Blog

August Market Insight: Staying Invested in a Tricky Market Environment

Making economic forecasts and stock market predictions can be humbling. It’s especially tough when you expect stocks to go higher and get a big drop instead. The environment today is the opposite, but still tricky, as recession...

Elder Law or Estate Planning: Do You Know the Difference?

Nearly 56 million American adults are 65 or older, and the demand for community living and estate planning services may increase over the next few decades.1 Do you know what arrangements you need to make when the time comes? What are...

Teach Your Children Well: Basic Financial Education

Even before your children can count, they already know something about money: it's what you have to give the ice cream man to get a cone, or put in the slot to ride the rocket ship at the grocery store. So, as soon as your children...

How Grandparents Can Help Grandchildren with College Costs

As the cost of a college education continues to climb, many grandparents are stepping in to help. This trend is expected to accelerate as baby boomers, many of whom went to college, become grandparents and start gifting what's...

What Causes Inflation and What to Do About It

A huge challenge is planning for your retirement savings to outpace inflation Some of us may remember the “good old days,” when gasoline prices were as low as 25¢ per gallon. Others may recall when a can of soda cost...

Mid-Year Outlook: The Path Towards Stability

Our 2023 investing outlook started with a theme of returning to normalcy. Considering 2022’s market volatility and the aftereffects of the pandemic, the idea of finding balance was certainly a welcomed change. It’s a theme...

The Importance of Financial Independence for Adults with Disabilities

Disabilities may make it challenging to secure a job or stay financially stable. Luckily, there are now more ways than ever for adults with disabilities to gain their financial independence. Here are some important reasons adults with...

Generational Wealth and the Gift of Financial Freedom

Those who receive an inheritance with the passing of a loved one are potentially given the gift of financial freedom if they choose to manage the wealth carefully. Did you know that only about one-third of adults have a prepared will,...

Stars, Stripes, and Stocks: 3 Ways Investors May Pursue Financial Freedom

What does the term "financial freedom" mean to you? For some, it means freedom from a particular workplace or industry. For others, it means the opportunity for an early retirement or the ability to start a long-desired business....

Four Sandwich Generation Survival Tips

Members of the "sandwich generation"—those taking on the care of their aging parents while also raising children or financially supporting adult children—may feel stressed and overextended. Most current sandwich generation...

Goodbye Debt Ceiling Drama

Every so often Washington likes to remind us how hard it can be to get things accomplished. The most recent example is the debt ceiling...

3 Ways Planning For Retirement is Like Planning For Summer Break

For kids, teens, and college students, summer break often represents freedom from schedules, responsibilities, and all those other drains on your time. Retirement actually can provide a similar level of freedom, but only if you've...

High Net-Worth Individuals: Are You Missing Opportunities in Your Financial Planning?

High Net-Worth executives and those that have been self-employed, can experience common problems in their financial planning journey. Often, they have missed opportunities in their financial planning because they haven’t planned...

Building Wealth in the LGBTQ+ Community and Closing the Generational Wealth Gap

Members of the LGBTQ+ community face a broad range of financial challenges that heterosexual people do not need to deal with—and often are not even aware of. The media often portrays the "typical" gay couple as a high-earning...

5 Homeowner Estate Planning Tips to Consider

Estate planning helps disperse your assets according to your wishes. The effort may seem daunting at first, but estate planning does not have to be overly complicated. With the proper planning, you may find yourself resting a little...

3 Tips for Preserving Wealth in Your Golden

After spending so much of your life saving for retirement, it may be challenging to transition from depositing funds to withdrawing them. You may wonder whether there is any way to maintain your lifestyle and preserve your wealth to...

529 Plans and Alternatives: Making an Educated Decision about Education Savings Options

Those that choose to invest in the education of a family member, friend or acquaintance are investing not only in that individual’s future, but also the future of society. It is an act of generosity, forward-thinking, and love....

The Financial Impact of Mental Health

Mental health is essential to everyone’s wellbeing. Mental health disorders, diagnosed or not, may be playing a role in your daily life. Often, financial problems or worries may impact your mental wellbeing, especially if...

Life Insurance: How Much Is Enough?

You may already be aware of the importance of having enough life insurance coverage to handle financial matters that could affect your family in the event of your death. However, determining the appropriate amount of coverage for your...

