When it comes to our own personal financial plans, we tend to think of risk as a bad thing. You avoid things that are risky, and the safer a plan is, the better. But risk… Read More
How to Maximize Happiness: A Few Ways Money Can Make You Happy
We’ve all heard the adage that money can’t make you happy, but most of us realize that’s not quite true. If you don’t have enough to cover the necessities, more money will most certainly have… Read More
529 Plans: What You Should Know About Saving For College
At some point, most new parents or grandparents begin thinking about how to pay for college. Since educational costs have risen at a rate well in excess of inflation over the last two decades, covering… Read More
Long-Term Care Insurance: How to Determine If It Is Right for You
A question clients often ask as they approach retirement is whether or not they need long-term care insurance. The basic concept is pretty straightforward – if, at some point in the future, you need long-term… Read More
The Thrift Savings Plan vs. 401(k) Plans
The Thrift Savings Plan, or TSP, is the Federal government’s version of a 401(k) plan and if your goal is better understanding the TSP, we have written an overview of the plan . Is the TSP a 401k?… Read More
Investment Management: Questions to Ask About Your Portfolio
I attended a conference on communications a few weeks ago run by Dimensional Fund Advisors. Dimensional, or DFA as they are known, has an interesting story. They were founded by academics, including a few Nobel… Read More
Planning for Taxes in Retirement: Options to Control What You Pay
In last week’s post, I covered a few things you should consider in setting up withdrawals from your portfolio in retirement. One of the considerations was planning for taxes, and more specifically, how you can… Read More
Retirement Planning Basics – How to Withdraw from Your Portfolio
One of the most common questions clients ask when doing their retirement planning is how portfolio withdrawals will work. Saving is something most clients have done for years, but reversing the flow brings up a… Read More
Assets and Your Child’s Financial Aid: How Ownership Affects Assistance
In a series of recent blog posts, I’ve covered the control and tax issues parents face when determining how to hold assets for their children. Another key consideration I’ll address in this post is how… Read More
A Framework for Helping Parents with Finances
Stepping in and helping parents with finances can be a challenge. In some instances, the parent needing the help may have managed finances for decades and be reluctant to accept help. At the opposite end… Read More