OUR BLOG

Over the last few weeks, we’ve covered a variety of topics, including:

Let’s start with mutual funds, one of the oldest and most common ways people invest. Here’s how the...

If you’re investing in, say, an IRA, most of the fund choices you’ll see will fall under one of two...

When you purchase a bond, you are essentially loaning a company, government, or organization money....

Before we get started, do me a favor. Pick up your phone or go to your computer. Open your internet...

You hear it every day when you turn on the news – some variation of: The Dow closed at 34,000...

Mortgage rates have risen above 7%, leaving many buyers feeling like a reasonable mortgage is out...

The world of finance is never static. It's an ever-changing landscape that reflects the ebb and...

IRS Changes Inheritance Rules: Protecting Your Legacy

The IRS recently updated some rules about...

How often do you set new financial goals? How often do you achieve them?

Goal-setting.It's the bread and butter of success across so many domains. But are you only...

Navigating the Post-Cancellation Era of Student Loans

In a shocking turn of events, the Supreme...

Would you enjoy your retirement more in the U.S. or abroad?

Are you currently negotiating a new job offer or searching for a new role?

Seven Key Tips for Planning Elder Care

Navigating the complexities of elder care for loved ones can...

How do you get ready for a trip? 

Many of ushaveexperienced the cost of financial literacy gaps at one point or another. And if...

It’s tax season! And though it comes at the same time each year, many Americans still file for tax...

From CEOs to athletes, most people striving for a certain level of performance are constantly...

Understanding how your savings can work for you is an important part of creating your financial...

In our client meetings, the term “wealth” is often tossed around somewhat loosely. We talk about...

Retirement can sneak up on you.

While following a solid tax planning strategy throughout the year is integral to your overall...

You may have heard investors say that a clear investment philosophy is essential to pursuing...

Saving enough for retirement while carrying and paying off debts can be an uphill battle. For some...

If you dream of living abroad, retirement may be the best time.Over half a million Americans...

If you want to make charitable donations before the end of the year, you’re not alone. According to

There are hundreds of articles on the so-called “biggest financial mistakes” that people make and...

We get a lot of questions about investments, especially retirement plans. While everyone has...

If you’ve woken up in the middle of the night to a money-related panic attack, you’re not alone....

Homeownership is a dream for many people, but is it for everyone? For some, buying a home is a rite...

30 can be a divisive number. Some see it as the time you’re thrown into full-blown adulthood,...

Whether you’re earning a six-figure salary or just out of college, many people feel budgeting is...

With current market instability, inflation, and rising interest rates, more people are becoming...

While winning the lottery is well outside mainstream reality for most people, it’s not uncommon to...

Do you know how you feel about things, even before you know what they are? When you meet someone...

Family businesses have been at the core of America’s wealth creation for centuries. Founders take a...

When choosing an investment professional, the value you receive is based on the quality of your...

Your 20s are often seen as a true coming of age when financial responsibility opens up the...

There was a time when old retirement planning models like “the 70 percent rule” were more common....

If you’ve had to reconsider or drastically change your spending and saving habits because of the...

The recent stock market volatility, the bear market, the ever-growing inflation rate, and ongoing...

If anything good has come from the last few years of uncertainty and volatility, it’s that many of...

As a young parent looking to the future, you may be faced with a daunting choice: do you save...

Walking across the stage and receiving your college degree can be the first step toward adulthood....

For many families, finances are rarely discussed in detail, even as children mature into adulthood....

How do you know if your financial professional is the right person to manage your life savings?...

It’s believed that retirement planning as we currently know it didn’t really exist until a few...

It’s no secret that the cost of pursuing higher education is becoming unaffordable, even for...

If you’ve just begun your career and started collecting a decent paycheck, retirement probably...

Donating to charities is a win-win when filing taxes. You get to help a cause you care about and...

With the current popularity of robo-advisors, some wonder what the difference is between an...