6 Money Myths That Are Limiting Your Wealth

When people think of “myths,” they often think of such stories as Pandora’s Box (the woman who took the lid off of a jar releasing all of the world’s ills upon the world, were taxes one of them?), or the Tale of...

5 Social Security Benefits You Might Be Missing Out On

Most people know that once they approach retirement age, their reward for years of work comes from Social Security payments they put money towards during their employment. Deciding when to file for your Social Security payments is...

Spring Cleaning Your Investments

Everyone needs to clean-up their financial clutter at least once a year Spring is traditionally the time to clean the garage and to get the yard in shape. It’s also a great time to clean up your investment portfolio. Going into...

The Gender Investing Gap: How Do We Bridge It?

In the U.S., men are investing and accumulating wealth at a greater pace than women, fueling the gender investing gap. Closing the investing gap is essential so that women accumulate enough retirement assets for their entire lives. On...

Surprising Similarities Between Multigenerational Wealth and Jazz

Listening to John Coltrane or other favorite jazz musicians is like watching the leaves swirling through the city streets on an autumn day. The cedar and oaky smoke smell from a fireplace can spark a feeling of nostalgia that takes you...

HOW THE SECURE ACT 2.0 COULD CHANGE THE WAY YOU SAVE FOR RETIREMENT

The pending legislation for the proposed retirement reform, better known as the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act 2.0, is expected to be passed into law by the end of 2022. In March of this year, the...

10 Tips to Develop Financial Wellness This Year

Financial wellness is a state of being when one is in control of their finances, can cover expenses, and save for future goals. Consider financial wellness as your relationship with money; it can be either healthy or unhealthy....

Five Helpful Tools for Tax Prep

Tax preparation tools and products continue to evolve even more quickly than the federal tax code itself. Which tax prep tools are worth the hype, and which may be passed over? Below we discuss five high-tech tools to help make tax...

Tax Prep Checklist: Everything You Need to Be Ready for Tax Season

Regardless of whether you prepare your taxes yourself or use a professional's services, it's a good idea to gather the information and documentation you need well in advance of your actual tax filing date. Below, we've listed some key...

FAMILY WEALTH TRANSFER PLANNING: KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY THROUGH GENERATIONAL GIVING

What is family wealth, and how do you preserve it? You have worked hard for years and accumulated wealth. You earned this money through your job, investing, and saving, and you want to preserve it for yourself and to take care of...

The 12 Days of Year End Planning

THINGS TO CONSIDER GOING INTO “THE NEW YEAR" (YEAR-END PLANNING CHECKLIST) The end of the year is necessary to reflect on your financial picture, review the last 12 months, and plan for the future. With all that is involved,...

Outlook 2023: Finding Balance

Through all the challenges, newfound opportunities, and every high and low we’ve experienced during the last couple of years, it’s no surprise why we might be striving for more balance. Whether it’s about the markets...

Give the Gift of A LifeTime

If you ask someone their favorite part of the holiday season, giving or receiving gifts will likely be their response nine times out of ten. Gift-giving is a huge part of the holidays—it’s why there are entire days...

What the Mid-Terms Might Do to the Stock Market

The S&P 500 does best when one party controls Congress and the WH too The 2022 Midterm Elections will feature hundreds of hotly contested races at the state and local level and will decide whether the Democrats maintain...

Preparing for Year-End and the 2022/2023 Tax Season

Year-end is approaching and being prepared is the best way to make this tax season your easiest yet. Following are important information and tools to help you get ready. As always, meeting with us early and often will ensure your...

Understanding Long-Term Care Insurance

It's a fact: People today are living longer. Although that's good news, the odds of requiring some sort of long-term care increase as you get older. And as the costs of home care, nursing homes, and assisted living escalate, you...

A Year-End Wealth Planning Guide

As we approach the end of the year, you may want to review areas that may impact your wealth and estate planning next year. In this year-end planning guide, we examine four critical areas to consider that may affect your finances:1....

Six Potential 401(k) Rollover Pitfalls

You're about to receive a distribution from your 401(k) plan, and you're considering a rollover to a traditional IRA. While these transactions are normally straightforward and trouble-free, there are some pitfalls you'll want to avoid...

