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10 Common Estate Planning Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)

Estate planning and end of life planning are about taking control of your situation. Death and long-term care later in life might be hard to fathom right now, but we can’t put off planning out of fear of the unknown or because it’s unpleasant. Don’t wait for life to happen to you, though.

Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – December 2, 2019

Trade negotiators remained primarily responsible for the market yo-yoing up and down in a tight range. Last week, the U.S. and China both shared positive comments about the status of negotiations toward a “Phase One” deal. Asian economies are more tightly tied to trade than other regions, and economic data from the region remains weak.

Monthly Newsletters

How to Give More than Stuff for the Holidays

Think about the best holiday gift you ever received. For some of us, that memory is pretty murky, but chances are you’ll come up with a toy you played with until it fell apart, or the bike you rode until the wheels fell off. Think about the “frame” that memory is in: was the gift exactly what you told your parents you wanted?

Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – November 25, 2019

Happy Thanksgiving! After a few weeks where growing hopes of a U.S.-China trade deal propelled markets higher, the opposite occurred last week. Trade negotiations took a small step backward, and global stocks followed. Other global economic news was generally positive.

Blog

Yes, Social Security Income Is Taxable – But Yours Doesn’t Have To Be

As you move toward retirement, you can’t be content just to accumulate assets. You need to develop a retirement income plan that can help guide you when it comes time to turn savings into sustainable retirement income.

Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – November 18, 2019

The S&P 500 continued to edge higher and closed Friday at another all-time high. News that U.S.-China trade negotiations continued to progress kept markets moving higher. U.S. economic news was mixed. Retail sales missed expectations but have still grown more than 3% over the last 12 months.

News

4 Ways To Improve Your Estate Plan

Most people want to plan for a good life and a good retirement, so why not plan for a good end of life, too? Let’s look at four ways you can refine your estate plan, protect your assets and create a level of control and certainty for your loved ones.

Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – November 11, 2019

Last week was quieter following the multiple major data releases and Fed meeting the previous week. England and Australia left interest rates unchanged. U.S. and Chinese trade data showed both economies continue to struggle with the effects of a trade war.

Market Commentary

Weekly Market Commentary – November 4, 2019

Last week was the business economic data week of the year. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates for the third consecutive meeting. Third-quarter GDP grew 1.9%, beating expectations of 1.6% while still falling short of 2% because of weakness in trade and business investment.

Monthly Newsletters

How to Maximize Your Giving with a Donor-Advised Fund

Many of us have memories of family giving practices. For some, it was that dime from your allowance that your parents said goes to the church. For others, it was the yearly (or more often) volunteering trip to help out at the local mission/soup kitchen. Or it might have been a policy of giving one toy to Goodwill for every new one you received as a gift.