Category: financial planning retirement
Staying Focused on Your Financial Plan
In today’s volatile global economic environment, it’s more important than ever to stay focused on your financial plan. An updated financial plan will assist in guiding your actions to help you be proactive, rather than reactive, regarding changes to the economic landscape.
Minimizing (or Eliminating) IRMAA Medicare Surcharges
As with many transitions in life or business, a little advanced planning helps the process run much more smoothly. For investors in their 60s, a number of planning considerations come into sharper focus which means it is an especially important time for prudent planning. These considerations are...
Which Type of Trust is Best for You and Your Family?
Americans are living longer than ever, which means it’s more important than ever to plan ahead for your financial future and to efficiently ensure the transfer of wealth to future generations. According to the Stanford Center on Longevity and The Longevity Project, Americans are living...
The ABCs of Financial Advice
Like most industries, the wealth management field has its own “language,” with a range of terms, jargon, and acronyms used by people in the profession. If you’re investing, it’s wise to take the time to understand common terms – as well as their implications – to make sound financial decisions for...
The Importance of Getting on the Same Financial Page as Your Spouse
I’m currently preparing to become an empty nester and recently lost my father-in-law. As a result, I’m thinking about the future and reflecting upon my own mortality, even more so than usual. Whether you’re dealing with the loss of a loved one, children moving on to college, or other landmark...
Financial Planning Is an Ongoing Process
Financial planning is never static, fixed, or inflexible. Instead, it’s an iterative process that requires monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting as life changes over time. The planning process provides a foundation by which we systematically evaluate a wide range of key financial & life decisions....
Why An Estate Plan Is Essential For Investors
A new President brings new priorities and a new fiscal plan to fund those priorities. Consequently, there has been much discussion this year of potential impacts to income and estate taxes. Despite a lot of conversation and preliminary proposals, we still lack clarity on what changes may ultimately...
Why You Shouldn’t Leave Family Property to Your Children
I’ve had numerous clients leave family homes—from beach houses to picturesque farms—to their children as part of their estate plans. However, despite the best of intentions, this decision isn’t always in the best interests of the heirs. The reality is that inheriting a family home can be more of a...
Why an Estate Plan Is the Best Gift You Can Give Your Grandchild
While awaiting the recent birth of my first granddaughter, I spent a lot of time thinking about the best possible gift I could give her. Ultimately, I decided that the ideal present for my grandchild was to give her parents–my daughter and her husband–a professionally drafted estate plan.
The History of Retirement
For many Americans, building the financial assets to transition from daily work to retirement later in life stands apart as a top goal. The concept of retirement is deeply ingrained in today’s culture, but it’s actually a relatively new idea. In 1900, the average global life expectancy was just 31...