The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) 2.0 Act builds on the previously passed SECURE Act of 2019 and contains 92 new provisions promoting retirement savings, offering more retirement account flexibility and incentivizes businesses as it relates to offering retirement plans.

Congress has brought Benjamin Franklin’s quote front and center once again—Uncle Sam is now asking for visibility into your digital payment platform, such as Venmo or PayPal accounts.

Through many stressful and strenuous events over the course of my life, I’ve come to realize the importance of a positive ‘can do’ attitude and how it is so integral to your outcomes and experiences. This year, more than any other, has shined the spotlight on attitude and its importance on achieving a positive outcome.

If a gallon of milk cost you $2.50 in 2018 and costs $3.00 today, that’s inflation at work. If you got a promotion at work and now buy grass fed, organic goat’s milk that costs $7/gallon, that’s lifestyle creep.

Investors are asking if they should make changes ahead of the election, given the lingering pandemic, racial divide and a vacated supreme court seat. Rather than fall prey to a ‘sky is falling’ mentality based on who might win the election, let’s take step back and use history and data to guide our belief that you should remain committed to a long term, disciplined investment approach.

You may have noticed in yourself or others that many goals can go unreached until the right motivation is present. This is no different for your financial life. If you want to make better money choices, you need the right motivation.

As we approach the holidays, it is a time for giving. The month of December has been named ‘National Giving Month’. Under the new tax law enacted in 2018, your charitable contributions may no longer be helping lower your taxes. By using a Donor Advised Fund, however, you may once again be able to get a tax benefit for your donations.

November is the biggest month for benefits elections. While it’s easy to simply gloss over the choices your company offers, we encourage you take a deeper look. You might just save thousands in insurance premiums, be able to lower your tax bill or better protect yourself or your family. Below are our suggestions for the most valuable or often overlooked components in electing your benefits this year.

C’mon admit it – you have a guilty pleasure.   You don’t need to be embarrassed; we all have them.  There is nothing wrong with having them.  In fact, as long as they are within reason, we encourage them as life is about relationships and experiences and sometimes a guilty pleasure is just what the doctor ordered.

It’s fascinating to hear the answers to this question when posed to those who have been investing for at least a few decades. Without skipping a beat, most people say that their home has been their best investment.

It’s difficult to ‘unretire’. Before you turn in your resignation, here are some things you should consider.

There are many factors involved in calculating how much you should be saving, but here’s a quick guide to help determine if you’re on track.

I’m going to let you in on a secret in the money management world. Most advisors’ income is solely dependent on the dollars inside the investment accounts under their watch, which means they are laser focused on growing their ‘assets under management’

Retirement is a 2-sided equation.  Savings balances are important, but retirement readiness is also, and equally, a function of spending.

The fact is, most folks can’t or won’t find the time to dig in and really make sure they have their financial ducks in a row.

As we approach the Monsanto-Bayer merger, it’s important to understand what you have and what you can expect to happen with your stock, options and Restricted Stock. Without a finance degree, it can be difficult to decipher your holdings. You might be embarrassed to admit you don’t understand what you have. Trust me, you aren’t the only one. Let’s unpack what you have and things you should think about as the merger approaches.

Would you rather have $1,000,000 or the sum of a penny doubled every day for 30 days? If you did the math, you know that the magical penny is the correct answer and by a long shot. By the end of a month, you’d have $10,737,418.24.

Whether or not to accelerate mortgage payoff is a question that crosses most homeowner’s mind at some point. It’s especially top of mind this time of year as you gather the documents to file your taxes and see how much you paid in interest last year on your mortgage. As I discussed this with a client recently, I thought it might be interesting to share my thoughts with you as well.

Mark Schweiss CFP®, CPA, CFA joined the firm late in 2017. He humored me by answering a few questions so you could learn more about him. 

Whether you make $40,000 or $400,000/year, prudently managing your cashflow is the single most important financial thing you can do. You know you should live within your means, but why is it so difficult? Learn how we help our clients finally gain control of their income/spending, while saving them time and stress along the way.