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What a $5 Frappuccino Can Teach Teens About Building Wealth
If you're looking for one conversation that could change how the teens and young adults in your life think about money, start with their coffee order. The $5 That Could Be Worth Half a Million A daily $5 Frappuccino costs $1,825 a...
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Spousal and Survivor Benefits
How Spousal and Survivor Benefits Work in Social SecuritySocial Security offers financial support not only to retirees but also to their spouses and survivors. Spousal benefits are designed to support spouses who may not have their own...
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Tax Prep vs. Tax Strategy: The Difference Matters More Than You Think
Tax Prep vs. Tax Strategy: The Difference Matters More Than You ThinkWe all know that April 15 is the end of tax preparation season and the annual deadline for completing and filing your return. As important as proper tax prep is, some...
Read MoreUpdating Beneficiary Designations
Beneficiaries play a vital role in your estate management strategy. Regularly viewing your beneficiary designations (particularly after significant life changes like marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, or the passing of a family...
Read MoreThere's Beauty in Simplicity
There’s Beauty In Simplicity As we grow up and experience more of the world we learn that a topic typically gets more complicated as we dive deeper into it.For example, supply and demand is a concept most of us can grasp quickly, but...
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What Game are You Playing
What Game Are You Playing? As January was drawing to an end the financial press was gripped by the story of a group of rebellious internet-based stock market traders taking on the giants of the hedge fund industry at their own game. A...
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What America Searched for in 2025
If the 2025 news cycle felt relentless, you weren't imagining it. This chart tracks what captured America's attention throughout the year and the speed at which one story replaced another.Each spike represents a moment when the nation...
Read MoreHow Do You Avoid Financial Abuse?
Can You Recognize Financial Abuse? Imagine this: you take your car in for a repair. When you return to the shop to pick it up, the bill is enormous—far higher than you would have thought. If this is a mechanic you trust, it may just be...
Read MoreAre AI Stocks in a Bubble?
With AI stocks experiencing price swings lately, charts like the one below have been circulating that compare the Nasdaq 100 (showing data from 2022 to the present) with historic bubbles. Recent publications may want you to look at...
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College Costs & Aid Explained
Understanding College Costs & Financial Aid Packages For most, paying for college will involve some sort of financial aid. While there is plenty of information out there, making sense of it all can be intimidating. Understanding the...
Read MoreWarren Buffett on Climbing a Wall of Worry
There is always something to worry about on Wall Street. In fact, there’s even a saying about how stock prices perform when investors are fretting. “Wall Street climbs a wall of worry”—a quote that is often attributed to Warren...
Read MoreFinancial Know-How: Cybersecurity & Scam Prevention
What You Need to Know About Charity Scams When disaster strikes, be careful where you give. In the information age, we are besieged by need. It seems almost daily we see news or social media posts depicting the horrors of floods, fires...
Read MoreThe Business Cycle
What has upswings and downturns, troughs, peaks, and plateaus? Though such terms could easily describe a roller coaster ride, they are also commonly used to describe the business cycle. The business cycle – also known as the economic...
Read MoreA Brief History of Estate Taxes
Federal estate taxes have been a source of funding for the federal government almost since the U.S. was founded. In 1797, Congress instituted a system of federal stamps that were required on all wills offered for probate when property...
Read MoreHow to Compete Using Benefits
As companies grow and develop, holding onto top talent can become critical to your success. In today's competitive market, employees have choices—and they're evaluating not just salary, but the benefits package employers offer. The...
Read MoreTIPS for Inflation
In February 2018, Jerome Powell was appointed as Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. He became the 16th chair to take over the helm of the world’s most influential central bank. Among other duties, he and the...
Read MoreBuying a Home
When people talk about the American Dream and what it means to them, buying a house is often near the top of the list. However, the care and responsibilities of owning a home can sometimes be overlooked: You’re not only buying the...
Read MoreA Decision Not Made Is Still a Decision
Whether through inertia or trepidation, investors who put off important investment decisions might consider the admonition offered by motivational speaker Brian Tracy, "Almost any decision is better than no decision at all." This...
Read MoreFinancial Know How: Medicare
As summer winds down, watch for communications from your plan provider. This is also the time of year when many ne’er-do-wells try their best to take advantage of Medicare recipients. Read on to learn more.
Read MoreA Quick Glance at the Latest Tax Overhaul
Just before the July 4th holiday, Congress passed a domestic policy bill that extended the 2017 tax cuts that were set to expire this year while making some of the 2017 rules permanent. The bill also created several new tax laws for...
Read MoreA Different Kind of Year-End Review: 10 Steps to Reflect and Recharge
Financial professionals typically have a year-round focus on monetary goals and wealth management strategies. However, we also believe that true financial well-being is intrinsically linked to your overall life satisfaction and...
