Why Women are More Savvy Investors than Men 

While women are sometimes considered to be more reluctant to invest than their male counterparts, when they do invest, they tend to outperform males and often get a greater overall return. Interestingly, this initial perceived reluctance often works in the women investor’s favor. Read on to learn a few of the reasons women are considered … Continued

Global Conditions Are Most Favorable (For Now)

Tips to position yourself to better navigate an evolving financial landscape In the world of investing, the ebb and flow of global financial conditions are critical indicators, often steering the course for savvy investors. Currently, the financial landscape is presenting an intriguing scenario, as conditions are deemed the most favorable since August. The speculative anticipation … Continued

Strategic Spending: Wise Habits for Long-Term Care For High-Net-Worth Individuals 

As high-net-worth individuals navigate the complexities of financial planning during their working years, one critical aspect often goes overlooked—long-term care. In 2021, the median monthly cost of a private room in a nursing home facility was more than $9,000 per month. At a rate of close to $100,000 per year, even the most diligent savers … Continued

Retirement Plan Limits for 2024

Many IRA and retirement plan limits are indexed for inflation each year. Several of these key numbers have increased once again for 2024. How much can you save in an IRA? The maximum amount you can contribute to a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA in 2024 will be $7,000 (or 100% of your earned … Continued

2023 Year in Review

The Return of “The Magnificent Seven” “The Magnificent Seven,” a cinematic triumph in 1960, mirrored the resonance of audience adoration and critical acclaim. Emerging as one of the year’s highest-grossing films, it solidified its place not just as a commercial success but as a cherished Western classic. The film’s timeless narrative of valor, unity, and … Continued

Key Financial Wellness Metrics for Near-Retirement Individuals

As one approaches retirement, monitoring your financial situation by understanding your net worth and assessing the assets and resources needed to maintain a comfortable lifestyle throughout retirement is vital. This article explores eight key financial wellness metrics individuals must monitor as they approach retirement. 1. Income Replacement RatioOne of the primary financial wellness metrics is … Continued

Independent and Thriving: What to Consider In Your Later Years

While you never know your needs as you age, the first step is thinking about your financial situation and health today so you can plan for your later years. With a one in four chance of making it to our 90th birthday, being independent and thriving as we age is something to pursue. Here are … Continued

Financial Resolutions for Small Business Owners

The new year is fast approaching, and it is a good time for small business owners to make some financial resolutions to help lead them toward a solid financial path. Whether your business is just starting or you have been running it for decades, the new year is the time to review your financial situation … Continued

5 Financial Bad Habits to Cut This Year  

When it comes to financial bad habits, the most common are also well known — don’t spend too much, don’t take on unsustainable debt, and avoid living paycheck to paycheck. But what happens once you’ve implemented this advice and still aren’t getting ahead? Here are five overlooked financial bad habits that could be draining your … Continued

6 Business Goals for a Prosperous New Year

The new year is fast approaching, and it is the perfect time to set up resolutions for your business. Whether you want to increase your sales, gather a more extensive customer base, or just accomplish needed business improvements, below are a few goals to help you get started. 1. Beef Up Your Online Presence Your … Continued

Year-End Tax Planning Considerations for Capital Gains

As the end of the year approaches, investors need to focus on tax-related considerations, particularly regarding capital gains. Year-end tax planning can help investors manage their overall tax liability while seeking to manage investments for suitable tax outcomes. In this article, we explore four key tax planning areas for capital gains: what it is, tax … Continued

Why Business Owners Need Financial Planning

If you’re a business owner, you are likely the Chief Everything Officer at work and have many responsibilities. A business owner’s situation is unique since they are asset-rich and cash-poor since their wealth is in their business-literally. Regardless of the income a business generates, the ages of the owners, or how many employees it has, … Continued

YEAR-END PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS FOR BUSINESS OWNERS

The end of the year can be a chaotic time for business owners. It is a time to compile data, review the numbers, evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and determine growth opportunities for the future. A business owner would be keen to review several factors in preparing year-end documents and preparing for the following year. Here … Continued

Your Traditional 401(k) Year-End Review Checklist

A 401(k) plan is one of the most popular and effective techniques for saving for your retirement. A company will automatically withdraw and contribute money from each paycheck to your 401(k) plan. Some employers will even match a percentage of the contribution. Are you maximizing these contributions? There are also limits on how much you … Continued

Creating Your Perfect Retirement Recipe

Although achieving your financial goals is more challenging than following a step-by-step recipe, a few common ingredients and preparation methods may help improve your ability to manage financial resources. Here is one recipe for a tasty Financial Dish. Ingredients One cup of clear financial goals Two cups of smart budgeting 3/4 cup of consistent saving … Continued

Tax Planning for the Self-Employed

What is it? According to the IRS, you are self-employed if you carry on a trade or business as a sole proprietor, as an independent contractor, as a member of a partnership, or if you are otherwise in business for yourself. You can be a full-time employee and still have self-employment income from a side … Continued

Trusts and Year-End Planning: A Checklist

A trust is a legal vehicle that protects your assets that contains instructions for your assets when you die or become incapacitated. When you set up a trust, you transfer assets from your name into your trust’s name while you still retain control of the assets until you die.

