Understanding Debt: Leverage Your Financial Future Through Wise Decisions
Leveraging your financial future begins with making wise decisions that are not based upon emotion or bias. If a decision could get you into some trouble, it’d be considered by many to be a bad decision. But what if you never allow yourself to be in a situation where a decision is required? Reward doesn’t […]
Mortgage Rates Then and Now: The Reality of Today’s Housing Market
Bill and Penny are recently married and looking to start a family. Their largest goal in mind, buying their first home. They go to their local bank and to their dismay, find that the 30-year rate is 6.625% (actual rate will vary by bank and location). Just three years ago, the same rate was 2.65%. […]
Understanding Sequence of Returns Risk: Protecting Your Investments from Market Volatility
Let’s begin with the definition–sequence of returns risk refers to the possibility of running out of money due to poor investment returns in the early years while you are withdrawing from the account. This is often associated with retirement accounts during the spenddown stage of life. Simply put–timing does matter. A retiree relying on income […]
I’ve received an Inheritance, Now What?
Having a family member or close friend pass away can be a very emotional experience. Things can become even more complicated when money is involved. Leaving an inheritance behind can be someone’s final way of telling their loved ones that they care about them, and you will want to use this gift wisely. Here are […]
3 Strategies to Consider When Taking Your RMD’s
When you retire there are things to consider before taking your required minimum distributions. Once you have reached the age of 73 you will be required to withdraw a specific amount from your tax deferred retirement accounts. These include your employer 401(k), 403(b), traditional, SEP and Simple IRAs. Due to the Secure Act 2.0, if […]
Key Insights to Protect You & Your Home From Deed Fraud
In today’s day and age, protecting your property has started to extend far beyond just securing the physical property. With advancement in technology, including AI, cybercrime has become increasingly prevalent and has many people worried. For this reason, adding to the list of items you need to protect from criminals is the deed to your […]
What is a Roth Conversion?
The traditional Roth IRA comes with income limits that may prevent high earners from contributing directly. For instance, in 2024, single filers with adjusted gross incomes above $161,000 ($240,000 for married couples filing jointly) are ineligible for direct Roth IRA contributions. However, there exists a legal pathway, to make Roth contributions for high earners. Here’s […]
Navigating Market Volatility: The Impact of Politics vs. Policy on Your Portfolio
In times of uncertainty, such as the lead-up to an election, politics often dominates the headlines and conversations. During times like these, one common question is what to expect from the market as the election comes around? While an election may influence market sentiment, the primary focus when answering this question should be about policy. […]
What’s Growing in Your Financial Garden?
Gardening is one of my favorite ways to spend a summer Sunday afternoon. There is something truly exciting about planting and tending towards a fabulous harvest. Growing up, I spent many summers learning from the best- my grandparents. For them, gardening was a retirement hobby, but for my siblings and me, it was a wonderful […]
A Look at the Market – May 2024 Update
The stock market had a very strong May with S&P 500 up 4.96%. Year to Date the SPX is now up 11.30% (with dividends reinvested). The market continues to be led by the “Magnificent 7” up 10.38% in May and 21.68% YTD. The Mag 7 ( NVidia, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet, Amazon and Tesla) make […]
