Russell V. Dawson - Financial Advisor

Just hanging out with my little four legged model 🔥

Financial planning and investing shouldn’t feel intimidating.

At Tell Me Why Financial, tell me your goals, concerns, and dreams, and I’ll help make it all make sense.

Whether it’s retirement planning, investments, or insurance, my goal is to make the complicated, uncomplicated, so you can make confident financial decisions.

This Memorial Day, we pause to remember the brave men and women who gave everything for our country and the freedoms we enjoy every day. 🇺🇸

The weather finally seems like it’s breaking… which means it’s officially time to pull my Harley out. 🏍️☀️

So all meetings are canceled until winter! Joking… maybe. 😂 But really, I’ll park it long enough to still give financial advice.

And for all of you already benefiting from my smart brain (🧠 😂) managing your money… I promise I’ll wear a helmet and protect my brain just like I protect your money. 💰

Have you been to the gas pump lately?

Inflation rose to 3.8% in April, driven largely by higher gas prices, and it’s a reminder of why long-term planning matters.

If you’ve worked with me, you’ve heard me talk about inflation and the importance of growth. Over time, money sitting in low-yield savings or checking accounts can slowly lose purchasing power.

Safety and liquidity matter, but in today’s environment, standing still financially can come with its own risk. The goal is balance: protection, growth, and a strategy built to keep up over time.

If you have money sitting in a low-yield bank or credit union account with no intended use over the next year and a half, let’s talk about whether there may be better long-term options.

Today, we celebrate the heart of every family. Thank you to all the incredible moms for your love, strength, and endless support. You make the world a better place.

Everybody stressed about taxes today…

Meanwhile Sergeant just jumps in my bed uninvited and goes straight to sleep like he pays rent 😂……He has

✔️ No bills
✔️ No taxes
✔️ No worries
Yeah… that’s the goal

If you ever wanna know what I’m working toward…it’s this level of peace 🐾

Tax Day Is Here – and So Are Extensions! If you’ve already filed and ended your yearly business with the IRS, congrats! If you are filing extensions, congratulations on getting that process underway. Alongside your tax professionals, we wish you a timely resolution to this yearly ritual.

What’s going on in the market right now… and how to think about it

Markets are pulling back as tensions in the Middle East, especially involving Iran create uncertainty. Oil prices are rising, interest rates are reacting, and volatility is increasing.

This isn’t unusual.

This is what markets do during uncertainty.
What matters is how you’re positioned.

We’re seeing:
• Stocks pulling back
• Tech already in correction territory
• Oil prices rising
• Increased volatility across the market

There are strategies that allow you to:
• Participate in market growth
• Have defined downside protection
• Create more predictability and control

These are the moments that separate people who have investments…from people who actually have a strategy.

If you’ve been thinking about protecting what you’ve built, let’s have a conversation.

Five years ago, Richard walked into my office… and he was all business.

No smile. None of my jokes landed 😅

So I asked him,
“Richard, what do I have to do to get you to smile?”

He said,
“Make me enough money so I can retire in five years.”

Well… fast forward to today, and as of Tuesday, Richard is officially retired.

Mission accomplished.

Still working on that smile though 😂, that might take another fives years! 😊

This is why I love what I do, helping people turn goals into reality.

Congrats, Richard. You earned it.