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Strategies for Managing Student Loan Debt
If college were a party, then student loans are the hangover. Unfortunately, the “hair of the dog” won’t cure this headache, but here are some ideas for managing your student loan debt. The programs listed are not intended as tax or...
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Succeeding at Business Succession
Family businesses account for 54% of private sector Gross Domestic Product (GDP), yet 43% of family businesses have no formal succession plan. While those numbers may shock you, it is not surprising that many small business owners are...
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The Sequence of Returns
What exactly is the “sequence of returns”? The phrase describes the yearly variation in an investment portfolio’s rate of return. But what kind of impact do these deviations from the average return have on a portfolio’s final value?...
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Helpful Retirement Strategies for Women
Preparing for retirement can look a little different for women than it does for men. Although stereotypes are changing, women are still more likely to serve as caretakers than men are, meaning they may accumulate less income and...
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IRA Withdrawals that Escape the 10% Tax Penalty
The reason withdrawals from a Traditional Individual Retirement Account (IRA) prior to age 59½ are generally subject to a 10% tax penalty is that policymakers wanted to create a disincentive to use these savings for anything other than...
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Building a Solid Financial Foundation
When you read about money matters, you may see the phrase, “getting your financial house in order.” What exactly does that mean? To some, when your financial “house is in order,” it means it is built on a solid foundation. It means...
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Critical Estate Documents
Financial Documents Joint Ownership Durable Power of Attorney Living Trust What does it do? Enables you to own property jointly with another person Authorizes someone to handle legal and financial decisions if you become incapacitated...
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Roth IRA for Kids
Small business owners may find it challenging to find ways to provide additional benefits to their children who work for the company. One often overlooked choice is including a Roth individual retirement account (IRA) as part of their...
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Choosing a Retirement Plan that Fits Your Business
If you have yet to develop a retirement plan for your business, or if you’re not sure the plan you’ve chosen is the right one, here are some things to consider. How much can my business afford to contribute? The cost of contributions...
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Generating income in a volatile, rising rate environment for retirees.
For the past 80+ years, investors have typically looked at bonds as a safe haven in their portfolio. There was an ideal that bonds and stocks move in opposite directions, and that bonds will never experience the same magnitude of...
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Emotional vs. Strategic Decisions
Information vs. instinct. When it comes to investing, many people believe they have a “knack” for choosing good investments. But what exactly is that “knack” based on? The fact is, the choices we make with our assets can be strongly...
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What’s New for Social Security?
Whether you’re applying for Social Security in the future or currently receiving benefits, there are some important changes to earnings limits, Medicare premiums, and other differences to keep in mind. Ready to learn more? Read on....
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What Is a Roth 401(k)?
While many people are familiar with the benefits of traditional 401(k) plans, others are not as acquainted with Roth 401(k)s. Since January 1, 2006, employers have been allowed to offer workers access to Roth 401(k) plans. And starting...
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Understanding Equity Compensation
Employers do what they can to foster a sense of ownership in their employees. After all, if you stand to benefit from a company’s success, you’re more likely to do a great job for them, or so the logic goes. So, when you are hired for...
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Pay Yourself First
Each month, you settle down to pay bills. You pay your mortgage lender. You pay the electric company. You pay the trash collector. But do you pay yourself? One of the most basic tenets of sound investing involves the simple habit of...
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Inflation & The Real Rate of Return
The real rate of return is an important personal finance concept to understand. It’s the rate of return on your investments after inflation. The real rate of return indicates whether you are gaining or losing purchasing power with your...
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Mutual funds vs. ETFs
The growth of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has been explosive. In 2005, there were less than 500; by the latter half of 2021, there were over 8,000 investing in a wide range of stocks, bonds, and other securities and instruments.1 At...
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Mortgages in Retirement
Anyone who has gone through the process of mapping out their retirement knows there can be a lot to keep in mind. Saving, investing, anticipating medical costs, and making sure you have enough tucked away for years to come is just the...
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Emotions and your portfolio
2022 has most likely been a difficult year in your portfolio. As of December 8th 2022, the S&P 500 is down nearly 18%, while the US Bond index (AGG) is down nearly 15%. During these periods of volatility, it is essential to evaluate...
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How you can align your portfolio with your values
When you are building your portfolio, there are a number of financial considerations that go into your investment selection process. These considerations include the goal you are planning for, how long until you reach this goal, and...
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A Checklist for When a Spouse or Parent Passes
When you lose a spouse, partner, or parent, the grief can be overwhelming. In the midst of that grief, life goes on. There are arrangements to be made, things to be taken care of – and in recognition of this reality, here is a...
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Systematic Withdrawals in Retirement
Many of us grew up with the concept that making regular, periodic contributions to our retirement account was a sound investment strategy. The idea was that, in a fluctuating market, regularly investing a set amount would enable an...
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Managing the Risk of Outliving Your Money
“What is your greatest retirement fear?” If you ask some pre-retirees this question, “outliving my money” may be one of the top answers. In fact, 42% of workers say they fear outliving their savings and investments.1 Retirees face...
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A Look at Diversification
Ancient Chinese merchants were said to have developed a unique way to manage their risk. They would divide their shipments among several different vessels. That way, if one ship were to sink or be attacked by pirates, the rest stood a...
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How Retirement Spending Changes with Time
New retirees sometimes worry that they are spending too much, too soon. Should they scale back? Are they at risk of outliving their money? This concern may be legitimate. Some households “live it up” and spend more than they anticipate...
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Investing vs. speculation; what’s the difference?
You may have seen the stories on the television or online of people who were able to generate outlandish returns in a short period of time through day trading or derivatives; but is this investing? Even though these traders are...
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