When people choose to eat healthier or lose weight, they know that they have to change their...

Some believe that in a digital world where information travels at light speeds, the playing field...

Divorce is never an easy experience, whether you’ve been married for decades or just a few years....

All United States citizens are subject to income tax from the federal government, even those who...

It’s not always pleasant to think about who will take care of you when you’re no longer able to...

You’ve spent many years building your business from the ground up, working through the highs and...

If you’re in the29 percentof women between ages 50 and 64 who are single, you may be wondering...

This is it. You’re zeroing in on your retirement years. You’ve been planning this for decades, but...

Whether you’re brand new to investing or you have an established portfolio, balance is seen as one...

When we’re young, we have so many lessons to learn—one of the most important being how to manage...

The Biden administration has proposed higher taxes for the nation's highest earners to pay for new...

According to the most recent Future of Jobs Report by the World Economic Forum, 50% of employees...

The coronavirus pandemic worsened income and wealth disparity in the U.S. (1) However, if you were...

Oil prices are influenced by supply and demand, and 2020 was a great demonstration of this...

Generation X, comprised of adults between the ages of 40 and 55, have entered their prime earning...

One of the provisions included in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was the Qualified Business...

As the Social Security Trust Fund approaches its expiration date, many existing entities offer...

A recent survey found that 40% of respondents with access to a health savings account (HSA) do not...

Financial professionals and economists have talked about the “graying of America” and the...

Millions of Americans have embraced the new relief money resulting from the $1.9 trillion America...

Every year, Berkshire Hathaway’s Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett sends a thoughtfully crafted...

The Insured Retirement Institute (IRI) – a trade association for the retirement income industry –...

In 2010, a study was published by two Nobel prize-winning economists purporting that people with...

One way for the government to potentially earn more tax revenue is by eliminating the early...

The stock market continues to exhibit resiliency in the face of disrupting factors, ranging from a...

One of the more glaring lessons of the 2020 pandemic was that the economy and the stock market are...

If there’s one thing that can move the economy and stock market forward, it’s hope. This year, that...

The beginning of the year is typically full of hope. We make New Year’s resolutions, and it may...

Post-pandemic, will everyone go back to the office like nothing ever happened? Will lost jobs be...

There are good reasons to delay starting Social Security benefits, but there are also good reasons...

In 2020, the World Economic Forum published its annual Global Competitiveness Report, as usual....

While challenges likely still lie ahead, there’s no denying we all weathered our fair share of...

In November, the Dow experienced its best month since 1987, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indexes...

The national debt is a measurement of how much the federal government owes creditors, most commonly...

In mid-November, China signed an important and symbolic free-trade agreement with 14 countries,...

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) – passed in 2010 and known colloquially as...

Gender-lens investing is the tactic of screening companies through female-centric filters....

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced a new cost-of-living adjustment (COLA)...

The 401(k) originally began as a company profit-sharing plan. Companies had been funding defined...

In February, Spirit Airlines decided to transfer a portion of its operations from Miramar, Florida,...

Early this year, many stopped spending and began saving money. This wasn’t difficult as many areas...

Prospects for stock market growth have remained resiliently and optimistically cheerful this year,...

Some people believe that climate change is exacerbated by human intervention, while others argue...

If you think the economic decline due to the pandemic has been difficult for you personally, the...

If you received a stimulus check last spring to help cope with the financial effects of the...

A recent survey found that working households experiencing financial strain due to the pandemic...

The pandemic has been hard on nearly everyone, and it’s particularly difficult for professionals...

We’ve learned a lot about infectious diseases this year, as well as how to adapt our lifestyles in...

The investment markets rebounded and have proven resilient despite the economic decline resulting...

As of the end of July, the stock market was still performing relatively well and the Federal...

Competitive edge is a real factor. Here in the U.S., we boast that capitalism is the key to our...

Lately, the economy has looked as volatile as the stock market: up for a few weeks and then back...

