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Though you won't be able to ride along in your child's suitcase, there are ways you can help him or her make the adjustment to college. You can start by talking with your child about certain subjects before he or she leaves for college...

Money concerns can be overwhelming to the point that they affect other aspects of your life, including your mental and physical well-being. However, there are various strategies you can use to help you better manage and alleviate this...

Investing for your retirement isn't about getting rich quick. More often, it's about having a game plan that you can live with over a long time. You wouldn't expect to be able to play the piano without learning the basics and...

Do you know the answer if your financial professional asks you what type of investor you are? While it may be challenging to classify yourself off the top of your head, knowing what type of investor you are might help you avoid making...

This is the start of a multi-part series covering what I would consider “The Basics of Estate Planning.”  As Financial Advisors, we wear many hats as we help our clients navigate their Wealth Management Journey. ...

A chatbot with uncanny human-like writing abilities has become the poster child for artificial intelligence (AI) since it was released in late 2022, inspiring new levels of attention, excitement, and concern about recent advances in...

The first half of 2023 is officially “in the books” as they say and we believe there’s value in reflecting on the months gone by and taking stock of what transpired.  I think it’s fair to say that for the...

The crude oil and natural gas industry has faced significant challenges since the COVID pandemic, including supply disruptions, price volatility, and rapid inflation. However, heavy cash flow for oil and gas companies has led to a...

Setting Financial Goals and Creating a Plan: Pursuing Financial SuccessFinancial wellness is a term that refers to the overall health and well-being of an individual's finances. In order to work toward financial wellness, it is...

While it may seem that fishing and investing are completely unrelated, believe it or not, there are some characteristics that make a person good at fishing that can also transfer to investing. Here are six fishing lessons you can apply...

June is National Homeownership Month, which seems particularly apt this year. With home prices rising to unprecedented levels and multiple offers becoming commonplace in residential transactions, it seems that everyone is...

College is expensive for many people. The average tuition and fees at a college or university for the 2021 to 2022 academic year at a four-year institution was $10,740. This may include the cost of tuition, books, and housing. For some...

We’ve all seen them on Facebook—majestic photos of friends and family, their faces flushed with a healthy glow, at the top of what appears to be a mountain peak with a spectacular view. Pictures like this make the activity...

If you're thinking about opening a 529 account, or if you've already opened one, you might be wondering how 529 funds will affect your child's financial aid eligibility. A general word about financial aid-The financial aid process is all...

Running a business requires gaining expertise in many things over a short period—especially financial matters. If finances do not come naturally to you, you may quickly feel like you are in over your head. Fortunately, mastering...

Navigating elder care and elder care finances in the U.S. can be a challenge even for the most well-prepared households. So what, exactly, is involved in senior financial planning? What steps can you take now to help you be prepared...

May the Fourth Be With You! A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars was born. Over the years, the movies have evolved into an "epic space opera" with a fan base that circles the globe. What makes the Star...

Targeted scams have become even more popular with the amount of personal information readily available on the internet. Social Security recipients are, unfortunately, targeted by some of the most sophisticated scam artists out there....

Money can be a confusing and unapproachable topic for adults, let alone for kids. The key is to teach children about money early so that they can develop a healthy relationship with it.Here are the best ways to give children a glimpse...

Unlike verbal literacy, financial literacy isn't often taught in schools—which means that many people may enter adulthood without having all the tools they need to make informed and effective financial decisions.[1] Fortunately,...

If you saved for retirement for a while, you might look forward to a break from financial responsibility for the remaining portion of your life. But striving for economic betterment should not end when you hit retirement. You may...

April is National Social Security Month. For many Americans, social security is the primary or maybe even the only source of income they receive in retirement. As we work with our clients to plan for retirement an important part of the...

Baseball and financial management can have more in common than meets the eye. Below, we discuss four key lessons that investors—and everyone else—can learn from America's favorite pastime. Diversification of Assets is...

Unique health and caregiving worries and an industry that doesn’t listen wellWomen have special concerns about financial security that financial advisors need to address. For one thing, they tend to live longer than men, so they...

It will take some time, but the FDIC was designed for moments like thisThe FDIC-seizure of Silicon Valley Bank is the second-largest US bank failure in history as it held $209 billion in assets at the time of its collapse. Even after...

Financial markets were shaken last week as Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), the California bank subsidiary of SVB Financial Group (SIVB), fell into FDIC receivership. SVB is the first FDIC-insured institution to fail since 2020 and the...

