Blog
Welcome to our blog! Our aim is to provide you with information designed to bring focus and clarity on what will matter most to your retirement: converting savings to a growing stream of income for life.
How You Can Maximize the Tax Benefit of Your Charitable Giving
Wednesday, February 16, 2022Here's how to donate to charities, get pre-tax money out of your IRA, and pay 0% tax while lowering future required minimum distributions.
Read MoreSilver Lining to Inflation: Social Security COLA

If there is a "silver lining" to all the inflation talk, it may be that Social Security benefits are expected to see a larger-than-normal increase in 2022. Preliminary estimates call for a 4.7% cost-of-living increase (COLA) in Social...
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Want tax-free income in retirement? Consider after-tax plan contributions in your 401(k).
Monday, August 9, 2021If you are interested in creating and growing a stream of tax-free income in retirement, don’t overlook after-tax contributions in your company retirement plan. For employees who participate in their employer’s 401(k),...
Read MoreHave You Left Your Employer? Should you Rollover, Stay Put, or Withdraw your Retirement Plan?
Saturday, June 12, 2021As Featured in: We had a client come in recently with an old 401(k) plan notification in hand. This account was left at a company he had terminated employment from back in 2001 and has had no contact with since. In the ensuing years,...
Read MoreInheriting Your Spouse's IRA, a Cautionary Tale
Thursday, April 22, 2021With compassion, we would like to share a story with you. About a year ago we had a prospect named Jill come into our office. She was tragically widowed several years ago at the age of 52. She had three children, two who were in...
Read MoreSECURE your IRA - Review your Beneficiary Forms Now
Thursday, March 18, 2021When it comes to your retirement accounts, do you know who your beneficiaries are? These types of accounts have complex distribution rules and significant tax implications for those who inherit them. This complexity is compounded if...
Read MoreHow to Grow and Protect Your After-Tax Wealth in Retirement
Monday, March 15, 2021In retirement, with the possible exception of healthcare, taxes may prove to be your largest expense. Controlling the amount of tax you ultimately pay will help you maximize and grow your income and help your wealth last longer. Once...
Read MoreInheriting an IRA as a Non-Spouse is Now More Complicated
Monday, March 8, 2021Pre-tax retirement accounts are a fairly new retirement planning tool all things considered. It wasn’t until 1975 that the Traditional individual retirement accounts (IRAs) first became available. And in 1981 the Internal Revenue...
Read MoreThe Tax Bomb Called the Widow's Penalty
Wednesday, March 3, 2021As Featured In: The widow’s penalty is often an unexpected and unwelcome surprise to a surviving spouse who has not had to deal with the disadvantages of being a single tax filer in decades but now faces a higher tax liability...
Read MoreHow to Get Financially Organized and Conquer Your Paper Piles
Monday, February 22, 2021If you are looking at a mountain of paperwork, you might be tempted to toss it in the trash, but doing so could cause problems down the road. Schedule some time to look at each document and sort them out.
Read MoreChecklist for Estate Planning: Review Estate Planning Documents
Monday, February 8, 2021Because your estate is continuously changing and the circumstances that affect your estate can shift over time, it is important to keep a close watch on your estate plan and make adjustments as needed. This checklist can help you cover all
Read MoreAvoiding Non-Spouse Beneficiary Mistakes in 5 Easy Steps
Thursday, December 10, 2020How can I avoid making costly mistakes when I inherit an IRA from a person who was notmy spouse? Inheriting an IRA can be a financial windfall, but it’s important to understand the complex,specific rules that apply to non-spouse...
Read MoreYear-End Cash Management for Every Household
Tuesday, November 17, 2020Having too much without having too little cash on hand at the end of the year is a great balancing act. As the year draws to a close, take the necessary time to plan so you can relax and celebrate the holidays with confidence.
Read MoreBuckets of Money
Thursday, November 12, 2020Structuring your savings into different “buckets” can be an effective way to manage risk, not only market and withdrawal risk, but for inflation and longevity risk as well!
Read More8 Ways to Boost Your Retirement Savings
Tuesday, November 10, 2020Putting off planning is the most common regret among retirees today. Setting a goal for yourself and working toward it incrementally and diligently is the best way to begin boosting your retirement savings today.
Read MoreEnd of the Year Tax Planning for Retirees
Tuesday, October 20, 2020As a retiree, you’ve done well for yourself and your accumulated funds are a testament to your hard work. Proper and strategic end of year tax planning will allow you to further make the most of what you have.
Read MoreHow to Protect Yourself From a Data Breach
Tuesday, October 13, 2020The right data in the wrong hands can cause a great deal of damage to your reputation and your bottom line. The best way to protect yourself from a data breach is to be aware, pay attention, and take action quickly.
Read MoreCommon Financial Scams and How to Avoid Them
Tuesday, September 8, 2020Unfortunately, financial scams are growing even more prevalent these days and can cause a great deal of harm. Your best defense against financial fraud is a good offense. Keep your usernames, passwords, and account data closely guarded.
Read MoreShould You Skip Required Minimum Distributions for 2020?
Monday, August 17, 2020Allowing retirees to skip RMD payments can be advantageous in that it provides a tremendous opportunity for them to recoup losses from the drop in the market. So if you do not need the money to live on, you may want to let it stay put.
Read MoreDebunking the Myth of Lower Taxes in Retirement
Tuesday, June 23, 2020https://www.forbes.com/sites/garrettgunderson/2020/07/23/debunking-the-myth-of-lower-taxes-in-retirement/?sh=16ebcb7a5cd8 As Featured In: If you want to build wealth, it is your responsibility to save on taxes legally and ethically....
Read MoreWhen Should You Claim Your Social Security Benefits?