Offering Thanks

We’re officially in the season to thanksgiving and while economic and geopolitical uncertainty can overshadow the positives, there are always things to be grateful for. Here is just some of what we’re thankful for, now that we’re in the second to last month of the year. A resilient U.S. economy. Coming into 2023, the dreaded … Continued

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 adequately for their retirement even though they make a high income. It’s easy to think that everything will work out with their retirement plan, … Continued

5 Ways a Financial Professional Can Be Your Financial Planning Superhero

If you find yourself wavering back and forth on whether it’s worth involving a financial professional for tax, retirement, or investment advice, consider this: A financial professional may be able to help defend you against crime and fraud (like Batman). What’s more, they may also help you heal from financial mistakes more quickly (like Wolverine) … Continued

Working With A Financial Professional – Your Interestes Come First

In these uncertain times, the value of objective financial guidance cannot be overestimated. The importance of the financial profession has never been more apparent. Regulatory changes initiated well before any of us had even heard the phrase “social distancing” are now in effect, establishing a new landscape that governs the relationship between those who seek … Continued

October is National Financial Planning Month

Tips to help you find a financial professional and financial planning firm The financial professional and financial planning firm you pick to manage your assets and advise you on key financial decisions can affect your retirement and other major financial goals more, maybe, than even you. So it’s imperative that you make an appropriate choice … Continued

4 Reasons Working with a Financial Professional Is Not as Scary as You Think

For some people, the thought of using financial services is a scary experience. It involves planning for a future where you may not know how the economy may be, how your health may be, or what your financial needs might be. One of the reasons that many people find planning out their finances intimidating is … Continued

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 hasn’t followed the chorus of predictions. In some ways, figuring out what to do now that stocks have … Continued

Better-Than-Expected First Half

Looking back on the first half of 2023, it’s probably fair to say the outcome has been a bit better-than-expected for the stock and bond markets, especially compared to 2022’s tumult. Here are the major points have we learned through the first half of the year: Inflation’s path is not endlessly higher. The return to … Continued

Debt Ceiling Drama Is Behind Us

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—the amount Congress can borrow to pay its bills. It seems like we have this debate every few years and in the end a deal is made, which is just what … Continued

Happy Spring

Spring is often thought of as an uplifting time, marked by growth and renewed hope as we emerge from the long months of winter and look ahead to the rest of year. Investors saw signs of such renewed hope in recent weeks, especially on the inflation front as several inflation measures showed signs of improvement. … Continued

A Resilient March

The financial markets’ resilient performance during March was striking, despite pockets of uncertainty surrounding the strength of the economy—and not to mention concerns over the durability of the banking system. The ability of the market to navigate nearly two weeks of headline-related risk tested the underlying resolve of the market’s capacity to look ahead.  Moreover, … Continued

Waiting for New Heights

Have you ever been worried to do something, so fearful that you lose sleep, that your stomach hurts? You know, like give a presentation or get on a rollercoaster. Then, you do the thing, and that thing you were so scared of really bad, wasn’t terrible at all? Well, we’re kind of in one of … Continued

How FDIC and SIPC Insurance works

New Beginnings for 2023

The beginning of a calendar year is often the time when the previous year’s reflections transition to a new year’s hopes. Given the market’s continued instability during 2022 and a resulting tough period for stock and bond prices, everyone is hoping for a fresh start. And history gives us cause for optimism following a difficult … Continued

Outlook 2023

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 and global economy or what’s happening in our local communities, the news we’re hearing on a daily basis has the … Continued

Looking ahead and Mid-Term Elections

October delivered on its track record as a historically favorable month for stocks, offering some respite for investors as stocks rose for the month. The downside pressure on equities had gotten a bit overdone after investor pessimism during September reached lows not witnessed in quite a few years. From a contrarian perspective, extreme pessimism can … Continued

Could the Worst Be Behind Us?

Given the timing of the recent increase in market volatility, we feel now is a good time to take stock of all that has transpired in 2022. First, It has been a difficult year on many fronts.  Not only for investors but also for households and businesses as we all navigate higher prices and borrowing … Continued

The Best and Worst of Times

When it comes to stock market performance, August was “the best of times, and the worst of times.” The strong market rally that peaked in mid-August was viewed by many analysts as a transition from a bear to bull market, based on the surge in breadth that stocks enjoyed and the magnitude of the two-month … Continued

What’s in Store for the Rest of 2022?

Last week was epic for market-watchers. A Federal Reserve (Fed) rate hike, a much-anticipated gross domestic product (GDP) report, and the busiest week of earnings season got most of the headlines. There was even a surprise out of Washington D.C., with a Schumer-Manchin agreement on a climate-healthcare-tax bill and some inflation data that added to … Continued

Looking Forward

As the calendar has turned to July, investors would certainly like to forget the first six months of 2022. However, the Fourth of July Independence Day holiday does bring with it reason for celebration. Not only is it the 246th birthday of the United States of America, but July has historically been a pretty good … Continued

“Good News” about Bear Markets

Markets continue to be volatile, we don’t expect that to stop…the good news is we’ve had some “winning” days lately. Here’s more “good” news about bear markets, and how markets perform when we’re not headed toward recession.  Bear markets without recessions tend to last an average of about seven months, and we’re already five months into … Continued

April Showers, May Flowers?

As we move into spring and leave behind the last signs of a long winter, many worries from a chilly start to the year for markets, unfortunately, are still with us. The S&P 500 Index had its worst April in more than 40 years, leaving the index down over 13% for the year. Previously highflying … Continued

Positivity Amidst Uncertainty

Stocks have gotten off to a very rocky start in 2022, with the potential for Federal Reserve rate hikes coming and the geopolitical worries over Russia and Ukraine only adding to the uncertainty. We don’t want to minimize the impact of that major geopolitical event, but there is some positive news out there, even though … Continued

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