There’s a parable of a farmer and his neighbor named “Mr. Market”.   Warren Buffett is credited with the origins of this story in a letter he wrote in 1987 to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders but he only...

If you're like many Americans, you may have a few dents and dings on your credit report. As of 2023, around one in five adults has either a "fair" or "poor" credit score, which can impact their ability to qualify for a loan, rent an...

We all want more money, and many of us would like to work less, as well. This may seem like a dilemma, yet there is a solution. One way to increase money without working is to avoid spending it in the first place. Some people call this...

Setting Financial Goals and Creating a Plan: Pursuing Financial SuccessFinancial wellness is a term that refers to the overall health and well-being of an individual's finances. In order to work toward financial wellness, it is...

With the signing of the Omnibus Appropriations package into law, both employees and employers can take advantage of more than 90 new provisions aimed at creating opportunities to create or modify workplace retirement plans and...

Ah, Money. The word leaves you with a positive or a negative feeling when you hear it. The feeling we get from money, and investing, has deep roots inside our emotions, although we may not understand why. Behavioral science explains...

While there is no one-size fits all, avoiding these mistakes is a good startA lot of 401(k) investors end up making the same mistakes when choosing their investments. The results are low returns and unbalanced portfolios. Avoiding...

Normal retirement age used to be 65, but things are way different todayYou might be thinking about retiring, but how do you know when you are really ready for it, mentally and financially? For decades, the normal retirement age was 65....

New findings from the New York Federal Reserve reveal that millennials have now racked up over US$1 trillion of debt.This troubling amount of debt, an increase of over 22 percent in just five years, is more than any other generation in...

What is shifting income and tax liability?Income shifting (also known as income splitting) may be defined as dividing income among taxpayers in a way that lowers the overall tax burden imposed on the income. Typically, income is...

That’s a heck of a dramatic subject line, “Life Altering Technology”, but it’s something I feel people should be informed.  I’d love feedback on this piece so if you’ve already heard of this...

Financial stress can have a direct negative impact on a person's health and happiness. Unfortunately, this may lead to a downward spiral. The more stress you're feeling, the larger your financial hurdles may seem, and the more you...

If the end of the year has you in planning mode, you’re not alone—starting a new year may be a great opportunity for a review and renewal. What steps might you take for next year? Review Asset AllocationsMost...

At the end of the year, it is necessary to reflect on your financial picture, review the last 12 months, and plan for the future. With all that is involved, it can seem overwhelming. Consider breaking up the responsibilities over...

Part of the joy of making money and building wealth is not solely the aim to live a flexible life of convenience; it is also giving to those we love. Typically when we think of passing down money to loved ones, it is through a will...

Communicating openly can help everyone prepare and plan for the futureMany parents may find it uncomfortable, or even believe it is unnecessary, to inform their children about personal finance matters. Yet, communicating openly with...

Through charitable giving, you can support causes or organizations you believe in and lock in tax benefits simultaneously. Whether you’re new to charitable giving or a veteran, there are several strategies you should keep in mind...

What are appropriate checklists for year-end tax planning?Tax planners often develop checklists to guide taxpayers toward year-end strategies that might help reduce taxes. Typically, suggestions are grouped into several different...

Tips for being proactive in safeguarding your identity and your credit scoreIdentity theft is a serious crime, with increasingly greater numbers of consumers being affected every year. As part of a protection strategy, the Federal...

“I’m trying to eat healthy food” is a phrase said by many but implemented by few because of budget restraints. Grocery shopping for healthy foods, or what you perceive to be healthy foods, can get expensive very...

Investing can be a roller coaster—and, when the market starts dropping, it may even feel more like a haunted house. With recession fears mounting, what can investors do to stay the course and escape unscathed? Here we discuss...

The most important tip of all? Hire a financial advisor.Investing can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. If you have a portfolio that was built for you and use the help of a financial advisor, you shouldn’t be too...

High Net-Worth executives and those that have been self-employed, can experience common problems in their financial planning journey. Often, they have missed opportunities in their financial planning because they haven’t planned...

More consumers are conducting financial transactions online and may become vulnerable to tracking, hacking, identity theft, phishing scams, and other cyberspace risks. While nothing can guarantee complete safety on the Internet,...

Making it Easy to Make A DifferenceAmericans donate billions to charity annually. If you give to charity, you need to know about one of the best tools to facilitate generosity: Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs).DAFs date from the 1930s but...