Investors who defer the same amount of money from their paycheck into a 401(k) plan at regular...

The World Health Organization recently reported that while some countries have made effective...

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a struggle around the world, and the United States is no exception....

We take a lot for granted, including the condition of the car that sits in our driveway. During the...

If a large allocation of your retirement portfolio is invested in dividend-paying stocks, you might...

In 2000, actors Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey starred in “Pay It Forward.” The premise of the film is...

Research has found that over a 150-year period (1870 to 2015), owning a home has proved to be one...

Consumer prices fell by 0.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis in April, the biggest drop in more than...

In April alone, the U.S. lost more than 20 million jobs — increasing the unemployment rate to...

In normal times, the stock market is often a reflection of the economy. But these are not normal...

Sole proprietors in the U.S. caught a huge break in April. The Paycheck Protection Program, borne...

In past recessions, industries like manufacturing and construction were often the hardest hit. For...

A recent survey by the National Endowment for Financial Education found that almost 90% of...

The research firm Spectrem Group estimated that at the end of 2019 there were 11 million...

On March 27, 2020, President Donald Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic...

“When seeking directors, CEOs don’t look for pitbulls. It’s the cocker spaniel that gets taken...

Financial advisors often tell clients to keep an emergency fund of liquid assets, with enough to...

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), the S&P 500, and the Nasdaq experienced quite a roller...

There are several factors contributing to the current housing shortage in the U.S. For starters,...

The United States is a very large, land-mass country. Yet, it offers few options in terms of...

Within the scope of an investment portfolio, the commonplace 401(k) may seem to be a simplistic...

Here’s some food for thought regarding the aftermath of Watergate: “The great paradox of one of the...

One of the reasons investing never gets boring is because it is an ever-changing, never-sleeping...

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the amount of heat stored in the...

After making a bunch of gloom-and-doom predictions about the markets in 2019, with fears of a...

Common sense would suggest older workers have a much easier time saving than young adults. They are...

With people living longer and benefiting from the long-running bull market, there are more factors...

Recently, President Trump bemoaned the inconveniences of low-flow toilets, showers, dishwashers,...

The U.S. has enjoyed 10 years of a booming stock market and a growing economy. It’s too early to...

According to Merrill, four of the most common risks to your retirement strategy are:¹

As we enter a new year, it’s time to start thinking about smart tax moves to help minimize what...

The financial hardships of the Great Recession forced many people to start thinking outside the...

A concerted effort to draw American manufacturing operations back to the U.S. over the past three...

Market Trends to Watch

Married or single, women are finding that taking an active role in their financial futures is...

As we head toward the end of the year, consider maxing out your contributions on tax-advantaged...

Drug manufacturers and distributors have been in the news lately. Here’s a roundup of some of the...

According to the United Nations, across the globe, people older than 65 now outnumber children...

Now that we’re in the fourth quarter, it’s time to think about what you can do to help minimize...

Some hard-working, taxpaying Americans get angry when they hear Social Security called an...

The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania has conducted extensive studies on...

Let’s talk a little about famous last words. On November 8, 2007, then-Federal Reserve Chairman Ben...

Index mutual funds are investment vehicles comprising stocks from a wide variety of companies and...

Nearly a quarter of the adult U.S. population is “underbanked.” This means they don’t regularly use...

Most people using the internet to shop, conduct financial transactions, or read firewall-protected...

Anyone who followed the often-used investment adage, “Sell in May and go away,” is likely pleased...

A promising way to jumpstart the U.S. economy is by helping more entrepreneurs establish their own...

The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) evaluates a plethora of factors before...

There is one predominant reason why retirement portfolio design must be approached differently...

In our personal lives, we have a conscience that keeps us from doing not-so-nice things. Sometimes...

Researchers have estimated how much of our lifetime is spent on various activities. For example,...

Annuities are nothing new; in fact, they’ve been around since Roman times, and maybe even before...

