approach to your unique financial situation.

Unlike traditional financial services firms, we can simplify your life by addressing all the areas of your individual financial plan under one roof. Integrating investment knowledge with tax advice is a YBI distinctive. There are significant potential benefits to incorporating tax preparation services with:

Retirement Planning

Financial Planning

Investment Advice

401(k) Advice

Life Insurance

Income Planning

Real Estate

This year, take your financial planning a step further: let the YBI team help you build personalized investment strategies that have tax advantages as well. Come talk to us and see what we can do to simplify your life!

With warmest regards,

Phil Giambri

Founder and Owner, "Your Best Interest" Financial Services, Inc.

To contact "Your Best Interest" Financial Services, e-mail us at ybifs@ybifs.com, or call 610-485-1010.

Securities offered through Trustmont Financial Group (TFG) Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC Advisory services offered through Trustmont Advisory Group (TAG) Inc. 200 Brush Run Road, Greensburg, PA 15601 724-468-5665 Neither "Your Best Interest" Financial Services, Inc. nor 401kPRO are affiliated with TFG or TAG.

2011: The Year in Review

When the history books are written about 2011, what will be the highlights that will stand out in your mind? It has been a year in which we have experienced hurricanes, blizzards, a tsunami, tornadoes, sandstorms and earthquakes. We have watched our politicians struggle in so many areas as they attempt to revitalize America. Many Americans are out of work and many more have lost their homes. As I look at 2011 in retrospect, I will remember it as a year of challenges and blessings, natural disasters and phenomenal accomplishments.

On the financial front we have watched the stock market go up and down sharply on almost a daily basis. It seems as though the slightest bit of news, either negative or positive, has tremendous repercussions for the market. Most of you reading this have been touched personally in some way by the effects of our wavering economy.

Well, is it all doom and gloom? Absolutely not! Is the cup half full or half empty? From my view point, it is not only half full, it is full and running over. Despite all the challenges facing our nation, we still live in the most amazing country in the world. While my family has not been immune to the challenges of 2011, I still believe the opportunities and blessings far outweigh the issues we face.

You may question my optimism, but it is based on the following: When you chart both the S&P and the DOW over the past two years, both of these indices have actually seen slight increases. When compared to the current economic situation in many other countries across the globe, this is an unquestionable positive. In addition to those documentable figures, I have also noticed a growing regional trend of increasing numbers of “Help Wanted” signs. I am not referring here to seasonal jobs, but rather jobs that will generate income and benefits for families.

Personally, the most significant lesson that I learned in 2011 as I spent time reading through the book of Proverbs is that we need to show more mercy to one another. I was struck by how much more pleasant our lives would be if we routinely treated one another with attitudes of compassion and forgiveness. I look forward to 2012 with great anticipation as it is my desire to grow in knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

I know you will agree that as you get older, each year seems to go by much, much quicker than the year before. 2011 has not been an exception. This year has flown… as we watch 2011 go out, we have great expectations for next year. It is my hope that 2012 will be one of the most wonderfully memorable years of your life.

With warmest regards,

Phil Giambri

This is a guest blog by Philip M. Giambri, the founder and owner of “Your Best Interest” Financial Services, Inc.

Securities offered through Trustmont Financial Group (TFG) Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC Advisory services offered through Trustmont Advisory Group (TAG) Inc. 200 Brush Run Road, Greensburg, PA 15601 724-468-5665 Neither “Your Best Interest” Financial Services, Inc. nor 401kPRO are affiliated with TFG or TAG.

Always Something to Be Thankful For!

Thanksgiving…

For so many of us this day marks the beginning of the holiday season. The excitement of turkey roasting, family hosting, and Christmas shopping can quickly obscure the opportunity for grateful reflection. For others the concept of being “thankful for all that we have” is a very difficult one. Maybe money is tight this year, or health and family concerns weigh on your mind. This is a painful reality for so many in our community, and all the tasty recipes and beautiful table settings cannot compensate for the hurt or lack that so many feel.

So in light of these realities, how can we truly celebrate Thanksgiving Day with an attitude of gratitude?

Make a conscious effort to be more aware of what you have than what you don’t!

Simple words – but they really are such a challenge for all of us. We can all quickly reel off a list of our wants, but when did you last consider what you might be taking for granted? There are so many things we each enjoy every day… a beautiful Fall day with magnificently colored trees, the companionship of a pet, a place to call home, a hug from a loved one. We are so truly blessed, but we lose the blessing when we focus on our lack rather than the abundance of even simple things.

Express your gratitude to just one person this week.

Receiving just a few words of gratitude can go a long way toward brightening someone’s day. We all love to be told how much we are appreciated… look for someone that you can recognize with just a few encouraging words, and likely you will benefit as well!

We are thankful for each of you, our clients and colleagues, and wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving!

Phil, Greg, Charlotte, Jackie, Carol and Jen

Securities offered through Trustmont Financial Group (TFG) Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC Advisory services offered through Trustmont Advisory Group (TAG) Inc. 200 Brush Run Road, Greensburg, PA 15601 724-468-5665 Neither “Your Best Interest” Financial Services, Inc. nor 401kPRO are affiliated with TFG or TAG.

