Volatility – What to Expect and How to Act
I recently gave an annual presentation to the 401(k) participants I advise. I always try to explain risk tolerance and investing to my audience in an easily understandable way. For most of the participants, investing in their 401(k) has been their only experience investing, so their knowled …
How is My Tax Situation Different After the Passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act?
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was the single largest tax reform legislation passed in the last 30 years. It changes tax laws that impact retirement planning, mortgages, corporation, partnerships, small-business owners and even state taxes to some degree.
Future Funding of Social Security Is A Pivotal Piece To Retirement Security
You’ve probably heard of the three-legged retirement savings “stool.” The idea is that a quality savings plan for retirement starts with having three aspects of saving: personal savings, employer retirement savings and government-provided benefits.
Two Major Retirement Income Traps to Avoid
The switch from wealth building in your working years to wealth income in retirement years seems simple. Common advice is to simply shift investments from growth stocks to dividend-paying stocks and buy more bonds. At first glance, this seems simple, but many retirees are discovering hidden …
Everyone Offers Retirement Planning These Days. What’s so Special About Our Approach?
We often compare retirement planning to trying to hit a moving target in the wind. The target is your retirement goals – essentially what you want to spend and accomplish with your finances. The target is moving because you don’t know how long you will live – your retirement could last 5 ye …
Why Should I Hire a Financial Advisor?
As an advisor, we get tasked with showing someone why they should pay us to give them advice. If clients can do it all themselves or hire a computer to invest, what is the true value of having a financial advisor? Is it really worth it?
How Do I Know Which Investment Strategy Makes the Most Sense for Me?
Our disciplined discovery process is key to understanding the right investment strategy for your specific situation. Once we have the answers from our clients, we begin to think about the second category of factors which involve the overall health of the economy.
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Changed Things More Than You Realize
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act made a lot of changes. It was the single largest tax reform bill in nearly 30 years. However, the impact of the TCJA might be a lot broader than most realize. Almost every small business owner in the country is impacted by a new tax deduction called 199A.
4 Steps to a Retirement Savings Plan that Goes Beyond your 401(k)
I had first met him and his family a few months back. He’s in his late 60s, but you would never have guessed it – there’s an abundant energy and youth about him. In that initial meeting, he stated that he would never retire.
I Finally Found the ‘Why’ in My Career. You Can, Too.
Published by Grant Nieland, CFPⓇ At some point in all of our working lives, we ask ourselves “Why am I doing this job?” or “Why did I choose this career?” I have asked myself that question at every position I’ve held over the past 10 years and it was hard to find answers. That is, …
3 Steps to Financial Independence: Ready Yourself for Retirement
The most basic goal should be to arrive at “your figure” for financial independence – or as I like to say, that time when I can work because I feel like it and not because I must. The problem is, many people aren’t hitting that goal – or even know how to set that goal.