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Everything You Should Know About an Emergency Fund

This post was last updated on December 31, 2022, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

No matter how well things are going, disaster can always strike. The best way to turn a disaster into an inconvenience is to have a solid emergency fund. A large setback can have significant consequences for your financial stability and security.

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How to Ensure Not Running Out of Money in Retirement

This post was last updated on December 31, 2022, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

If you’re concerned about whether or not you will have enough money in retirement, you should be. Research has shown that men and women are living longer, which means we could well have a good 30 years of life left in retirement. 

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What is the Best Social Security Withdrawal Strategy for Me?

This post was last updated on December 30, 2022, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

Deciding when to draw social security benefits is one of the most important decisions you will make as a retiree.  Careful consideration of your specific situation and goals is a must.  Don’t wait until you’re eligible to make these important decisions.

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The Tax Benefits of Net Unrealized Appreciation

This post was last updated on October 27, 2022, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

If the company you work for has an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) or profit-sharing plan, you’ll want to pay close attention. Company stock in your 401(k) you could potentially be eligible for tax rules to help you save money on your taxes.

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How To Do A Background Check On Your Financial Advisor

In today’s day and age of the internet, you can find just about anything in no time. Looking for a restaurant nearby? Go to the internet. Need a place to get a haircut? Go to the internet. Looking for background information on a financial advisor? Yep, go to the internet.

It amazes me how we found things before we had the internet. I guess we just asked for referrals from our friends, looked things up in the phone book or drove around until we found out what we were looking for…the indignity.

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What is an Investment Policy Statement?

This post was last updated on  27 October, 2022, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

In its simplest terms, an investment policy statement (IPS) is a list of rules drawn up between you and your financial planner to set clear and concrete goals for each other. It also works as a game plan for the financial planner so that they can employ their expertise in the best way they see fit to meet your goals in a timely and efficient manner. 

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What is a Solo 401(k)?

This post was last updated on October 25, 2022, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

The Solo 401(k) is one of the most powerful retirement savings options for self-employed individuals. If you’re trying to save on taxes, save for your future, and run a business, the Solo 401(k) might be right for you.

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Top 5 Things You Need to Know About Medicare Open Enrollment

Your medical care is one of the most important decisions you need to make as a retiree. Getting these top 5 Medicare considerations right could keep you from making a huge mistake. Medicare is a major part of the retiree healthcare equation.

Planning around Medicare is essential for your financial planner or advisor to consider too. Your decisions on medical care can have significant impacts on your retirement expenses.

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How To Have a Happy and Healthy Retirement

You’ve put your time in, and now it’s time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Retirement is all about taking it easy and living life on your terms. No more keeping a tight schedule, no more putting those celebrations and life experiences off until later. Now is your time. 

If this is how you picture your retirement, you’ve clearly got good goals in mind and you know how you plan to spend that time. Without a significant amount of planning, however, you may find it somewhat challenging to achieve your ideal retirement. Here’s a guide to ensuring you have that happy and healthy retirement you’ve worked so hard for all these years.

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The Best Options For Your Old 401k(s) – A Step-by-Step Guide

So, how many different companies have been at in your working career? If you’re like most people today, you’ve probably switched jobs at least a couple times. It seems like some people can switch every six months while others can stay for years.

Regardless, it’s extremely rare to see someone who stays with the same employer for life. Things have certainly changed from the baby boomer generation.

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Top Ten Ways To Avoid Bad Investments

This post was last updated on January 15, 2021, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

When it comes to making investment decisions, sometimes our emotions take over for common sense. While we usually rely on our knowledge and experience to point us in the right direction, investing doesn’t always work that way.

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Reasons to Switch from Cash to Accrual Accounting

It’s reported that more than half of small businesses fail within the first five years. What many small business owners fail to take into account when starting their businesses are their payment terms. These are the conditions in which payments are to be expected and the conditions on the payments. Many small businesses use a cash basis of accounting as their terms of payment because it’s easy to use and understand. 

However, this could be the deciding factor on whether your small business will flourish or crumble. Instead, an accrual basis of accounting will allow small businesses to get a better understanding of their finances to make more accurate financial decisions. Here’s why switching to accrual basis accounting can help your company succeed.

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What To Do With $50,000

Have you recently come into a $50,000 windfall, such as an inheritance? You may be tempted to buy a new car or take your family and friends on a dream vacation. 

But before you do, stop and consider all of your options — including saving the money...who would've thought a financial advisor would recommend this. 😁Developing a sound financial strategy is a good way to make your money grow.

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Is Passive Income Right for You?

If you’re like most people, you work a lot. These days, a growing number of Americans are working multiple jobs. Either the gigs are all part-time, or people are working on side hustles to earn extra income. 

One of the issues with the standard model of earning money is that you have to work for it. This is what’s called active income. You put in the hours, and you get a paycheck at the end of it. The more work you do, the more money you make. 

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The Ultimate Guide To Financial Freedom

By now, you’ve probably heard of the FIRE movement. FIRE, which stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early, is everywhere. As a matter of fact, there is even a new movie coming out called Playing With Fire. The film itself documents a young family’s journey into the FIRE subculture as they look for a way to cut down time spent working versus time spent with their family.

Financial freedom is a term used loosely, along with financial independence, and while they are very similar, they aren’t quite the same. The difference? Financial freedom allows you to completely walk away from your career without owing anyone a thing.

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How To Overcome Your Fear Of Personal Finances

Have you ever been afraid to log into your bank account or check your credit card balances? If you’re losing sleep over your personal finances, you’re not alone. According to a Bankrate survey, 36 percent of Americans are losing sleep over money troubles.

While money anxiety can be more common than we realize, it’s important to address it sooner rather than later. Ignoring your finances will hurt you in the long run, even if it feels better to bury your head in the sand right now. Money troubles never go away unless you take charge of your situation and address them head-on.

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Your Ultimate Health Savings Account Guide

Are you familiar with a Health Savings Account (HSA)? If you’re like most people, you’ve heard the term but you’re probably not sure what it is or if it makes sense for you.

If that’s the case, then it’s your lucky day because we’re going to dig into exactly what a Health Savings Account is and, most importantly, why I absolutely love them. So with that, let’s check out a few statistics that just might surprise you.

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A Guide to Choosing the Right Wealth Management Firm

With so many wealth management firms competing for a client’s favor and attention, you might be lead to believe that picking one is as easy as a walk in the park. Sadly, that's not the case. It's great that people have options nowadays, but the sudden increase in numbers also makes finding the right firm for your specific financial situation more challenging.

If you're at a point where your portfolio has become too large to manage on your own, then it's high time to call in the experts. The right wealth manager will help you identify solid investment choices and map out a strategy that will not only let you achieve your financial goals but surpass them, if possible.

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What is Tax Gain Harvesting?

One of the biggest challenges to overcome when investing is trying to minimize your tax liability. Capital gains taxes can take a significant chunk of your gains if you're not careful. This is why you need to understand various tax strategies e to minimize your tax liability. 

Although it may seem a bit counterintuitive at first, tax-gain harvesting may be a viable option in some cases. While you may have heard of tax-loss harvesting, today we want to take a closer look at tax-gain harvesting to see how it works and when it should be deployed. This strategy is a bit more advanced than some others, but it can be beneficial when used effectively. 

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How to Invest Your Lottery Winnings (or any large sum of money)

This post was last updated on January 20, 2021, to reflect all updated information and best serve your needs.

This article WILL NOT teach you how to win the lottery. However, it will teach you how to invest any large lump-sum of money that you come into unexpectedly. if you're looking for lottery get-rich-quick schemes, this is not the right article for you.

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