Read MoreYear-End Giving Strategies: Maximizing Your Impact
America is a generous country. People with diverse backgrounds can unite for a good cause, whether to benefit their local communities or the broader world. As we enter the holiday season, now is a great time to think about your giving...
Read MoreExploring the Financial Impact of Electric Vehicles
As financial professionals, we’ve noticed a trend among our clients: an increasing interest in electric vehicles (EVs). To help address some of your questions, we’ve compiled this high-level guide to provide insights into the...
Read MoreSafeguarding Your Identity: Essential Tips for Financial Security
Statistics show that nearly 33% of Americans have faced some identity theft attempts in their lives, and experts estimate there is a new case of identity theft every 22 seconds. As financial professionals, one of our primary goals is...
Read MoreThe Impact of Elections on the Markets and Tax Policy
The Impact of Elections on the Markets and Tax Policy With Labor Day behind us, we're in the final stretch of the 2024 presidential election race. As we follow the news and parse the most recent polls, some may ask, "How might what...
Read MoreDon’t Be A Victim Of The Retirement Crisis
Don’t Be A Victim Of The Retirement Crisis If you think the United States has a retirement crisis, you are not alone. A recent survey found that 79% of working-age Americans believe the same thing. That percentage is up from 67% in...
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence’s Influence on the Investing Landscape
In 1999, Bill Gates wrote, “How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose.” Companies looking to be successful in the future should heed these words when making decisions about implementing...
Read MorePreparing to Send a Child Off to College? Don't Forget These Important Topics
Sending a child off to college is a major milestone for any family, whether you’re a parent, grandparent, or close friend. It’s an exciting time, filled with anticipation and perhaps a bit of trepidation. There’s so much to do, and...
Read MoreDo You Know About the New Filing Requirements for Small Business Owners?
If you are a small business owner—or plan to be one—you should be aware of a new reporting requirement. The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), passed in 2021, changed beneficial ownership rules, which is expected to impact 32 million...
Read MoreTen Common Estate Strategy Mistakes You Should Avoid
Legacy preparation can play a key role in any financial strategy. Legacy management lets you consider what happens to everything you’ve accumulated—and may continue to accumulate—throughout your lifetime. But far too often, we’ve seen...
Read MoreFinancial Wedding Tips for a Memorable “I Do”
As we enter the traditional wedding month of June, we wanted to explore the range of expenses that can be related to this special event. The average US wedding costs $35,0001 According to The Knot Real Weddings Study of nearly 10,000...
Read MoreThe Evolving Relationship Between Stocks and Bonds
Sir John Templeton once said, “The four most expensive words in investing are: ‘This time it’s different.'” And normally, we would agree. But the phrase “This time it’s different” may apply to what's happened in financial markets in...
Read MoreIdentity Protection Strategies – Are You Doing Enough To Keep Your Information Safe?
There isn’t a week that goes by when you don’t read about some data breach. Safeguarding your personal information starts with understanding cybersecurity risks, knowing what to look for, and doing everything you can to help protect...
Read MoreCreate a Strategy to Protect Your Wealth with Potential Estate Tax Changes Looming
At the end of 2025, portions of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) are set to expire. Many changes will come with the sunsetting of many rules, including the possibility that federal estate and gift tax exemption levels will revert to...
Read MoreGive Your Children the Gift of Financial Literacy
Give your children the gift of financial literacy. They’ll thank you later! As a parent, you are well aware of your responsibility in helping your children grow up happy and healthy. Once they enter their teen years, the pressure can...
Read MoreInvesting in a Presidential Election Year
As the presidential election race heats up, a common question on investors’ minds is, “How might the looming White House vote impact the markets?” Some may wonder if they should tweak their portfolios or sit tight...
Read MoreSECURE Act 2.0 Includes New Provision On Special Needs Trusts
Experts estimate there are more than 44 million people with disabilities in the U.S., representing 13.4% of the population.1 Many parents of children with disabilities choose to establish a special needs trust. This can help provide...
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Longevity: The Underappreciated Retirement Risk
There are two distinct stages in an investor’s financial planning lifetime. The first requires them to squirrel away money for the future, hoping to benefit from the magic of compounding returns. We call this the “savings...
Read MoreA Life Lived On Purpose
It's easy to forget that money is a means to an end, not the end itself. Having a healthy interest in money is great, but overly focusing on it can distract you from its real purpose. One way to view money is as ‘fun...
Read MoreThe Psychology of Love and Money
Money can be a touchy subject, especially regarding our closest relationships. Whether we like it or not, finance plays an integral role in our partnerships, families, and friendships. So, how can we foster healthy attitudes and...
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