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IDEAL FOR: Forward-Thinking Individuals Who Identified the Need for Additional Disability Income Insurance in Post 11ILLUMINATING THE STRATEGY: Taking proactive steps to sign up for Disability Income Insurance to ensure financial...

IDEAL FOR: Prudent Investors Initiating Withdrawals from Their Investment PortfolioILLUMINATING THE STRATEGY: Deciding the order of withdrawals from different account types (taxable, Roth, traditional IRA/401k) to achieve your...

IDEAL FOR: Informed Investors Embarking on Withdrawals from Their Investment PortfolioILLUMINATING THE STRATEGY: The craft of choosing a withdrawal strategy is an exercise in aligning your financial choices with your unique goals and...

IDEAL FOR: Future Retirees and Their Spouses Eyeing Social Security Retirement BenefitsEXPLORING THE STRATEGY: Proactively reviewing various start dates for your retirement benefits along with the corresponding amounts. If you're...

IDEAL FOR: Thoughtful Investors Concerned about Outliving Their Resources, with a Preference for Reliable Income Streams Amidst Market VolatilityDEMYSTIFYING THE STRATEGY: View your guaranteed income sources (like pensions, social...

IDEAL FOR: Farsighted Investors Anticipating Higher Future Tax RatesDECODING THE STRATEGY: A Roth conversion is a tactical move where you transform Traditional IRA money into a Roth IRA. This move requires you to pay current income tax...

IDEAL FOR: Earnings-Driven Investors Prioritizing RetirementUNVEILING THE STRATEGY: Regular contributions to your Roth IRA or Traditional IRA account are a key aspect of strategic financial planning.WHO STANDS TO GAIN? Anyone with an...

IDEAL FOR: Forward-Thinking Investors with a Lump-Sum Goal within Three YearsUNPACKING THE STRATEGY: Short-term investing is a tailored strategy to meet lump-sum financial goals within a three-year horizon. It's designed with the...

IDEAL FOR: Discerning Investors with Multiple Accounts of Similar TypeUNRAVELING THE STRATEGY: Consolidation allows you to merge accounts of the same type under the same ownership. This includes transferring 401k...

BREAKING IT DOWN: The strategy of Asset Location holds significant power in determining the lifetime tax effects across various account types. Here's a quick primer on the three main account categories:- TAXABLE ACCOUNTS: These are...

IDEAL FOR: Discerning Investors Exploring Tactical Tax StrategiesDECODING THE STRATEGY: Regular market ebbs and flows can sometimes lead to temporary losses in specific investments. Tax-Loss Harvesting transforms these potential...

WHO MAY BENEFIT? Anyone still saving and/or anyone whose bank accounts are growing beyond their day-to-day needs.WHAT IS IT? Invest in your strategy regularly and if possible, automatically.WHY IS THIS VALUABLE? This...

WHO MAY BENEFIT? EveryoneWHAT IS IT? Rebalancing aligns a portfolio back to the intended asset allocation.WHY IS THIS VALUABLE? Rebalancing keeps portfolio volatility in line with your goals and risk tolerance.HOW DO I...

WHO MAY BENEFIT? EveryoneWHAT IS IT? Selecting investment solutions that have lower expenses than their category averages.WHY IS THIS VALUABLE? Every dollar paid for fund expenses, trading costs, and taxes is a dollar...

WHO MAY BENEFIT? EveryoneWHAT IS IT? Within each asset class, broad diversification involves owning hundreds or stocks/bonds/etc rather than a few.WHY IS THIS VALUABLE? Rather than being a "throw in the towel" cop-out,...

WHO MAY BENEFIT: EveryoneWHAT IS IT?: Basically, this is the mixture of asset categories like stocks/bonds/cash/other in your portfolio. It may also include "asset classes," which are more narrow types within those categories. For...

WHO MAY BENEFIT? Anyone taking withdrawals or wanting to optimize their returns over time.WHAT IS IT? Income returns come solely from dividends and interest payments. Total return includes income AND growth from capital gains...

WHO MAY BENEFIT?: EveryoneWHAT IS IT?: Risk capacity is the maximum and minimum risk your portfolio can take and still achieve your goal with a high likelihood of success. This is about math and probabilities, NOT your personal...

It's inevitable. None of us gets out of this alive. If you have assets over $100,000 (including life insurance benefits), you should have an estate plan. Here are a few things to consider:GOAL: Everything goes according to your wishes....

GOAL: Portfolio design is a balancing act between two objectives:A high likelihood reaching your goals, andYour portfolio should match your risk tolerance. To estimate your risk tolerance, use this free tool, CLICK...

Whether you are saving up to buy a house* or another expensive purchase, you want to be sure that your purchase is either fully funded or that you are on track to fund it on time.Are you putting enough money away for this goal?Is the...

This is usually a high priority for parents and grandparents. Be careful that you do not sacrifice your retirement goal while trying to fund private school, college, and graduate school for your kiddos. Here are some things that may...

Almost 70% of people aged 65 will have a need for long-term care sometime in their life (source: ACL.gov). In 2020, the average annual cost of nursing home care in the United States was $95,706 (source: comparelongtermcare.org). Here...

Odds are that we live to our life expectancy. However, what if you die unexpectedly and sooner than normal? Will your family's standard of living be maintained? You don't want one tragedy to turn into two tragedies.GOAL: To estimate...

If you get disabled and are unable to work, what happens? Will you receive insurance benefits that replace some or all of your income? Will you be able to pay your bills? Here are some considerations regarding disability.GOAL: To...

This is the big one. Financial independence. Freedom. Let's tackle the big rocks first. Here are our four considerations, focusing on retirement.GOAL: To help estimate the amount you need, use this free calculator. CLICK HERE...

People often ask us about how much money they should keep available for an emergency. Some experts recommend at least $3,000 and we have met some people who keep much more than that.Here are two ways to determine how much you need:Keep...

We rarely have 100% of the information when we make decisions. But we still need to avoid the "paralysis of analysis." Have a mindset that does not require perfection, but allows things to be "good enough." Then we can take action and...

Change can often seem hard, requiring too much effort and discipline. Whether we are changing our eating habits, exercise habits, or quitting a bad habit, our systems and routines can help make or break us.Financially, it's the same...

Make sure you keep asking until you understand before you make a decision. (Ideally, you want to understand well enough that you can explain it to someone else a week from now.)Asking questions helps you to:Learn so you can do it...

Above all else, you want your financial decisions to be EFFECTIVE. However, you only have a finite amount of time, energy and resources. To make the most of it, make things as SIMPLE as possible for yourself, but not so simplistic that...

Morningstar research showed that people who feel in control of their finances tend to be happier about their finances. Who doesn't want more happiness?We CAN control:Our own behaviors and actions,Habits we form or break,Who we choose...

“How can we prioritize when EVERYTHING is important?”Here are some ways to continually prioritize your list:ELIMINATION – If you can only do one item on your list, which one would it be? Let that be your...

Can you find what you are looking for with a minimum of effort? Where are those important documents and papers? What are the passwords and user names? Do your key family members know how to find those things too?Don't just get...

Be sure to consider (1) your Goal, (2) possible Risks, (3) Other People who may be impacted, and (4) how Time may be a factor when making financial decisions.