Financial, Investment and Estate Planning Blog

"Should I itemize or take the standard deduction" is a question just about every taxpayer asks. Your tax professional can help you decide which path is best for your situation. But as you get ready for your tax prep meeting, here are answers to three vital questions concerning this common but complicated tax question. What is the definition of Stan...

April 18 is fast approaching, and we know that tax time can sometimes feel like visiting a foreign country, complete with its own language. You'll likely encounter the following tax terms, so we've translated them into plain English to hopefully alleviate confusion and frustration.The 1040: This is the form you'll fill out to help determine how muc...

 It's everyone's favorite time of year: the rush and bustle of the holidays are over, the winter chill is beginning to retreat, birds are returning to sweetly chirp, and taxes are due (come on! Three out of four's not bad!). While we know tax season can feel like a drag, we're here to help you prepare. The lists below highlight the important i...

How much is in your emergency fund? Is it enough? Odds are, whatever you put aside may have been tapped into during the pandemic. If you did run into unexpected expenses, did you have enough in your emergency fund, or were you using credit cards to fill the gap?Rebalancing your financial life in your thirties includes adjusting your emergency fund....

 The right tool makes any job easier. Especially when it comes to sorting out money. It used to be that you had to be an Excel wizard to build a digital budget but no more! While Excel remains an excellent option, there are now new tools applications that can make budgeting simple and easy (no formulas!). Here are four excellent budgeting opti...

 Success can mean different things to different people. For us, success is defined by the knowledge that after every meeting, clients feel confident in their financial goals and that we're on their side. We know our approach is thorough and can sometimes feel very granular – but that's not by accident! Here are three things about our planning ...

 "You need a budget!" It's often one of the first pieces of financial advice many of us hear. Budgeting isn't a one-size-fits-all exercise, though. It's about finding the system that works for you. Fortunately, there are multiple ways to get started and/or refine your current budgeting approaching. Here are just a few: The Line-Item Budget. Th...

If your kids regularly save their allowances and birthday money, they're well on their way to establishing great money habits. So let's build on that strong foundation with some early entrepreneurship lessons.Here are three real-world lessons and/or activities to further prepare kids and teens to successfully create wealth:Encourage entrepreneurshi...

Imagine if you gave your kids their inheritance tomorrow. How quickly would they spend it all? For most children and teens, once they get their hands on cash, they can't wait to spend it. If they aren't taught the power of budgeting and delayed gratification now, not much is likely to change in adulthood. How valuable can a job, nest egg, or inheri...

Budgeting can sometimes feel like a chore, particularly if you had a tough month where you spent more than you wanted to. Seeing every transaction pile up can be disheartening. Don't get lost in the weeds with how you're doing – get back on track with why you're budgeting! Whether you want to pay off debt, build up your savings, save for retirement...