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By Timothy J. Videnka, CFA, CFP® “To know that you do not know is the highest attainment; not to know one’s ignorance is the lowest degree of folly.” Confucius Situational Awareness is an investment firm founded in 2024 by Leopold Aschenbrenner, a former OpenAI researcher. Its investment thesis was built around something that has become […]

“Creating an asset inventory should be the first step,” said Michael DeMassa, a certified financial planner and founder of Forza Wealth Management. “Having fewer accounts can make tracking performance, withdrawals and tax preparation much easier going forward,” he said. “There may be good reasons not to consolidate certain accounts, such as tax considerations or a […]

By Timothy J. Videnka, CFA, CFP® “I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member” Groucho Marx If you’ve followed the financial news recently, you may have seen that the Dow Jones Industrial Average has a new member. Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has replaced Verizon in the 30-stock index. Whenever there’s […]

5 Common Questions Retirees Ask Financial Advisors 1️⃣ When can I retire? 2️⃣ When should I claim Social Security? 3️⃣ How much can I safely spend? 4️⃣ Should I do Roth conversions? 5️⃣ How should my investments change in retirement? The biggest mistake is trying to answer these questions in isolation. They’re highly interconnected. A […]

By Michael E. DeMassa, CFA, CFP®, AEP® A couple in their early 60s with 2.4 adult children* came to us with questions we hear frequently from people approaching retirement: When can we retire? When should we start Social Security? Do Roth conversions make sense for us? If you’re wondering how a couple can have 2.4 […]

What to know before and after buying a Life Insurance policy Michael DeMassa, founder of Forza Wealth Management in Sarasota, Fla., recommends annual in-force illustrations to compare actual performance with original projections.

Do index funds still do the trick? “Many S&P 500 index fund prospectuses now carry a disclaimer stating that the fund may be considered non-diversified as defined by the Investment Company Act of 1940,” Michael DeMassa of Forza Wealth Management says.

By Timothy Videnka, CFA, CFP® “In the short run, the market is a voting machine; in the long run, it is a weighing machine.” Benjamin Graham Every era has a story so compelling that questioning it seems borderline irrational. Consider society-changing innovations such as electricity, radio, cellphone, internet, smartphone – compelling stories are usually built […]

Sarasota, FL – Forza Wealth Management has been awarded on USA TODAY’s list of the Best Financial Advisory Firms 2026. This prestigious award is presented by USA TODAY and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on April 15th, 2026, and can be viewed on USATODAY.COM. The […]

By Timothy Videnka, CFA, CFP® “All we want are the facts, ma’am.” Sergeant Joe Friday, “Dragnet” Every few years, a new narrative takes hold that sounds dramatic enough to stick: “The world is abandoning the U.S. dollar!” “Foreign buyers are dumping Treasurys!!” “The system is breaking!!!” It makes for great headlines and, given budget deficits […]