The Fragile Decade: Why the First Years of Retirement Matter Most
It is easy to get caught up thinking about the benefits of retirement, like no more morning commutes, more time with loved ones, travel, hobbies, and freedom. But from a financial perspective, the first few years of retirement are some of the most critical. While much attention focuses on accumulating sufficient assets for retirement, the […]
What Retirement Planning Tools Get Right and What They Miss
Retirement planning tools are incredibly helpful, until they’re not. Various tools can offer insight into your financial future, but none of them tells the whole story on their own. To make informed retirement decisions, you need more than just a number or a percentage. You need to understand how these tools work, what they assume, […]
How to Talk About Money When Only One of You Wants To
In many relationships, one person naturally takes the lead on managing the finances, paying bills, tracking investments, and coordinating with the advisor, while the other is happy to stay on the sidelines. The other partner may not be disinterested, but they’re not exactly drawn to spreadsheets or financial planning conversations either. And for the most […]
Understanding the Tax Impact of Funding a Fixed Annuity
When it comes to retirement income planning, annuities can serve as a powerful tool to convert savings into a predictable income stream, either for a lifetime or a specific period of time. With that said, the decision about what assets to use when funding an annuity (i.e., in a taxable brokerage account, a traditional pre-tax […]
Understanding Preferential Income Stacking in Retirement Planning
Taxes are not only determined by how much income you receive but also by the type of income generated. Some income is taxed at ordinary rates, while other sources qualify for lower, preferential rates. Understanding how these different forms of income interact can open up valuable planning opportunities. The U.S. tax code is progressive, meaning […]
The Spending Shift: Turning Your Portfolio into a Paycheck
Once you hit retirement, the focus shifts from saving to spending, and how you take those distributions can have a big impact on how long your money lasts. You’ve done the hard work of building your nest egg; now it’s time to spend it. But creating a retirement income plan isn’t just about maximizing every […]
The Psychology of a Financial Advisor
When kids talk about what they want to be when they grow up, you’ll usually hear dreams of becoming firefighters, astronauts, or maybe even rock stars. “Financial planner” doesn’t often make the list. But if you ask the best advisors in the business today why they chose this career, you’ll hear something unexpected: they just […]
Financial Planning Isn’t Just About Tactics
When most people think about financial planning, they think about implementation tactics. Should I be in a Roth or a traditional IRA? Should I use a bond ladder or stick with a total return portfolio? How should I time Social Security? These are good questions, but they’re not the first questions you should be asking. […]
Should You Add Uncorrelated Assets to Your Retirement Portfolio?
When markets feel shaky or inflation dominates the headlines, it’s natural to start wondering whether you should branch out from the usual stocks and bonds. That’s when the term “uncorrelated assets” starts popping up. These are investments that tend to move independently from stocks and bonds, offering potential diversification benefits. But when it comes to […]
Bricks, Mortar, and Your Portfolio: How Real Estate Might Play a Role in Retirement Planning
When most people think about real estate, they picture a home or maybe that dream beach house. However, from an investment perspective, real estate can serve a different purpose in helping to diversify your portfolio and potentially smooth out the ride during retirement. So, how exactly can real estate fit into your financial picture? Let’s […]
