FINANCIAL LEARNING
Social Security: Maximizing Benefits
Most understand that waiting to claim Social Security benefits can result in higher monthly payments. However, many don't know that there are other...
Social Security: The Elephant in the Room
For most Americans, Social Security has represented nothing more than some unavoidable payroll deduction with the positively cryptic initials of...
Starting a Roth IRA for a Teen
Want to give your child or grandchild a financial head start? A Roth IRA might be a choice to consider. Read on to learn more about how doing this...
Tax Efficiency in Retirement
Will you pay higher taxes in retirement? It’s possible. But that will largely depend on how you generate income. Will it be from working? Will it be...
A Taxing Story: Capital Gains and Losses
Chris Rock once remarked, “You don’t pay taxes – they take taxes.” That applies not only to income but also to capital gains. Capital gains result...
U.S. Personal Savings Rate
The U.S. personal saving rate stood at 3.4 percent at the end of 2022, down from the 7.5 rate at the end of 2021.The personal saving rate is the...
Keep Your Umbrella Handy
In 2021, the U.S. had a record 24.5 million millionaires, up from 202 million in the previous year. An increase in personal wealth may bring greater...
Understanding FDIC Insurance
It's natural to wonder exactly how a bank safeguards your money. Fortunately, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insurance exists for...
How Will Working Affect Social Security Benefits?
In a recent survey, 70% of current workers stated they plan to work for pay after retiring.1And that possibility raises an interesting question: how...
Alternative Investments – Going Mainstream
Recent years have witnessed the mainstreaming of alternative investments for certain accredited investors. In fact, alternative investments are...
A Taxing Story: Capital Gains and Losses
Chris Rock once remarked, "You don't pay taxes – they take taxes." That applies not only to income but also to capital gains. Capital gains result...
A Primer on Irrevocable Life Insurance Trusts
"I’m proud to pay taxes in the United States; the only thing is, I could be just as proud for half the money." Entertainer Arthur Godfrey The...
A Primer on Dividends
When looking for income-generating investments, some investors turn to dividend-yielding stocks. When a company makes a profit, that money can be...
A Penny Saved is Two Pennies Earned
The famous saying from Poor Richard’s Almanack is frequently misquoted. It was published by founder Benjamin Franklin in 1737: “A penny saved is two...
A Look at Whole Life Insurance
In exchange for fixed premiums, an insurance company promises to pay a set benefit when the policyholder dies, but also offers additional benefits...
A Look At Diversification
Ancient Chinese merchants were said to have developed a unique way to manage their risk. They would divide their shipments among several different...
A Home Insurance Claim: To File or Not to File
Insurance is meant to protect you against financial loss. But is it really meant to protect you from any and all financial loss? When it comes to...
A Decision Not Made Is Still A Decision
Whether through inertia or trepidation, investors who put off important investment decisions might consider the admonition offered by motivational...
Things You Need To Do When A Parent or Spouse Passes
When you lose a spouse, partner, or parent, the grief can be overwhelming. In the midst of that grief, life goes on. There are arrangements to be...
A Cheat Sheet for Sending Your Kids to College
College marks a great milestone in a child’s life. It may be the first time he or she will live away from home. Dropping off your child at college...
A Bucket Plan To Go With Your Bucket List
John and Mary are nearing retirement and they have a lot of items on their bucket list. Longer life expectancies mean John and Mary may need to...
A Brief History of Estate Taxes
Federal estate taxes have been a source of funding for the federal government almost since the U.S. was founded. In 1797, Congress instituted a...
A Brief Guide To Condo Insurance
The ownership structure of a condominium unit is different from that of a single-family house. Here’s what you need to know when purchasing...
Question Everything
TAG: Financial Planning KEY TAKEAWAY, Will Parrish "QUESTION EVERYTHING: Critical thinking for today." The world is changing faster, faster. The...
Financial Planning Tips For The Times You Thought Would Never Happen
Author: Craig Harder, DDS TAG: Wills, Life Insurance, Mutual Aid Groups, It's easy to cruise through life feeling invincible, but no one is. Have...
9 Facts About Retirement
Retirement can have many meanings. For some, it will be a time to travel and spend time with family members. For others, it will be a time to start...
4 Steps to Protecting a Child with Disabilities
Raising a child is expensive and can cost about a quarter of a million dollars, excluding college. For a child with special needs, that cost can...
“It’s Different When it’s YOU.”
"It's Different When it's YOU." Everyone I know, including myself, wants to retire... one day. And the picture in our minds of what...
I wouldn’t be here serving the SDP client family today if it weren’t for Conrad Slate.
I wouldn’t be here serving the SDP client family today if it weren’t for Conrad Slate. Conrad and I both graduated from Tennessee Tech University...
Fond Farewell 08 03 22
Fond Farewell To A Valued Colleague and Friend, enjoy retirement. I want to take a brief hiatus from my blended family newsletter theme and focus on...