Imagine if, sadly, Dad dies or becomes incapacitated. You’re in charge of handling all his...

While the 2020 presidential election gains steam, it seems that the passion for new legislation has...

Kiplinger recently noted that the U.S. stock market appeared more resilient than ever, having...

Technology is the largest single segment of the stock market — bigger than the industrial and...

One of the first discussions a young couple may have when starting a family is about affordability....

Between 1926 and 2018, the S&P 500 experienced double-digit annual losses only 11 times. Not only...

According to IRS estimates, taxpayers collectively pay about 82 percent of taxes they legitimately...

Financial literacy has always been a challenge. However, now that much of the burden of retirement...

In 1985, only 10 percent of people aged 65 and older were either in the workforce or job hunting....

There are different formulas for launching highly successful companies. First, create a product...

As many baby boomers near retirement, some new facts are coming into focus. According to the latest...

Investing in real estate can be an option to help diversify a portfolio because the market isn’t...

The first quarter of 2019 proved to be a strong one. The S&P 500 posted a 13.1% gain (the highest...

There is a new trend toward investing in American initiatives that aligns with the president’s...

March 9, 2019, marked the 10th anniversary of the current bull market, the longest-running in U.S....

Here’s an interesting tidbit from the investment industry: In 2014, Merrill Lynch hired a...

In 2019, the IRS increased the limit on annual individual retirement account contributions to...

In his 2018 Berkshire Hathaway annual report, published in February, renowned investor Warren...

If you didn’t adjust your tax withholding in early 2018, you might be in for a surprise when...

It’s common for all types of relationships to experience “power swings” — when one person or entity...

According to new research from Genworth, one of the nation’s leading long-term care insurance...

After all the hardship, it appears the main impetus for ending the federal government shutdown in...

More than 90 percent of American workers in their 50s don’t have a pension and 46 percent don’t...

In the first month of 2019, pharmaceutical companies have increased prices on more than 250...

By the end of 2018, not one of the eight asset categories tracked by Ned Davis Research was on...

Nearly $23 trillion of assets worldwide are managed using responsible investing (RI) strategies, a...

U.S. stock markets were enjoying an eighth consecutive year of a bull market until volatility...

Thirty years ago, developed markets were seen as much more stable than smaller, emerging countries....

For most of the 20th century, it was common for employers and unions to sponsor health care...

When the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduced the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, the hope was...

Where there is internet, is there more prosperity? Generally speaking, yes.

General Motors recently announced the pending closure of three U.S. assembly plants and the...

What’s the secret to Col. Sanders’ recipe for fried chicken? Is the reason Coca-Cola tastes...

By now, most of us know to check with our health insurance company to make sure our physician or...

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 reduced federal income tax liability for some, but not all,...

In the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which would replace the North American Free Trade...

Space: The final frontier. Or is it? The U.S. is again taking a serious look at space exploration,...

In late September, the Federal Reserve raised its key short-term interest rate to 2.25 percent from...

Newton’s laws of motion and gravity are often applied to economics and the stock market. What goes...

Given a choice, which would you choose: a guaranteed fixed income for the rest of your life, or a...

2018 marks the 10th anniversary of the Great Recession of 2008. Despite a painfully slow recovery,...

What a difference a decade makes. After the real estate debacle of the Great Recession, home prices...

In particular, automobiles seem to be in the crosshairs of President Trump’s hard line on trade...

In a 2017 Nationwide Retirement Institute survey, financial advisors revealed some of the primary...

The National Bureau of Economic Research recently explored how continued low returns can influence...

Invest in what you know is a common piece of investment wisdom. In the past, that advice has most...

The Indexed Annuity Leadership Council recently published a report that included a scoring...

The first half of 2018 went well in terms of market performance and economic growth.

Sixty-three percent of surveyed affluent adult children between the ages of 18 and 22 say they’ll...