Success Or Failure

 

December 31, 2009—Greg Changes the sign outside “Your Best Interest” in a snowstorm

 Phil and I make a concerted effort to keep a relevant message on the sign outside our office and change it somewhat frequently.  The Christmas message was still on the sign December 28^th, so I decided it needed to be changed before the end of the year.  As most of us are apt to do, I delayed and procrastinated until the 31st.  Just before we closed, I went outside with a ladder and changed the sign in the blistering cold and heavy blowing snow.

 Someone from our office with a kind heart (Jackie) was passing me letters to hurry the process.   While working on the windy side of our office, I started laughing.  The irony of the situation hit me hard.  I was not following my own advice.  It had been a little warmer the previous few days and it was common knowledge that it was going to get colder and snow.  I did not plan ahead.  As I stood on the ladder laughing, I imagined myself falling off the ladder and having to explain the stupidity of my injury to everyone I knew.

 So….  Take it from an insightful procrastinator.  Get on track before you are in bad circumstances, doing something that you should have done when conditions were better.  The advice is FAILURE TO PLAN IS PLANNING TO FAIL.

 

Stay tuned for more….

 Greg

 Greg is an Investment Advisor Representative of Trustmont Advisory Group Inc.

4 Months 'til Christmas

We have a guest blog entry, submitted several days ago, by Phil Giambri,

President of "Your Best Interest" Financial Services,Inc. 

As I was out this morning on my daily walk, I was thinking that summer is almost over and how fast it went by. Then, an incredible thought popped into my head.  My favorite day of the year is only 4 months away!  I always consider Christmas Day the best day of the year because that is when we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Since the birth of my grandchildren, Jonah and Paige, Christmas has become even more fun.  To watch a 4 year old and a 2 year old come down the stairs and see the delight on their faces as they try to comprehend the treasures that have been set out for them is just an unimaginable pleasure.

Then, as I continued my walk, the thought of the end of the year came to mind and I started thinking about the goals I set for myself in the beginning of 2009.  Where am I in the process of achieving the physical, spiritual, educational and professional goals I set this past January?

Four months to go!  What a great time for all of us to assess where we stand.  Still enough time before the end of the year to reach the milestones we have set for ourselves.

I had a friend tell me one time, “If you’re coasting, that means you’re going downhill.”  This has inspired me for many years; to always set high standards for all that I do in my life. 

I hope that as we all approach the end of another year, we will not only meet the challenges of everyday living, but will strive to meet our goals and be the best that we can be.

P.S.  Guess what my 2^nd favorite day of the year is.

Stay tuned for more....

Phil is a Registered Representative for Trustmont Financial/Advisory Group Member FINRA/SIPC 

Teach Your Children About Money

 

Again this week we have a guest blog entry from Phil Giambri, President of "Your Best Interest" Financial Services Inc.

 

Teach your children about money!

It is disturbing to me to watch young person after young person walk into our office looking for a miracle.  They need someone to help them get out of debt, whether it is a credit card mess, a new car purchase or even a house purchase that they know they can’t afford before they go to settlement.

Parents!  Please teach your children about spending wisely.

Our education system doesn’t teach students to budget, which, by the way, is not a four letter word.  It doesn’t teach them to control credit, rather than letting credit control them, and it doesn’t teach them the difference between a “need” and a “want”!

Where is a parent to begin?

Lead by example.  You cannot teach your child to be wise with their money unless you are being disciplined with yours!

Stay Tuned For More...

Phil is a registered representative for Trustmont Financial Group  Member FINRA, SIPC.

Work The Plan!

 This is a guest blog by Phil Giambri, President of "Your Best Interest" Financial Services Inc.

It was an exciting time for our family in 1998; our oldest daughter, Rachael, was graduating from college. The whole family, including two sets of grandparents, loaded into cars and made the six hour trip to the Northwestern corner of

New York State.

When the ceremony started, my thoughts were this should last about an hour and a half to two hours and then the celebrating will begin.  Little did I realize that during that ceremony I would hear a statement that has stuck with me and I have repeated it to countless people.

Dr. James Wynn, then president of Campus Crusade for Christ was the speaker.  Speaking to the graduates, he made this declaration, “Vision without implementation is a hallucination.”

As soon as these words came out of his mouth, the meaning just hit me and I have strived to apply it in my business and personal life ever since.

Our visions and dreams are nothing but a hallucination if we do not develop a plan to make them a reality.  But the plan is only the first part.  The next step is to implement that plan.  That is where so many of us fail.  Implementation is the key, for without it you accomplish nothing.  For many years I kept a 3x5 card in my desk that said:

1.       Set a Goal

2.       Develop a plan to reach the goal

3.       Implement (work) the plan

In such a volatile financial time, it has become more important for us to develop plans and systems to reach our goals.  We can plan all day long but without putting that plan into action (implementing the plan), we are simply hallucinating!

 

Stay Tuned For More...

 

Phil is a registered representative for Trustmont Financial Group  Member FINRA, SIPC.