Financial Planning

The President, on December 29, 2022, signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which is the “omnibus spending bill” Congress needed to pass to avoid a government shutdown. That legislation also included the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) 2.0 Act, a.k.a.

You need an estate plan, regardless of whether or not you are among the ultra-rich. As recent news has shown, even those who have won the lottery or have substantial wealth can fall victim to poor estate planning.

In the unfortunate event that you should pass away without an estate plan (or at the very least, a will) in place, several potentially distressing things can happen. Not only can it cause a lot of unnecessary stress during the grieving process, but it also requires a major time and financial commitment from your loved ones as well.

All of us dream of one day being able to retire – to finally be able to relax and enjoy the lifestyle we worked so hard for. However, you'll need a significant amount of money to do it, which is where a lot of Americans begin to worry.

Expanding your family? Whether you’re in the planning stages or your bundle of joy has already arrived, raising a child is one of life’s greatest joys — and biggest expenses — and we're not just talking about the costs of college.

As financial advisors, we help people attain financial independence. Usually, our personalized planning conversations are enough to help them establish a healthy, happy relationship with their money, but sometimes, we uncover bigger pain points we need to move past before we can move on.

In our last piece, we covered fund management costs. Next, let’s take a step back from the mutual funds, ETFs, or other holdings you decide to invest in. Where do these holdings live — and what does it cost to buy, sell, and hold them?

An Account of Your Accounts

The original SECURE Act was signed into law on December 20th, 2019. Its “sequel,” the SECURE 2.0 Act, was similarly enacted at year-end on December 29th, 2022.

Ever since President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed off on the 1935 Social Security Act, most Americans have ended up pondering this critical question as they approach retirement:

“When should I (or we) start taking my (or our) Social Security?”

Whether you’re saving, investing, spending, bequeathing or receiving wealth, there’s scarcely a move you can make without considering how taxes might influence the outcome. No wonder people get nervous when there’s lots of talk about higher taxes, but little certainty on what may come of it, and who it might affect.