There’s a never-ending stream of political news these days, but the stock market has remained...

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) featured an important provision for divorcing couples to consider....

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was meant to kickstart the economy with growth not seen in a decade. Six...

One of today’s new housing trends was also popular more than thousands of years ago — communal...

As he does each year, the United States’ arguably most successful investor, Warren Buffett, shared...

Retirement planning looks much different than it did a century ago. With lifespans and retirements...

Fueled by more plentiful jobs, the U.S. residential real-estate market is skyrocketing. In some...

Unemployment is at its lowest level in years.¹ Many Americans are seeing a bump in their paychecks...

At the start of this century, the internet enhanced global communication, and the world...

The new federal government stance toward deregulation may lead many companies to roll back...

Social Security benefits are typically synonymous with retirement income. It would be inefficient...

One of the current administration’s persistent themes has been deregulation — cutting through the...

Today’s political environment and recent volatility in the U.S. stock markets, particularly...

The income gap between the wealthy and the poor is widening in the U.S.¹ Why does that matter?...

In its recent 2018 Banking Industry Outlook report, Deloitte identified six key themes that are...

It seems as if inflation has been biding its time. Since the financial crisis a decade ago, growth...

Real property generally refers to land, but it also can include structures, bodies of water and...

It’s often said that when one asset class falters, others are likely rising. To some extent, this...

In the investment community, all eyes are on inflation this year. Economic analysts at Merrill...

Who will be affected by the new tax legislation that went into effect January 1? That is a question...

Many social media users share nearly all aspects of their lives, from photos of cute kids and pets...

One philosophy of investing, as opined by Warren Buffett, is to be “fearful when others are greedy...

What do Harvey Weinstein, “America First” policies and asset allocation have in common? Quite a...

The tax overhaul legislation that was passed in December has been billed as a means to streamline...

For much of the 20th century, many employees who spent decades working for one company typically...

Optimism often predates good news. Such was the case last year when, just before the end of the...

Despite the research and due diligence necessary in developing an investment portfolio, investors...

The world keeps changing, politics and social movements emerge, the stock markets fluctuate and a...

President Trump may have announced his intention to drop the U.S. from the Paris Agreement last...

When employer-sponsored 401(k) plans were introduced in the 1980s, an unexpected consequence...

The U.S. government’s system of checks and balances applies not only to its distribution of power...

There are many different approaches to investing in the stock market, but most fall under two...

As you may have already suspected, aging is not a reversible process. This was confirmed in a new...

Digital music service Spotify and the popular electronic games Minecraft and Candy Crush Saga all...

Retirement savings accounts that allow employees to make pretax contributions have a caveat: At...

As of this writing, Congress is attempting to reform our tax code. While changes are common with...

Here’s some good news: The Center for Retirement Research (CRR) at Boston College reports that...

What does the phrase “long term” mean to you? For children, long term can mean waiting for...

It’s easy to think of retirement and dream of a relaxed stroll into the sunset with your...

As we head into the homestretch of this year, two things individuals may be seeking are ways to...

There’s a difference between monitoring an investment and checking its performance on a daily...

Each person is unique. We are composed of many variables, such as genetics, family influence,...

As we head into the final quarter of 2017, it’s a good idea to stay cognizant of any tax issues...

When it comes to investing, there’s no such thing as a “safe bet.” Every type of financial vehicle...

By 2030, it’s estimated that 20 percent of the U.S. population will be over age 65.¹ That means a...

In the early days of childhood, we start picking up communication skills that are continually...

Retirement is still something most people look forward to, but over the years, some of the reasons...

In recent years, the markets, the economy, and the global political scene have evolved...

Many large companies offer employees a 401(k) plan with some degree of matching contribution....

While Social Security shouldn’t be relied upon to be the sole source of income during retirement,...

Anyone approaching the end of their working years can likely list more than a few occurrences in...

A funny thing happens when you get busy with trying to achieve all the things you want out of life:...