@SOSConcern - I’ve only been following this thread for only a few days but some of your posts regarding your financial advisor, Don, raise some red flags with me, and I see they’ve raised concerns with others as well. I made my living in financial services/investment management and, although I don’t know details of your portfolio and obviously don’t know your FA, I’m going to give you the same advice I’d give a close friend or a relative.
Looking at your FA’s website, I see a lot of marketing pitches which raises red flags. I’m always of the mindset that if someone is trying so hard to get your business, it deserves a close look. There is also talk of market timing, for example from the website: “You’ve probably heard it before: the market is a cycle. Up, down…and around we go. Well let me ask you a question, if the market is a cycle, and is predicable, then shouldn’t we use that to our advantage?
Historically 80% of all significant market corrections have occured in the Summer and Fall, so you’d think that it would be prudent to pull your money out of the markets during those times, correct? When was the last time your stock broker ever told you to pull out of the markets? Probably never. You’ve probably switched stocks, and moved your money around, but protect it from known volatility? Never.” More: “80% of Bear Markets occur during the months of June, July, August, September and most of October*. One of our main criteria when looking for fund managers for our clients is to ensure that they have a sound strategy for exiting the markets both during times of volatility as well as throughout the year. It is important to make sure that your fund managers can go to cash or to lower risk investments during the summer and fall months when we know, historically, that the market may take a turn. By exiting the market during these times of volatility we are able to continually grow our assets without worrying about first “getting back to even.” This can translate into significant returns over the long haul.” And more: "< This kind of stuff preys upon the fears of individuals. Studies show that the best returns are not produced by trying to time the markets. That’s a fool’s game. Even investment professionals find it challenging. If your guy was really good at this, he’d be managing hedge funds and we’d be reading about him in the WSJ. You wouldn’t be able to afford him. 
And more from the website: "Did you ever wonder why, during the 2008 market crash, all these mutual funds lost a ton of money? They weren’t all bad mutual funds, however, in an effort to prevent our economy from crashing every time there was a market correction, certain types of funds aren’t allowed to go to cash. After all, if billions of dollars worth of stocks were suddenly dumped, large swaths of the economy would probably go bankrupt overnight. So one of the big questions we ask is, “Can and will you go to cash during times of market volatility?” " < This is misleading. Stock funds are stock funds and bond funds are bond funds, for example. A stock portfolio manager’s job is to invest in stocks, not time the market. Same for a bond fund manager. I think this kind of hyperbole is fear mongering when targeted towards an individual investor.
What kind of credentials does your advisor have? A CFA, CFP, OR CPA? Most quality advisors will have one of these designations if they are committed to professional and ethical standards, a high level of investment knowledge, and continuing education in the field. I don’t see where the individuals at the firm you use have any.
The company is controlled by a few family members so I think that warrants taking a real close look. (Think Madoff and his family control.)
How are you measuring your portfolio performance and the performance derived from the advice received from and investment products recommended by your advisor? What benchmark are you comparing to and how often? You mention twice a year. I assume you have access to your portfolio and can see your current standing and your up-to-date return any day you want? I know I can with my Fidelity account (or Vanguard or Charles Schwab, etc if I had one) and it shouldn’t be any other way.
What fees are you paying to your advisor? Flat fee, fee based on assets under management? What are the fees on the products they are putting you into? Front end and back end loads? 12b1 fees? Higher than average expense ratios? If you don’t know, you should find out. You may be paying much more than you think to have your money managed and eroding your performance. From your post #7868: “Nationwide pays our agent (Don) which is a cost factored into the financial terms and conditions of the contract.” Nationwide isn’t paying Don, you are through Nationwide.
For those getting started in investing who want to gain knowledge, magazines like Money Magazine and Kiplinger’s can provide good introductory advice on investing. Add in a subscription to the WSJ, and you’ll learn a lot. Take a course by someone who isn’t trying to sell you something or sign you up for their services, someone with no “skin in the game”. Here’s a Kiplinger article on picking a financial advisor: http://www.kiplinger.com/article/investing/T023-C000-S002-must-have-credentials-for-a-financial-adviser.html
Until you really, really know an advisor and have gained a solid grasp of the ins and outs of investing (just the basic stuff, the individual investor doesn’t need the complicated stuff), I highly encourage you NOT to put all your eggs in one basket, or all your investment portfolio with one financial advisor.
All that said, your guy could be perfectly sound (although I’d check all those fees!) but make sure you are asking the right questions and gaining knowledge away from someone who is benefitting financially from you. I make these recommendations with the best intentions for you.
It definitely feels better to not have that debt. And the insurance company dropped our homeowner’s rate a tiny bit - it looks like they think that we are more vested in the house now than we were with 50% LTV.