Avoiding Probate Just Got a Little EasieràFor Certain Estates
Category: Financial Planning
Currently in Iowa, if a decedent owns personal property that totals $25,000 or less and that property would normally pass under a Will or the intestate statute, you can skip probate with just an affidavit.
One Paycheck from Ruin
Category: Financial Planning
Having a plan in place, with an emergency fund, is the difference between a small financial inconvenience and a catastrophe that could potentially alter your life.
Spring Training Thoughts for Your Portfolio
While the impact of each may not be dramatic on their own, collectively they add up and represent the things we do to incrementally add value to our clients.
Set It and Don’t Forget It
Category: Financial Planning
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.
Stuff I’ve Learned
Category: Financial Planning
Random, interesting stuff (at least to me!) I’ve learned since joining Foster Group.
457(b): The Good, The Not so Good, and The Not Good at All
Category: Financial Planning
457(b) plans can be a great vehicle for retirement savings if available, but they are often complex and come with restrictions 401(k) and 403(b) plans don't have.
Money and Emotions
Category: Financial Planning
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.
The Power of Delegation for Executives
Category: Financial Planning
Are you making the most of the rewards for your hard work? Your organization benefits from your time, effort, and management skills, but does your family get the most from all that effort?
Who Run the World? Girls!
Category: Financial Planning
Women currently influence nearly half the wealth in the United States and will likely influence 75% of the wealth by the year 2030.
Single Stock- Too Much of a Good Thing
Category: Financial Planning
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.
Money Can’t Buy Happiness, or Can It
Category: Financial Planning
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!
Don’t Let Creditors Crack Your Nest Egg
Category: Financial Planning
Colin Hendricks of BrownWinick Law Firm shares some tips on creditor protection planning for professionals.
Debt- A Useful Tool or Financial Burden
Category: Financial Planning
After 30 years of helping people think about all aspects of their financial plan, here are some thoughts on personal debt.
Life is Full of Taxes
Category: Financial Planning
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.
Teaching Your Kids to be Grateful and Giving
Category: Financial Planning
Most of the time, it is not so much how we directly “teach” our kids about the value of money but rather how we model and speak about money around them.
An Executive’s Financial Guide
Category: Financial Planning » Estate & Transfer Planning
Our eBook, An Executive's Financial Guide, can help with your road map to retirement, as we show you new ways to make use of your wealth for purposes important to you.
Confirming What You Know
Category: Financial Planning
Even though I’ve been helping married clients with their money for years, I realized we needed help. Were we thinking about things in the right way? Were we asking the right questions? Were we doing a good job of listening to each other and respecting our differences?
The Ins and Outs of Paying Student Loan Debt
Category: Financial Planning
Whether you are working on paying down student debt yourself, or have children looking to do so, below are some questions to consider.
Why I Hate New Year’s Resolutions
Category: Financial Planning » Behavioral Finance
Here’s the thing, I love the idea of starting fresh and changing that one thing that pushes you to be the person you want to be. However in practice, I hate – OK, strongly dislike – New Year’s Resolutions. Here’s why.
SECURE Act Signed Into Law. How Will This Impact Your Plan?
Category: Financial Planning
In December 2019, President Trump signed the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act into law. Will it affect you?