A surprising two out of every three American adults do not have any kind of written estate plan.1 For adults who also serve as family caregivers, not having a plan in place can pose major risks for them and their entire...

You're about to receive a distribution from your 401(k) plan, and you're considering a rollover to a traditional IRA. While these transactions are normally straightforward and trouble-free, there are some pitfalls you'll want to avoid...

n Mid-August my wife and I took our four kids on our first full-fledged family road trip. From Casper to Arches National Park from there to Zion National Park from there to Coronado Island to Sequoia National Park to Yosemite National...

Are you a football fan? Do you analyze the teams, study the plays, rattle off statistics, current and years past? The steps required to plan your financial future are not dissimilar to football. Producing a solid team requires planning...

People often have twice the credit they actually need. Avoid temptation by never charging more than 50% of your total credit limit.Join your company’s retirement plan and try to contribute as much as you can, especially when the...

Many of you already have estate documents, probably executed many years ago. You need an estate attorney to look over your documents every 10 years or so. Here are a dozen points to review. Do you have a will and powers of attorney for...

When your child first started school, you doled out the change for milk and a snack on a daily basis. But now that your kindergartner has grown up, it's time for you to make sure that your child has enough financial knowledge to manage...

Remember the words of Yogi Berra when a company splits its stockThe summer of 2022 could be known as the Summer of Stock Splits, as several high-profile companies have either split their stock or announced their intention to split....

Knowing when it’s the right time to retire can be difficult, especially if you love your job. Even professional athletes have a hard time knowing when to walk away!These athletes thought they were ready for retirement but...

Anchor your financial planning on how long your money needs to lastHow long do you think you will live? How long does your money need to last? If you’re like most people, you get this age wrong.The consequence? Faulty retirement...

When you're first starting out with your own business, you're likely to be focused more on staying afloat than on contingency planning. But as your family business expands and grows, it's important to ensure that this is done in a...

As the calendar has turned to July, investors would certainly like to forget the first six months of 2022. However, the Fourth of July Independence Day holiday does bring with it reason for celebration. Not only is it the 246th...

Teaching your kids now may be the best gift that you ever give them.A four- or five-year-old child may seem too young to grasp the concept of money management, but even at an early age, children waiting in a supermarket checkout line...

Save and Invest. When your children are grown and leave home, you are released from being the financial “provider”: No more bills for everything from food and clothes to visits to the dentist. Along with this...

The sandwich generation is a term commonly used to describe those between the ages of 40 and 59 who are responsible for raising their family and are also often helping their aging parents manage their ongoing needs. Those members of...

You don't need to wait until the end of the year to look for ways to minimize your tax liability. Tax planning should take place throughout the year to have you prepared well ahead of tax season. Here are six ways to minimize your tax...

I have seen my share of client-drafted wills. While most people opt to have a lawyer draft their last will and testament, there is no requirement that an attorney do so. If you do opt to draft your own will, make sure to avoid the...

When was the last time you evaluated your homeowners insurance? Have your needs changed since you initially purchased your homeowners policy? If so, there may be gaps in your insurance coverage. For example, you may have acquired...

It’s been an interesting time in our business.  First, the establishment of our new firm which also came at an interesting time in the Market.  All I’ll say about the new business is a big Thank You to every...

While there is no one-size fits all, avoiding these mistakes is a good start A lot of 401(k) investors end up making the same mistakes when choosing their investments. The results are low returns and unbalanced portfolios. Avoiding...

Making sure your investments help you work towards your true life goals Too often during uncertain times, we inadvertently compare ourselves to the people around us – and that may lead us to make financial mistakes. In his book...

Parenthood can be both wonderfully rewarding and frighteningly challenging. Children give gifts only a parent can understand — from sticky-finger hugs to heartfelt pleas to tag along on Saturday morning errands. You raise them...

Celebrated on the fifth day of May, Cinco de Mayo is an increasingly popular holiday that honors the Mexican Army's victory in the Franco-Mexican War. The date is sometimes referred to as the Battle of Puebla Day, which the...

Market timing is a “strategy” of deciding when to buy and sell stocks by attempting to predict which way and when stocks will move. Let’s look at an example and the data to determine why market timing is unwise....

And for all adults to put into practice too I was walking with a friend and his 6-year old daughter and we stopped by an ATM on the way to lunch. As my friend was getting some cash, I couldn’t help but notice the confused look on...

As we approach tax day 2022, you may be expecting to receive a tax refund. While you may have a temptation to spend your tax return, other options may be more beneficial to your financial situation.