Many wonder when the best time to claim Social Security benefits is. The truth is, that’s a complex question. There are as many different answers as there are strategies for claiming benefits. The right answer depends on the individual.
Read MoreWhy You Must Resist the Urge to Let Instincts, Current Trends, or Emotions Guide Your Investing Deci

When the pressure is on—for good or for bad—the individual investor tends to make reactive choices.By letting their emotions take the lead, they usually end up costing themselves a lot of money over time.
Read MoreHow Baby Boomers Can Gain Clarity and Confidence About Retirement

Retirement will happen one way or another; to make it as successful and fulfilling as possible, educating oneself on the basics of retirement planning and actively planning for it must be the top priority as one heads into the transition.
Read MoreWhen It Comes to Retirement Funds, What’s Safer--Cash or Stocks?

Many retirees worry about where their money will be safest - cash or stocks. It’s important to not let the psychology of risk avoidance scare you into making a decision that could ultimately cost you in the end.
Read MoreDiversification Is the Most Commonly Violated Investment Principle

No matter how much or how little risk you’re willing to take on as an investor, it is crucial to have a properly diversified portfolio. Diversification is one of the most violated principles but one of the most crucial to financial success.
Read MoreHow Visualizing Your Retirement Can Help You Set Financial Goals

Organized goal setting and having a clear vision of what you want for your future is not only an important part of retirement planning, it is absolutely essential to achieving the kind of retirement you dream of.
Read More9 Financial Planning Considerations that Change as You Move into Retirement

If you’re nearing retirement, you’re moving into a period of tremendous change, with a lot of critical decisions in front of you. The plan you set now will ensure that you’re able to enjoy the life you’ve worked hard for.
Read MoreHow You Approach Retirement Planning Makes a Difference in Your Financial Future

The retirement income planning process can be extensive but is too important to simply “hope for the best.” Don’t let fear tempt you into avoiding the problem or running away. You can reach your goals if you stay willing to learn.
Read MoreCan impeachment cause a market crash?
Wednesday, December 18, 2019Can impeachment cause a market crash? Key Takeaways Impeachments are rare events. Limited history shows that the stock markets, over the long term, are less focused on political drama and more on the overall strength of the US economy....
Read More3 Numbers to Know Before You Retire
Thursday, October 10, 2019Where should you begin your retirement planning? With so many pieces of the puzzle to sort and organize, and so much at stake, what starting point makes the most sense? Our advice is to start here: begin by determining these three...
Read MoreGot HSA? 5 Reasons to Fund a Health Savings Account
Friday, May 10, 2019Ask the average person contemplating retirement for one of their top concerns after they stop working, chances are they’ll say something about being able to afford healthcare. And its a very rational concern! The Baby Boomer...
Read MorePartial Roth Conversions: Accelerating Income to Avoid Higher Tax Brackets
Thursday, February 14, 2019Beginning in 1998, taxpayers have been permitted to both contribute to a Roth IRA (subject to income limits), and to convert existing assets in a traditional pre-tax IRA to a Roth IRA. In 2006, under the Pension Protection Act, the...
Read MoreWhat You Don't Know About RMDs May Hurt You
Monday, February 11, 2019Anyone with a retirement account, such as a 401(k), Roth 401(k), 403(b), 457 plan, and most IRAs (but not Roth IRAs), will have to deal with something called required minimum distributions at some point during their retirement. A...
Read MoreOur Philosophy, the Economy and the Markets: 2018 in Review
Friday, January 4, 2019Every successful investor we’ve ever known was acting continuously on a plan; failed investors, in our experience, get that way by reacting to current events in the economy and the markets. We neither forecast the economy, nor attempt to ti
Read MoreWhat Should You Do?
Friday, October 26, 2018It’s been a wild few weeks in the markets, some people are surprised, while some are concerned. Some people will be proactive, and others will be reactive. What should you do?
Read MoreRetirement and the Taxes you Pay
Monday, October 1, 2018When creating income from your investments in retirement, the sequencing of your withdrawals, along with the decisions you make regarding how and when to claim social security along with some other pertinent factors, can have a large...
Read MoreHave I Saved Enough to Retire?
Thursday, September 20, 2018Our experience of over 20 years tells us that pre-retirees are confused about how to go about determining the amount they need to accumulate in order to be “ready” to retire. . We are all aware of the importance of saving...
Read MoreRetirement: The Big Transition Requires an Income Plan
Thursday, September 20, 2018The transition into retirement is one of the biggest and most impactful transitions of a person’s life. The only bigger transition, in fact, is the eventual decline of health along with the progression into old age. With a...
Read MoreIs Your Retirement Portfolio Following the Fundamentals?
Monday, August 20, 2018There is never a one size fits all answer to this question! There is, however, several fundamentals that all successful investors should follow. These fundamentals become even more important to execute as you approach retirement. When...
Read MoreHave You Considered Growing Your Income in Retirement?
Monday, August 20, 2018Most pre-retirees and recent retirees tend to focus on the risks of investing in the stock markets rather than what we believe is a more important risk to manage, protecting your purchasing power! To understand the importance of...
Read MoreYou the Market and the Prices you Pay

When it comes to investing (or anything in life worth doing well) it helps to know what you’re facing. In this case, that’s “the market.” How do you achieve every investor’s dream of buying low and selling high in a crowd of highly resource
Read MoreLongevity and Retirement Income
Wednesday, June 27, 2018What’s Wrong with the Conventional Wisdom for Investing in Retirement? It is not uncommon for us to hear from a prospective client “I’m getting closer to retirement, shouldn’t I be moving my money into something more conservative?”
Read MoreMarket Volatility in Recent News

This is a message of hope! Hope grounded in historical facts, combined with a pragmatic and admittedly limited view of where we are today, and a simple actionable plan forward. And in no way is it meant to be political in nature.
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