Life is Full of Taxes

As the calendar races to a close, it’s important to consider the impact of selling securities in a non-qualified (aka brokerage or non-retirement) account. While everyone’s situation is different, it’s important to understand the basics.

Maximize Your Limits

As many people are receiving their first paycheck of 2020, it is important to review your pay stub in order to maximize income. There are several changes you may want to make as we head into 2020.

Med School Grads, Do These Three Things First

As a recent medical school graduate, resident, or doctor early in your career, there are a few key things to consider for your financial well-being. The earlier you develop a strategy for these things, the greater the benefit.

Medicare Advantage Plans: What is Joe Namath Really Talking About?

In 2006, the Federal government created an alternate design in the Medicare market to complement supplement plans and stand-alone prescription drug plans. They’re called Medicare Advantage plans. Although the start was a bit rocky, carriers have learned and grown with their plan designs. Here are some of the most talked about design concepts of the Medicare Advantage plans.

Mega Backdoor Roth IRAs: What You Should Know

A mega backdoor Roth is a great option to quickly build a tax-free bucket of money for individuals who have maxed out other retirement savings vehicles, still have surplus to be invested, and have a 401(k) plan that allows for this strategy. Consider this an additional tool in your toolbox. 

Money and Emotions

The first step to managing emotions in financial decisions is to understand the script or story you are telling yourself about money and where it came from.

Money Can’t Buy Happiness, or Can It

The book Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending by Elizabeth Dunn & Michael Norton has changed the way I think and feel about spending. It’s based on academic research that identifies ways that spending can increase our joy, something I didn’t think possible before reading this book!

Saving More Is Easy If You Eliminate Obstacles

I listened to a great show on the Hidden Brain podcast a couple months ago: Work 2.0 – The Obstacles You Don’t See. The big takeaway was that often the path to success is not about more motivation but removing obstacles. I think the podcast has had a big impact on my life already. Let me explain.

Savings Ho!

It has been eight years, but the memories are still fresh! My wife and I loaded our four daughters into our Dodge Grand Caravan and headed west for our long-anticipated “Westward Ho!” journey. As we crossed the great plains into the Rockies and traversed the high desert of New Mexico into the arid Arizona desert, we laughed, fought, slept, played games, and created incredible memories. 

Secure Act 2.0 Offers a New Retirement “Lost & Found”

A few weeks ago, my colleague, Matt Moklestad, shared a blog about 8 changes from the SECURE Act 2.0. While many of the changes in this legislation are beneficial for employers, there is a lot in this act that is also going to be very beneficial for plan participants. 

Set It and Don’t Forget It

Working with a financial advisor is a great start to having someone inventory and help you keep track of the beneficiaries, or lack of, on your accounts.

Single Stock- Too Much of a Good Thing

Executives often have a significant portion of their wealth in their company stock. For retiring or retired executives, or those who have more than their holding requirements, we work to determine how much, if any, they should continue to hold and how to tax-efficiently decrease their exposure as needed.