Author: Rick Brooks

Rick Brooks, CFA®, CFP® is a partner of Blankinship & Foster LLC and is the firm’s Chief Investment Officer. He is a lead advisor, counseling clients on all aspects of personal financial management. Rick serves on several boards. He is the Chairman of the Board of Girl Scouts San Diego, and also chairs the San Diego Foundation’s Professional Advisor Council. Rick and his family live in Mission Hills. Rick enjoys spending time with his family, theater, cooking, skiing, gaming and reading.

This is probably not going to sound all that romantic. I will even admit that my Valentine’s suggestion probably is a lot more practical than most people would normally consider. There’s no jewelry involved, though a box of See’s candiesREAD MORE

When changing jobs or retiring, one important decision you will face is what to do with your employer’s retirement plan (401(k), 403(b), pension, SIMPLE or SEP IRA, etc.). In most cases a 401(k) to IRA rollover makes the most sense,READ MORE

On a recent weekend, some friends and I were walking our dogs in Mission Hills. A loose pit bull approached our group, charged and bit my dog. We chased it away and called animal control. Thankfully, my dog wasn’t seriouslyREAD MORE

Donald J. Trump will be the next President of the United States, and Republicans maintained control over the House of Representatives and the Senate. Since the election results became clear, equity markets have rallied sharply. At the time of thisREAD MORE

Lately, as we’ve been interviewing new clients, I’ve been seeing a lot more variable annuities in their portfolios. I find this a disappointing reality—most variable annuities are just too expensive. Let’s begin by understanding just what a variable annuity is:READ MORE