Financial Partners, Inc.

10/16/2026

Click the link to see Financial Partners, Inc.’s October video! Blake discusses common approaches to handling concentrated portfolio positions.

A concentrated portfolio can introduce significant risk to your financial plan, leaving your long-term financial future heavily dependent on the success of a single stock, company, or industry. Check out our video to learn more.

https://www.financialpartnersinc.net 1.641.684.0368 Intelligent C...

10/06/2026

Are you an active participant in your life? Yes, you say?

What if I take away your cell phone, your tablet, your laptop? Are you still an active participant in your life? Is it really considered “active” if you can’t physically see it, touch it, or be changed by it? I could talk about the tw***ie hot dog dessert recipe I saw online, however, does it matter what I say if I didn’t actually make it and taste it? I can have an opinion all day long but what is it based on?

I’m sure my family gets tired of hearing the word, however “participate” is a highly deployed word in my vocabulary. Participation leads to experiences, and nothing can make your soul richer than a wide variety of life-enhancing experiences. I want to make sure my family gets to participate in fun, enriching experiences whenever the opportunities come along. (We have to search out the positive things as those negative ones seem to find us all no matter what! Having a cast is an experience, but twice is enough…)

I can watch videos online of rescued dogs all day, or I could spend a few hours volunteering at my local animal shelter. Which one would be more rewarding and give me something to talk with others about? I sent one of my grandchildren on an introductory flight lesson. Do you think he still talks about it? Wondering through a field of sunflowers for an afternoon was a soothing reflection on nature. The younger girls still love looking back at those pictures. An afternoon of fishing requiring them all to touch fish and worms was an experience, I’m just not quite sure if that ended up being positive or negative. Worms are gross! Taking donations to a local youth shelter and spending a few minutes in conversation with those teens is good for the souls on both sides of those discussions.

Participate when you find an opportunity. Go to the Fair. Watch some local little league. Visit the museum. Try a different flavor of ice cream. Unexpectedly end up on the stage at the Comedy Club. Share it all with friends and family, and I guess you could share your experiences online, too, and let people live vicariously through you!

~Contributed by Melody Lowe

09/22/2026

“You’re a Winner”

I’m not sure how much writing I will continue to do because I just won $3,000,000 from Publisher’s Clearing House! And, if you believe that we need to have a serious conversation.

I had a message on my phone that I needed to contact someone as they were unable to deliver a package since it required a signature upon delivery. I was expecting some packages, so I phoned the number to see what was going on and to make appropriate arrangements.

It turns out it was “Todd” from Publisher’s Clearing House informing me he needed information “to register me” so he could send out my check for $3,000,000. Little did he realize who he was talking to. He’s obviously not read my article on hackers.

He verified my name and asked for my birthdate. I gave him that. Then he wanted more. I told him if I had won something he should already have all my information on file. He said he only needed a couple more pieces of information then asked for my mother’s maiden name. I informed Todd that I would not provide any information until I received something specific in writing that I could validate. Why? First off, it’s my impression that Publishers Clearing House died with Ed McMahon. (If you don’t know who that is, look it up.) Second, I have never in my entire life subscribed to anything from Publisher’s Clearing House, therefore, they don’t have any information except my name. I know this from all the junk mail this company used to send out.

Todd asked again for even more personal information. I responded again that I would not provide any information until I had something in writing from them that I could validate. We went back and forth in this manner for several minutes, with Todd trying to convince me he needed this information to register me to receive my check.

I’m sure he thought I was a poor and elderly widow, that was an easy target. However, I wore him down. He finally just hung up on me. So, I was either very smart by refusing to share my personal information, or very stupid because I just walked away from $3,000,000. I’m claiming the first one! And if you get a call like this, I want you to be smart, too!

~contributed by Melody Lowe

09/16/2026

FPI Video Update!

Blake discusses 3 tax moves you may want to consider before the end of 2026! Click the link below to watch.

https://www.financialpartnersinc.net 1.641.684.0368 "Intelligent ...

09/11/2026

We had a great time teaching the “Taxes in Retirement” class at Indian Hills Community College this week!

Blake discussed how the “One Big beautiful Bill” may impact retirement planning, reviewed potential strategies to help navigate the changing landscape, and discussed common tax traps that can affect folks in retirement.

09/11/2026

Your employer can contribute up to $2,500 a year to your child's Trump Account. The funds won't be taxable income for you and are a deductible business expense.

09/08/2026

I’m so old…

I recently watched a television series that revolved around time travel, and the episode focused on the building of The Berlin Wall. (Yep – I’m a sci-fi fan!) However, it made me think about all of the “historic” things that I have witnessed and rarely think anything about. Watching this scene of the Berlin Wall being built made me recall watching the wall being torn down on the news and families being brought back together. And, it made me think about many other things I’ve been witness to.

I wasn’t old enough to know it was “Project Mercury”; however, I recall watching the lift off with my dad on the tiny black and white TV. I was always fascinated with space. I watched many lift-offs and splashdowns. I watched the Challenger explode. I watched the Mars Rover land and make its way across the planet. (I had to literally be peeled away from the TV.) And most recently watched Artemis I. I’m excited for this exploration to continue.

I remember Cassius Clay before he was Muhamed Ali, and Lew Alcindor, Jr. before he was Karim Abdul-Jabbar. I remember when Johnny Cash decided to become the man in black.

I watched Operation Desert Storm, with cameramen embedded within the troops. Everyone was a patriot at the start of that, unlike the wind-down of Vietnam. I remember my mother sending pen pal letters to soldiers in Vietnam, and all the kids at school who wore POW bracelets. I still have one.

I even recall women burning their bras in the street while my mother was insisting I had to wear one. I know they were fighting for women’s rights that I fortunately have always had since I became an adult. Rights that are generally taken for granted. Those of us who enjoy these rights never experienced what our mothers and grandmothers had to live with.

I was an early adopter of the internet working with the University of Iowa on a project, and I’ve continued to grow up with it. Tech savvy, not tech dependent…

And as I look back, the thing that bothers me is that it now seems all so matter-of-fact, only it wasn’t at the moment. It was special, and we as a collective have forgotten that. We have such an influx of information now, that it’s hard to first off know what even is “real” news or something fake, so we’ve all had to become mini-detectives to identify it. From there, how do I “know” what is historic or life-altering? I feel as if we are in a loop of “if everything is special than nothing is really special.” And I still want to celebrate what is special. I want to celebrate the risk-takers. I want to celebrate the monumental leaps we make. Let’s find those special things, keep up the momentum, and celebrate!

~Contributed by Melody Lowe