How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?

Your life insurance needs change as your life changes. When you are young, you may not have a need for life insurance. However, as you take on more responsibility and your family grows, your life insurance needs increase. Your needs...

Inflation Reduction Act: What You Should Know

The Inflation Reduction Act includes health-care and energy-related provisions, a new corporate alternative minimum tax, and an excise tax on certain corporate repurchases of stock.The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law on August...

The Health of Social Security - Some Good News and Some Bad News

With approximately 94% of American workers covered by Social Security and 65 million people currently receiving benefits, keeping Social Security healthy is a major concern.1 Social Security isn't in danger of going broke.

Moving Your 401(k) to a Roth IRA Tax-Free?

Question: I made after-tax contributions to my 401(k). When I retire, can I roll that money into a Roth IRA tax-free? Answer: Yes. After-tax funds can be segregated from other funds in the account and transferred directly to a Roth IRA.

Can We Get a Goldilocks Scenario?

Broad-Based Job Gains Keep Recession AwayThe U.S. added 372,000 jobs in June, at just a slightly lower clip from May, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.6%. The participation rate dipped to 62.2% in June as individuals...

Midyear Outlook 2022: Navigating Turbulence

Markets rarely give us clear skies, and there are always threats to watch for on the horizon, but the right preparation, context, and support can help us navigate anything that may lie ahead. So far, this year hasn’t seen a...

A Beginner’s Guide to Investing After Retirement

You may be retired and considering investing some of your retirement nest egg. Depending on your situation, it is crucial that investing in the stock market, bond market, or other investments does not jeopardize your retirement savings...

As Stock Markets Peak, Check Your Emotions

Emotions often drive investors to make poor decisions and underperform.Dynamic investing and overall fitness can often come down to discipline (and planning). Why aren’t you reaping the investment returns you read about in the...

Five Lessons To Remember During Bear Markets

The Stock Market has been trying to teach these lessons forever….The real value of a bear market may be that it gives investors, who are temporarily frozen within its grip, the opportunity to learn or relearn important lessons...

Tips for Navigating a Volatile Retirement

Retirement is the time in your life when you want to sit back, relax, and enjoy the fruits of years of hard work. But unfortunately, when the market is volatile, it may bring additional anxiety and stress. The good news is, a volatile...

5 Types of Retirement Plans for Small Business Owners

Small business owners are different from the average hourly employee in a lot of ways. One often-overlooked difference is how they plan for retirement. Although small business owners may offer a classic 401(k) for their workers along...

Preserve Your Retirement Savings with LTCi

If you are part of the baby boomer generation (born between 1944 and 1964), you may already know how important it can be to save for your retirement. Little remains of the security our parents may have enjoyed through company pensions....

The Facts about Social Security Retirement Benefits

Social Security Retirement benefits are one thing that people know of, but often what they know isn't always accurate. First, the Social Security Trust Fund was created in 1939 as part of Old Age and Survivors Insurance by the...

What You Should Know About Contributing To An IRA At Every Age

A traditional IRA offers a great way to shield income from taxation while boosting your retirement accounts. Meanwhile, a Roth IRA can let you pay tomorrow's taxes today. But how can workers who are eligible to contribute to either...

Asset Allocation

Asset allocation is a common strategy that you can use to construct an investment portfolio. Asset allocation isn't about picking individual securities. Instead, you focus on broad categories of investments, mixing them together in the...

2021/2022 Tax Season at a Glance

Planning Your Distributions After Retirement

When it comes to retirement planning, much ado is made of how much to save. But often, the real difference lies in shrewd distribution planning. By withdrawing funds from certain account types in a certain order, you might...

Four New Year's Resolutions for Current Retirees

Five New Year's Resolutions for Those Nearing Retirement

Retirement Contribution Limit Changes for 2022

With inflation on the rise, the IRS increased the 2022 contribution limits for some retirement accounts. Although a 2021 Congressional report found that only about 8.5% of defined benefit plan participants and 4.7% of individual...

Key Benefits of a Financial Advisor

Whether you've been wondering about boosting your investments' rates of return or are concerned that your financial affairs are a bit too complicated for your next of kin to handle, it may be time to seek advice from a financial...