THOUGHTS ON MONEY [T.O.M.] is a place to find simple truths on money. Everything from budgeting to investing to decision making. A great place to come for answers to your own personal financial questions or to spark thought on how to improve your financial life. Enjoy an easy to read, application focused commentary.

An Overview on Credit Scores

Credit scores fall into the “proactive” bucket, meaning you want to proactively boost your score when you don’t need credit, so that you are prepared ...
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Kyle Busch v. Pacific Life

It’s a cautionary tale: life insurance isn’t inherently good or bad. It’s a tool. And the outcome depends on design, transparency, and ongoing management.
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Long-Term Care…Get It, or Forget It?

Health expenses in retirement can be catastrophic, however, which is why there is an entire industry (the Long-Term Care industry) dedicated to mitigating this risk.
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Purpose Driven Planning – End of Year Conversations

Explore year-end financial planning tips—from Roth strategies to tax moves and charitable giving—to improve your wealth outlook.
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Be a Tell-Me-More Investor

Learn to be a smarter investor by asking “tell me more”—explore concentration, earnings vs. hype, and portfolio attribution.
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Three Unrelated Pieces of Advice

Three key money tips: run your own race, take financial inventory, and value liquidity to strengthen your financial foundation.
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About the Authors

Trevor Cummings

Private Wealth Advisor, Partner

Trevor is a Partner and Director of our Private Wealth Advisor Group.

As the author of TOM [Thoughts On Money], Trevor endeavors to write and speak about financial concepts and principles in a kind of “straight” talk demeanor and posture.

He received his Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Biola University and his MBA from California State University, Fullerton.

Blaine Carver, CFP®, CKA®

Private Wealth Advisor

Desiring to be a financial advisor since high school, Blaine has continued this passion by stewarding client capital for over a decade. A patient educator, he enjoys aligning clients’ financial resources with their values, particularly through creative charitable gifting strategies.

Blaine holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Seattle Pacific University, where he also led the soccer team as captain.