Retirement
‘5 Overlooked Facts About IRA’s’
Blog“5 Overlooked Facts About IRA’s" IRAs have been around since 1974. And yet after nearly 50 years, there’s plenty that the 47.9 million households that use IRAs to save for retirement still get wrong about these retirement accounts. A recent article on...
‘The Current State of Social Security’
Blog"The Current State of Social Security" It’s obvious, the last 12 to 18 months has been tough and we’ve seen firsthand effects of how the pandemic has impacted the economy and our everyday lives. A question that maybe some of us have started to ask is, “How...
“Most Americans are Unprepared for Retirement”
Blog “Most Americans are Unprepared for Retirement” Perhaps this type of headline gets old, but the unfortunate reality is that it’s true! Based on research recently completed by the CFP Board, roughly 26% of Americans delay retirement savings until their...
Managing the Initial Years of Retirement
Blog Managing the Initial Years of Retirement The conventional view of retirement is changing. Certainly, the age at which we retire, what we do during retirement years, and even how long retirement generally lasts look different than assumptions we made 15 years...
‘ Putting your House in a Trust ‘
Blog “Putting your House in a Trust" Trusts aren't just for the uber-wealthy. Anyone with financial or physical assets may consider setting one up to make life a little bit easier for those you leave behind when you die. When you establish a trust, you...
How is Social Security Taxed?
Blog “How is Social Security Taxed?" For some, it’s surprising to learn that social security benefits are taxable. After all, it’s a system that has taken tax out of your paycheck for so many years, it can be eye opening to learn that the benefits from that...
“Tips for Lowering Taxes in Retirement”
Blog “Tips for Lowering Taxes in Retirement” So many financial articles talk about the importance of saving for retirement and how much money you should have saved to retire comfortably. While that is certainly an important topic, considering how these savings will...
“Estate Planning and Your Financial Legacy”
Blog “Estate Planning and Your Financial Legacy” Estate planning can be a daunting and complex concept, but it doesn’t need to be. This week, we highlight a post from Scott Monk over at Charis Legacy Partners as he breaks down the basic concepts within...
“7 Important Ages for Retirement Planning”
Blog “7 Important Ages for Retirement Planning" The amount of decisions and timeframes that arrive at your doorstep as you head into retirement can be overwhelming. It’s hard to keep track of what age you become eligible for Medicare vs. when you can take...
“Important Tax Concepts for Retirement”
Blog “Important Tax Concepts for Retirement” Tax planning strategies are an essential component to maximizing retirement income. The more income you have in retirement, the more you get to spend or pass down to your heirs. While you might not be making a...
“Preparing for the Non-Financial Side of Retirement”
Blog “Preparing for the Non-Financial Side of Retirement" Retirement is something to look forward to. It can be an extremely rewarding period of life when you’re able to give back, build into the next generation, and have some fun along the way. However,...
“Increasing Retirement Success with Small Tweaks”
Blog “Increasing Retirement Success with Small Tweaks” We first published this article in May of 2020, but the reality is that the core topics remain particularly relevant. This past year has seen many people forced into retirement or making decisions on early...
“Creating a Retirement Paycheck”
Blog “Creating a Retirement Paycheck” For many, transitioning from work to retirement is learning to live without a steady paycheck. This can be challenging as expenses continue even after you stop working. Many of us would like to create a reliable income stream in...
“Who Owns Stocks in the United States?”
Blog “Who Owns Stocks in the United States?” I recently read an interesting article by Ben Carlson over at his blog “A Wealth of Common Sense”. The article he wrote dives into who actually owns stocks in the United States and how that has changed over the...
“Making up Lost Ground Saving for Retirement”
Blog “Making up Lost Ground Saving for Retirement" There can be many reasons older Americans are financially ill-prepared for retirement. Some people don’t make enough money to set aside for their later years. Others have bad luck in their career, poor...
Should I Use Retirement Savings to Pay Off the Mortgage?
Blog“Should I Use Retirement Savings to Pay Off the Mortgage?" Beginning retirement with no debt might sound appealing. After all, you’re on a fixed income, and it’s not unlikely that you’ll go back to work and start earning an income in your final years of...
Starting Children’s Retirement – Revisited
Blog“Starting Children's Retirement - Revisited" In August of last year, we wrote a post titled “Setting Your Children Up for Retirement” which you can find here. In this article, we wanted to dive in deeper to this concept of a Custodial IRA (sometimes called...
The Great Transfer of Wealth
Blog“The Great Transfer of Wealth" More than 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65 every day and that is expected to continue until 2030. Over the coming decades, trillions of dollars of wealth will pass from baby boomer parents to their heirs, with some...
SECURE Act 2.0 – What it Means
Blog“SECURE Act 2.0 - What it Means" In December 2019 Congress passed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act. This was a bi-partisan bill designed to help Americans’ in preparation for their retirement years. Some of the...
Managing the Initial Years of Retirement
Blog“Managing the Initial Years of Retirement" The conventional view of retirement is changing. Certainly, the age at which we retire, what we do during retirement years, and even how long retirement generally lasts look different than assumptions we made 15...
The Insecurity Around Social Security
Blog“The Insecurity Around Social Security" Fires, viruses, civil unrest; will 2020 ever end? With only two months left in the year coronavirus has officially claimed another victim: Social Security. Due to the economic impact of Covid-19, the Social Security...
Geographic Arbitrage – A Trend with Momentum
Blog “Geographic Arbitrage - A Trend with Momentum" Geographic Arbitrage (AKA geo-arbitrage) in its simplest format is when someone takes advantage of differences in cost of living between two geographic locations. The concept is not something new or...
Setting Your Children up for Retirement
Blog “Setting Your Children up for Retirement" For many people, setting their child up for success in the future is one of their responsibilities as a parent or guardian. Setting them up for success comes in many different facets (think life skills, hard-work,...
Gifting Responsibly and Avoiding Taxes
Blog “Gifting Responsibly and Avoiding Taxes" Each year, the IRS sets a limit called the annual gift tax exclusion which determines how much you can “gift” to someone else and avoid paying any taxes. For 2020, that annual exclusion amount is $15,000 (this can change...
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