What you can do to Prevent Identity Theft and Fraud
By: Brandi B. Graham, CTFA, CFP® Reported fraud losses increased more than 70% from 2020 to 2021. The Federal Trade Commission received over 2.8 million fraud reports from consumers in 2021 representing more than $5.8 billion in losses to fraud. There are multitudes of methods aimed at unsuspecting citizens. Some of these include […]
What is CWM?
Written by: Jason D. Nickerson, CFP®, EA, Executive Vice President What is CWM? Well, the first thing to answer is, what does CWM stand for? Answer; Comprehensive Wealth Management. We have heard this similar phrase substituting similar words, but does it still mean the same? That may be the topic for another blog, but for […]
MAKING SENSE OF ITEMIZED DEDUCTIONS
Written by: Lynda Lander, Associate Advisor If you are a homeowner and you are above the standard deduction, chances are you or your tax preparer have itemized your deductions. These deductions include, but are not limited to: Home mortgage interest payments City/state/school property taxes Personal property taxes State income taxes Other miscellaneous deductions. First, you […]
You Can’t Take it With You: Spend it!
“They don’t need any more money; they do just fine on their own.” This is an answer I occasionally hear in my job when beginning the estate planning and wealth transfer discussion. What does it mean? When I ask clients what their goals are for their money when they die, there are two general avenues […]
Who is Leading the Races in Your Investment Portfolios?
An explanation of how a few stocks can drive performance of the S&P 500 Updated on July 27, 2022 By JGUA Research Analyst Mark Abdalla, CFA Commentary by Associate Advisor Sarah E. J. Collier, JD The past few years for the stock market have been unique in terms of circumstances, returns and volatility. At […]
I’ve Retired. Now What?
When asked several months after retiring from a long career in higher education how her retirement was going a client replied, “I made the classic mistake”. I asked, what was the mistake? “I retired from something instead of to something,” she said. She went on to explain that she really did not have a lifestyle […]
Why Debt Shouldn’t be Scary
Did you know that there is good debt and bad debt? Good debt is debt that you incur that will increase your overall net worth, while bad debt depletes your net worth. Good debt includes mortgages, home equity loans, and student loans. Bad debt includes credit cards, and sometimes auto and personal loans. While […]
How Much Should You Pay for an Engagement Ring?
By Andrew Baron, CFP®, EA Associate Advisor Love is in the air in February with Valentine’s right around the corner! If you have been thinking about proposing to your partner, buying a ring is a major step in the perfect proposal. The obvious question is then—how much should I spend on a ring? Forget […]
New Take on a New Year
I’m sure you have all seen the “new year, new you” blog posts on anything and everything; finances, weight loss, exercise, travel, career goals, etc. In fact, I think it was just last year at about this time that I wrote a similar blog for everyone to read. This year, I want to try something […]
Complete Value
Written by Jason Nickerson, CFP®, EA Have you ever found yourself asking the question, “What am I paying for?” That question can take many forms, but simply having the awareness to ask says something about your critical thinking skills. I also find that in an ever evolving world of competitiveness fueled by human intuition and […]
