Category

Money IQ

How to Create a Budget

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Not everyone has a budget and you certainly might have worked very well without one prior to now, but being aware and making a cash flow plan is a fantastic tool for helping you chart a path forward! Step one: Lay it all out there If you haven’t had any conversations about money in your […]

What’s in an Index?

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As much as I try to avoid the noise and focus on what matters to our clients and the investments we hold, I still find myself getting frustrated when I see the financial (and many other) news outlets reporting on the levels of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (aka The Dow or DJIA). Why is […]

You Are My Sunshine – My Only Sunshine

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Happy Summer Solstice! I just returned from a wonderful week at Lake Michigan with my family. I love them dearly and a great way to look after them is to make sure I have beneficiaries named on my accounts. Beneficiary designations are the way that certain types of assets are passed on to heirs, regardless of

Bright Sunshine Day

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Are solar panels worth it? This week’s blog features a client request on how to calculate if it’s a wise decision to have solar panels installed at your home. Yellow ribbon back home at the yellow barn after earning the last score for our USDF Bronze Medal! Most of us are aware of the great […]

Capital Gains – Wallstreet Weight Lifting

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If something you own goes up in value and you sell it, then you’ve made a profit. That profit is called a capital gain, and a capital gains tax is the tax you may owe on that profit. This tax isn’t just for wealthy investors. Capital gains tax can apply to anything of value, even […]

Tax Time?

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As the calendar turns to 2022, many people immediately start to think about filing taxes. While it’s generally a good thing to avoid procrastination (which I try to tell myself all the time!), you must wait for a) the IRS to actually accept your return and b) your tax forms to get prepared. Believe it […]

New Year, New Financial You?

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It’s all fun and games while the eggnog is flowing and the tinsel is still hung, but the post-holiday spending hangover can mean bad news for your financial situation if you don’t make adjustments in the new year. If the holidays left you and your budget feeling a little bloated, then it may be time […]

5 Reasons You Need a Health Savings Account

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Imagine for a second that you had a little financial fairy godmother sitting on your shoulder, promising to save you money on your healthcare expenses and help lower your taxes all while helping you invest for retirement. It would seem too good to be true, right? Well, here is the best part: that “fairy godmother”

Why Is Taking Financial Risk Important?

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No matter where you are on your financial journey, controlling your finances is one of the most important things you can do for your future. While it’s challenging to break the cycle of living paycheck-to-paycheck or find money to invest when you’re supporting kids or helping aging parents, building your own