Augie Malekovich - Wealth Advisor at Strategic Wealth Investments

03/31/2026

There are basically 5 things you can do with money.
1. Buy stuff.
2. Buy experiences.
3. Buy time.
4. Give it away.
5. Save it.
Four of these will bring you happiness. One will not. Your brain tells you to do the one thing that won’t bring you lasting happiness – buying stuff.

https://www.strategicwi.com/who-we-are/

03/24/2026

Wait 72 hours until you buy something.

Do you buy on impulse? If you see something you think you want, wait 72 hours to see if you still want it. I’ve talked myself out of many discretionary purchases by doing this. Over the 72 hours, I’ll start to think about what I really need instead of the impulse buy. Like a tank of gas!

https://www.strategicwi.com/contact-us/

Send a message to learn more

03/10/2026

Since 1871 there have been:
151 rolling 5-year periods, 87% of which have been profitable
146 rolling 10-year periods, 96% of which have been profitable
136 rolling 20-year periods, 100% of which have been profitable

Consider your time horizon when making your investing decisions.

https://www.strategicwi.com/what-we-do/

Send a message to learn more

03/05/2026

Don’t fool yourself. The satisfaction you get from the stuff you buy on a credit card will not exceed the dissatisfaction you feel from carrying credit card debt.

https://www.strategicwi.com/what-we-do/

Send a message to learn more

02/25/2026

Want to feel better? Get comparison out of your life.

Social media is a lie. You only see what someone wants you to see, not the complete picture. I don’t recall ever reading a post that says, “my wife and I were arguing about money last night”.

You should celebrate a friends’ success. You should not compare your life to theirs. I do not know one person who hasn’t struggled in some way. Continue to make positive financial choices. This will lower your financial stress.

https://www.strategicwi.com/what-we-do/

Send a message to learn more

02/20/2026

If you have savings set aside and an emergency happens, it’s no big deal. If you have no savings and an emergency happens, it’s a panic attack. Don’t put yourself in the position of having a panic attack.

https://www.strategicwi.com/contact-us/

Send a message to learn more

02/12/2026

Let’s say you keep your car for 5 years after you pay it off. Instead of spending the money you used for your car payment, you invest it. Here are some numbers to give you a visual.
Save $300 per month
5 years = 60 months
Let’s use a compounding annual return of 8%
You will have saved $18,000 and have $4,024 of growth. This will give you $22,024 to pay cash for your next car or have a very nice down payment.

My preference is to pay cash or have my car paid off in one year. When I tell people this, they look at me like it’s impossible to do. This is how you do it.

https://www.strategicwi.com/

Send a message to learn more

02/04/2026

Is putting a 10% cap on credit card interest rates good or bad?

Subprime cards get criticized for high APR's, annual fees, low limits, and minimal rewards. These cards serve people with damaged credit, those shut out of conventional loans and households using cards for liquidity not perks. They charge high APR's because charge offs exceed 8 to 10%. Fraud and servicing costs are higher, credit limits are smaller while fixed costs remain significant. Putting a 10% cap on them makes these products mathematically impossible. These cards won't become cheaper. They will cease to exist.

My advice is simple – get out of credit card debt. Stop all discretionary spending. Put every penny you can towards paying down that debt. Then, you don’t have to worry about the APR.

https://www.strategicwi.com/

Send a message to learn more

01/28/2026

Are AI stocks today similar to the Dot-com era stocks? The simple answer is no, when comparing price vs. earnings.

This chart compares the stock price growth to the earnings growth. The stock prices in the Dot-com era significantly outpaced earnings growth. In the AI era, the earnings growth is supporting the stock price growth.

01/21/2026

"Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship." Benjamin Franklin

You need to know where all of your money is going each month.

https://www.strategicwi.com/

Send a message to learn more

01/15/2026

You can help create financial discipline by asking yourself is this prioritizing me now or me later? Now – buying the new watch on a credit card. Later – saving for retirement so you can be secure and not have to worry.

The LPL Financial registered representative(s) associated with this website may discuss and/or transact business only with residents of the states in which they are properly registered or licensed, No offers may be made or accepted from any resident of any other state.